The best way to find out if you can trust somebody is to trust them. ~ Ernest Hemingway
One of the fundamental aspects of a successful organisation is trust. Before we even dig into developing leadership or innovation, fundamentally trust is the foundation of any organisation. So whether you’re building a startup, leading a team in a corporation or working in a non-profit, building trust is a core element of success. The moment you start building a team, it’s about achieving goals together and working efficiently. It allows you to delegate certain tasks without being stressed whether it will be done. Trust enables open communication and foremost triggers leadership and accountability. Below are 4 ways to build trust in your organisation:
1. Chill
Sounds easy right? The moment you delegate and really trust a person to take action, don’t be too uptight. Stay calm and flexible about the result. If you let someone follow up on a task, he or she would do it different than you. So the outcome could be different. If that is the case, stay calm and discuss what can be done differently. But in all situations just chill and don’t be too uptight with the outcome, but be more focused on building trust with your team and learnings that you can share afterwards.
2. Be Real
One of the best ways to build trust is that leaders show who they really are. Be real, be you. Sometimes there is a sense that leaders can not be vulnerable because they need to be the captain of the ship. If you make yourself vulnerable and express something in confidence to your team, they’ll be more inclined to do the same. Lead by example because leaders should serve as a role model. The more transparent you are in your actions, the more transparent your team will be in theirs.
3. Speak Up
Trust and openness go hand in hand. The best company culture is the one where people are not afraid to speak up and get into the conversation. Team members should be encouraged to share their thoughts and opinions. For example, during meetings ask everyone to share their thoughts. Leaders should facilitate a conversation by allowing everyone to share their opinions. This way you build a culture where everyone shows interest, participates and listens to each other.
4. Build Relationships
Building trust in any relationships takes time. Do you trust your best friend? Do you trust your team mates from the sports team? The same applies to your colleagues at work. Why would you not build proper relationships with the people you spend 40 hours a week with? Periodically invest in less formal activities which are not work related so that the team can really get to know each other outside of the office. Team members need to get to know each other on a personal level. Does it mean, they all need to be BFF’s? No. But if they’re going to trust and support one another and better understand each others strengths and weaknesses, you’re company is set for success.
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