The absence of trust in a team prevents you as a leader achieving the best that you can be individually and collectively.
Great teams don’t happen by accident. They need work from everyone involved. As a leader it’s down to you to lead the way…
I’m a great fan of Patrick Lencioni’s work. He developed a model on the 5 causes that prevent a team functioning at its optimum level. The foundation of this model is the absence of trust.
Patrick say’s “ Members of great teams trust one another on an emotional level and are comfortable being vulnerable with each other.”
Great teamwork isn’t an intellectual process, it’s an experiential one. It doesn’t involve following a step-by-step process. It’s about connecting with others and we are all different!
Team members who trust each other are comfortable being open and sharing their feelings – whether they are positive or negative e.g. fear, frustration, excitement, optimistic.
To what degree are you comfortable being vulnerable with the team you are a leader of, or indeed a team you are a member of?
What to do if there is no trust
It starts by being prepared to be vulnerable. This simply means being prepared to be truthful about who you are. For example saying “I don’t know how to do this’ or “I’ve never come across this before’, or “I made a mistake”.
You can do this in everyday conversations, however this alone will not effectively build trust across the team. One simple thing to do, which most organisations and leaders fail to do, is take time out. Have meetings and off-sites that aren’t about tasks and things to do, but about how we work together.
In preparing consider the environment you want to create. What is the message you want to give? Do you want people to me open and honest or hide ‘stuff’.
As a leader get comfortable with feeling exposed – putting yourself out there and being the leader!
The key ingredient is courage.
Are you prepared to take a risk without the guarantee of success?
Tools you could use
Here are some ideas to get you started:
Sharing personal histories There are several ways of doing this from sharing some personal information; your family, hobbies and challenges you’ve overcome through to a timeline of key events which led you to be the person you are today. The method you choose will vary depending on how developed the team is.
Behavioural profiling There are many tools to do this and one of my ‘go to’ tools is the Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). Whatever tool you use, the aim is to get to know each other better. What motivates you as individuals. This is also a great building block to identify potential conflicts in the team.
Reviewing team performance You can do this on a monthly or quarterly basis. Ask each team member to appraise the performance of the team. What worked, what didn’t work and how could each individual have contributed differently to deliver an enhanced level of performance?
Developing an effective team takes time and it’s never a one off event. If you have ever worked in a really effective team you know the benefits it brings.
If you are struggling in getting your team to achieve it’s potential and would like some support email me to set up a free discovery call and we can explore new pathways.
“When a gifted team dedicates itself to unselfish trust and combines instinct with boldness and effort, it is ready to climb.”
Patanjali
