Trust is the key to overcoming challenges in teams

Last week, I headed to a two-day strategic planning session with the senior leadership team of an organisation I work with closely. Nestled in the Blue Mountains, it was a great opportunity to dig into their plans for the coming year, defining priorities and identifying the roadblocks in their way to further success. 

It wasn’t until the final afternoon of the two-day session that it became clear that there was some frustration at play within the organisation that needed to be addressed before moving forward. Once it was out in the open, we were able to use the remaining time to understand the issue and discuss options for overcoming it. 

Sometimes it takes time, even for teams who work closely together throughout the year – to feel comfortable with each other to broach the frustration honestly and openly. 

Clarity is kindness 

Over the last few years, there has been an increased focus on wellbeing in teams, for good reason! A supportive and caring environment can make all the difference for teams. The unfortunate legacy that this focus leaves is a tendency to dance around the real problems in a team for fear of offending or rocking the boat. 

The two ideas are not mutually exclusive. It is possible to be kind within teams, creating a supportive environment built on trust where honesty and openness thrives, leading to honest conversations about the challenges holding your organisation back. 

Vulnerable trust and psychological safety 

Many organisations may think they have trust within their team – this is debatable, with 38% of Australians saying they don’t trust their employers and 47% of managers saying they don’t trust their team – but there are layers to trust. 

According to the CIPD, trust primarily works in two ways: 

1. Cognition-based trust – we all make an evaluation of the integrity, authenticity and competence of the people we work with. Do their actions match their words? 

1. Affect-based trust – how do we feel about these traits? A teammate might be competent and true to their character, but that may not make us feel safe to speak up about challenges. We don’t trust them enough to take a risk. 

Vulnerable trust focuses more on the second point although, of course, both types of trust are essential. Everyone must feel psychologically safe so they can share when there’s a problem without the fear of being embarrassed or punished for speaking up. It doesn’t matter whether there are interpersonal issues, process and procedure-based frustrations or wider organisational concerns – if a team lacks vulnerable trust, everyone’s walking on eggshells and skirting around the root issues holding the team back from success. 

Teams built on trust are ready to thrive 

It’s true that teams can function without trust – both kinds – but those that do usually experience high levels of turnover and a team that is unwilling to collaborate, innovate, or take risks to move the organisation towards success. 

While the strategic planning session I facilitated this week was productive, there is no doubt that the conversations would have been different if these particular frustrations had been shared from the beginning, rather than in the last hour. We would have been able to unpack the root issues sooner, without blinkers. 

Trust can take time to build but teams are always better off when it exists. 

Want to build your team on vulnerable trust? People Make the Difference can help. To find out more, visit www.pmtd.com.au or call us on 0412 333 415. Try our online leadership training videos – $99 for complete access. Great value if you’re committed to growing your leadership potential.