cultivating trust for exceptional teamwork

Trust is important for the prosperity of any relationship, whether it be personal or professional. Lack of trust leads to dysfunction.

It’s not liking each other that fosters a relationship, but it’s actually trust that helps attain the cohesion and solidarity that is needed to make the relationship truly successful.

If you want to gain trust from other people, you need to trust them first. A few things that build trust are honesty, authenticity, vulnerability and integrity.

Trust plays a crucial role in exceptional teamwork and the best way to foster it is to let go of your reluctance to be vulnerable with other people. As Patrick Lencioni points out in his book The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, “Remember teamwork begins by building trust. And the only way to do that is to overcome our need for invulnerability.” He also writes, “Great teams do not hold back with one another. They are unafraid to air their dirty laundry. They admit their mistakes, their weaknesses, and their concerns without fear of reprisal.”

Become more transparent and show your vulnerabilities. Be open to share your fears, failures and self-doubt with your team. If you’re the leader, set the good example by asking for help from your team members and admitting your own mistakes, weaknesses, or shortcomings.

Darren Hardy, renowned success mentor and bestselling author, shares, “People relate and connect more with your struggles than your successes.” When you take the lead, others will follow and these honest interactions will deepen the bond between you and your team members.

Gradually, these habits will become the work culture and the team will begin to build the solid foundation of trust that will greatly help in accomplishing the higher level goals.