Trust
We can accomplish more
together as a team than we can alone as individuals.
To build a strong team
is both possible and simple...but it requires commitment. It involves
developing new habits and putting them into effect. There is a
difference between a team that survives and one that thrives. True
teamwork allows all individuals to thrive and unfortunately it is rare.
At the very heart and core of a high functioning, unified team is trust.
Without trust individuals tend to self serve and compete.
What is trust? When
we talk about trust within teams what exactly does that mean?
Most people agree that
it means doing what you say you are going to do and having the skills to
do the job. Research also tells us that trust requires the willingness
to be vulnerable with one another.
According to Patrick
Lencioni, author of The Five Dysfunctions of a Team "As 'soft' as
all this might sound, it is only when team members are truly comfortable
being exposed to one another that they begin to act without concern for
protecting themselves. As a result, they can focus their energy and
attention completely on the job at hand, rather than on being
strategically ingenious or political with one another."
Without trust teams
lose valuable time and energy, and too much time is spent on managing
behaviors and interactions among individuals. "If we want to develop
trust, we must build unbounded sensitivity first." Says Peter Senge,
Dance of Change.
It
takes time and dedication to create an
environment conducive to sensitivity. Yet when we do develop that type
of environment people demonstrate an increasing desire to help
one another out.
What gets in the
way?
Fear and inability to
trust are two of the most important limiting factors for individuals and
teams. The fears keep us from actualizing our potential and the lack of
trust has us trying to do everything alone.
So, how can we create
trust within teams and organizations and still achieve desired goals?
This is what I've found
to be most effective.
1. Create
a one year plan. Engage key individuals fully in it's development
and the dream of what 'could be'. A year is long enough to achieve
large goals but not so far in the future that the results remain unseen.
2. Make
sure each goal on the plan has a champion, expectations are defined and
each person clearly understands their role.
3. Set
up meetings for accountability. This is crucial. This is the
place where the team members develop skills around proactivity rather
than reactivity. Monthly meeting give the best results. They can be in
person or phone meetings. The bottom line is that they happen and that
they are regular and consistent.
4. Anticipate
obstacles and educate the team about what they can expect and how to
move through them. Facing obstacles are part of achieving goals. They
will always be there. When a team pulls together to move on through a
block, confidence, trust and enthusiasm builds.
5. Encourage
respect, trust and communication. It is easy to have
misunderstandings and misperceptions when people come together. We're
all different and we bring different skills, communication styles and
perceptions to the group. Teamwork gives us a chance to practice
respect, appreciate differences and come up with best solutions,
together.
Willis Harmon says it
best in his best selling book, Global Mind Change, "Trust can
best be learned in a group activity in which the goal can not be reached
without depending on one another." It's in that need to work together
for a solution that the best in all of us comes out. We learn to use
each others strengths and see what we can do when we pull together and
work towards a shared goal.
When we trust one another something
within us is awakened. When people feel trusted they rise to the level
of expectation.
Trust truly is the
highest motivator.
