6 Micro Tweaks To Transform Your Team Into A Trust Factory

Read Time: 4 minutes 14 seconds

We form teams for one simple reason. We'll accomplish more together than on our own. The rewards for building a collective identity and embarking on a shared mission outweigh the costs to each individual.

So what separates a high-performing team from those that succumb to dysfunction?

The foundation: Trust

Here's best-selling author Patrick Lencioni’s take:

If our success is built upon trust, it stands to reason that we want to establish it as quickly as possible and do nothing to erode it.

But before we can architect our approach to build it, what exactly is trust?

The best explanation I found is that there are two types of trust:

Cognitive Trust

• From the head

• Driven by credibility

• Accomplishments, skills & reliability

Affective Trust

• From the heart

• Driven by feelings

• Closeness, empathy & friendship

And to be effective as a modern manager, we need to build both. 

6 Tweaks to Accelerate Authentic Trust

Be Vulnerable

Wait, didn't you say Cognitive trust is based on my skills and accomplishments? Now you want me to lead with my faults & failures?

I bet your workplace trust-building efforts are tilted heavily towards the cognitive by your qualifications. So let’s rebalance your portfolio.

Being imperfect has two other benefits:

• Light is the best disinfectant. Own your shortcomings, and you neutralize any power they hold over you.

• Your primary role is role model. Show your team how you want them to engage.

People will give what they get. If you want a team with high self-awareness and open-mindedness, you know where to start:

Be Personal

Have you ever built a meaningful relationship from a blast email? Me neither. And in our remote-first world, run-ins are infrequent. So even if it means you must be on 15-minute Zooms all day, do it.

Eye contact is the window to a clear connection.

Tip: Put your camera just above the screen. Then put any notes or materials just below. If you have a second screen, be explicit when you're using it. Otherwise, it appears as if you'd rather be elsewhere.

Tip: Learn everyone's name (in advance if possible). Ask for an org chart. Make sure it has pictures on it. You instantly pull someone a step closer when you address them by name.

Want to supercharge it with someone new? Uncover 1 thing they value. Family? Travel? Sports Team? Start there the next time you see them.

Be Explicit

Trust is a contract. And contracts are best written for the mutual benefit and understanding of both parties.

To make expectations explicit: