Steps to building trust in your team

Here are just a few steps you can take to shape your winning team into one that is built on a foundation of trust:

You could be part of the problem…

Teams are only effective if they have a strong leader.  Take a long look at yourself..  you need to believe in teamwork and be prepared to work at building your team.  Your own attitudes and behaviour will dictate the culture of your team.  Our module  What’s Your Style?  in our  Help for Managers  programme will analyse your style and identify areas for development.

Get it all out in the open – if you suspect that you have caused a lack of trust in your team through your own action (or inaction), you need to address that.    Be honest. Admitting that you’ve messed up takes guts, but your team will respect you for it. 

Don’t play members off against each other – healthy competition amongst team members is one thing, but when that starts to interfere with the common goal, then that’s not good.  

How you organise your team matters

Look at the structure of your team;  do you have the right people in the right jobs?   Is their resentment in the team because someone isn’t pulling their weight or considered not to be worthy of their position?  This will create distrust, and you’ll lose your credibility as a leader. 

Discourage cliques and encourage the team to work together as a whole.  Regroup if necessary by reaffirming your vision for the team, and your goals and objectives – and make sure everyone is on board. 

Be crystal clear about what everyone’s roles and responsibilities are in these challenging times – and reaffirm those responsibilities to the entire team.

Ensure your virtual meetings are effectively facilitated. Remote meetings can be a challenge, but read our tips to help you navigate your way through a more productive online meeting.

Have fun together

Online social gatherings and team building events are easy to set up.  These can be conducted remotely via video conference.   It’s important for teams to have fun together, even during a pandemic.  Probably more so.    However, trust has to be present first.  Otherwise, everyone will have a jolly time, but things will just go back to the way they were.

If you would like assistance with repairing the trust and understanding in your team, please consider our module Trust for Teams