Building Trust: A Manager’s Journey to Strengthening Team Relationships
Great Managers Build Trust
I can’t even begin to imagine the volume of words spent on trust in the workplace. The cornerstone of a productive and positive work environment is trust. It’s not just about overseeing projects and meeting deadlines; it’s about nurturing a relationship with teams that’s rooted in confidence and reliability.
Understanding trust and its importance is one thing. Building and maintaining trust is another. Ask yourself these 2 questions:
Do you believe it is important to have trust with your team?
How often do you intentionally think about trust and act to build or maintain trust? The key word is “intentionally”.
If you are like most managers, the answer to #1 is an emphatic yes. However, the answer to #2 becomes trickier. Managers believe they act every day to build trust, but most (if they are honest) will say it isn’t an intentional act. Daily actions are meant to build trust subtly, done under the radar. If I asked you “what did you do today that built trust among your team?” you would struggle to answer.
Basic truth: Most of us don’t build trust intentionally.
Challenge for You
This is the challenge for you this week – focus on building trust intentionally. Think about how each action you do is building or detracting from trust. This will become an exhausting exercise after a while – because you will start to think about deeper impacts to everything you do. The things you do instinctually will take on a different meaning.
Here are some things to consider as you go about your daily work:
Do I foster open communication?
Do I schedule – and hold - regular one-on-one meetings to discuss not just work, but also personal growth and goals? Are these meetings led by what they employee wants to discuss, or do I take over the agenda?
Do I encourage an open-door policy where employees feel comfortable sharing their ideas and concerns? How often do employees randomly come to me with ideas and concerns?
Am I transparent?
Do I share company goals, challenges, and successes openly with the team? Do I do this enough so that repetition ensures proper transfer of information?
Note: Talking about a goal once isn’t enough – it should be part of your daily/weekly discussions to ensure the goals stay top of mind.Do I Involve employees in decision-making processes that affect their work? Do I ask them what the positives and negatives are of a decision and give them the autonomy to do things the way that works for them?
Do I pay attention to my Say-to-Do Ratio?
How often do my actions follow through on promises? Remember, the Say-to-Do ratio will never be 1:1, but it better be darn close.
Do I establish and enforce clear and consistent policies that apply to everyone fairly?
Do I create a culture of autonomy – where employees know what is expected and I let them work in the manner that makes them most effective?
Do I delegate meaningful tasks that play to each employee’s strengths and contribute to their professional development?
Do I trust employees to make decisions in their area of expertise and support them?
Have I taught them how to make decisions and how to review decisions afterwards to ensure continuous improvement?
Do I recognize the work and effort of the team?
Do I acknowledge and celebrate successes, both big and small, to show appreciation for hard work?
Do I recognize successful results or full effort? If you only acknowledge results, you miss the point of effort. Focus on effort more.
Do I provide positive and negative feedback in a respectful manner to help employees grow?
Do I stress the importance and impact of integrity?
Do I lead by example and uphold ethical standards in all business practices?
Do I admit mistakes and take steps to correct them, showing that accountability is valued? Does this discussion of mistakes focus on improvement or blame?
Conclusion
By focusing on these intentional, actionable items, managers foster a culture of trust that not only improves work but also strengthens the bonds within the team. Building trust is an ongoing journey that never ends. The difference between those who do it well and those who don’t? Intentionality.