To Trust or Not to Trust: The Foundation for Successful Team Cultures
Trust is a key part of successful teams, but where does it come from and how can we build it?
In the beginning of my professional career, I hid many aspects of myself at work. I was always concerned that if my colleagues found out the details of my personal life that I would be undermined and not taken seriously.
I remember the first time I was in a work environment where I felt like I could actually be myself.
I no longer had to hide or be concerned that my colleagues would find out my age, my habit of ridiculous karaoke performances, my love for horror movies, etc. Even if they did, I had confidence that their respect for me at work would not change.
I think back about those two situations and ask myself - What was the difference? I like to think that I evolved as a person over the years, feeling more confident in myself, but there was something else…. There was a difference in these teams- how they worked together, how they communicated, how they supported one another.
For example, when I joined the latter team, I was sent a slew of “welcome” emails even before I started. I was assigned an onboarding buddy who I could go to for any questions (in addition to my manager), and I was set up with intro meetings with everyone on the team so I could get to know each person.
All of these behaviors helped create a key aspect that has been linked to high performing teams: TRUST
I was able to build relationships with my coworkers, learn how they preferred to communicate, and discuss what their roles were and how we could collaborate very early in my tenure. They started building trust with me right away- letting me ask questions with no worry that I would look stupid and giving me multiple resources to reach out to when I felt lost.
When looking into team effectiveness, research performed by Google discovered that it was not necessarily who was on the team that mattered, but how they worked together that eventually led to their success (or failure). In the most successful teams, the leaders and members truly listened to one another, had open discussions, and showed empathy. They titled the most important aspect ‘psychological safety,’ which can be seen as a form of trust. When there was psychological safety, folks on the team felt comfortable to speak their minds, and even to make mistakes, knowing that others on the team would support them if they fell.
Other team effectiveness models such as the T7 Model (Thrust, Trust, Talent, Teaming, Task, Leader, Suppor), the GRPI model (Goals, Roles, Process, Interactions), and more also propose that trust is a key component in a successful and productive team.
The bad news is that trust does not just happen on its own. It is an investment. We have to put time and effort into building a great team culture, especially now, when a lot of our colleagues do not physically sit in the same office as us. We need to create more connection points with team members and be cognizant about the relationships and culture we are trying to create.
Building a great team culture will take time, but here are a few key actions to start:
Assign an onboarding buddy to each new hire- ideally a peer at their current level - who is a person IN ADDITION to the manager that they can go to for any questions they have when getting started
Set up 1:1s with team members, especially when new hires join. New hires should get to meet each team member 1:1 - even 15 minutes virtually goes a long way. Even when folks have been there for a while, encouraging teammates to meet with each other 1:1 at least every other month will help them better understand one another and avoid potential miscommunications with projects.
Build out team norms and write them down- What are preferences for team meetings? What are the processes for your team when a new request comes in? How do you deal with urgent after hour executive emails? The act of building your norms together will deepen trust with one another. In addition, determining these things upfront and having clear processes will help your team know what to expect and how to act.
Want to learn more, especially about how to build trust in the virtual/hybrid world of work? Check out our upcoming workshop: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/workshop-virtual-teamwork-skills-building-connection-across-distance-tickets-647675433657?aff=ebdsoporgprofile
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