In my previous post, I discussed the importance of a Team Charter. Through the development of a Team Charter, members have the opportunity and responsibility to craft a shared purpose and vision for themselves It doesn’t have to be grandiose but something that engages them so each person feels a part of the whole. This is the beginning of the possibility of commitment to the team. But something even more powerful has to be present. Team members will only be committed to the team as much as they trust other members.
People want to belong and bond with others.* Some of our greatest connections derive from work. However, we won’t have that sense of belonging if we do not trust the other person. Trust is the belief that those on whom we depend will meet our expectations of them. Another word in the context of work is confidence: a firm reliance on the integrity, ability, or character of a person or thing.
It is very easy to get caught in the quagmire of what that “trust” means on a one to one basis. When I am working with teams, I use two criteria: Is person is competent to to what he or she says? And can she or he be relied upon to do it? Short. Simple. Sweet.
Robert Bruce Shaw wrote an interesting book back in 1997 that didn’t get a lot of press: “Trust in the Balance”. Shaw identified three key aspects to trust:
- Deliver Results – people won’t retain our trust if they are incompetent
- Act with Integrity – be honest in your words – be consistent in your actions
- Demonstrate Concern – at a basic level, we trust those who care about us we assume those we trust will understand our interests and will not deliberately hurt us
- How are you doing on the journey of trust building?
- How do you measure up?
- Are you worthy of your team members’ trust?
- Do you say what you are going to do and do what you say you are going to do?
The following model is one that I like to use with teams to help them assess they perceive how the team as a whole is doing on building and maintaining trust.
Trust is also connected to reputation. One’s reputation determines how likely an individual will to share information with other team members. Also, how does the team handle a situation where trust has been broken? These issues will will be discussed in another post on “Team Process Skills”.
* Please see this wonderful post by Kurt Nelson on Four Drive Model of Motivation.
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