building trust

A company that I’ve worked with quite a bit has just recently set up a Trust Task Group.  Why?  Because trust, or lack of it, has been identified as the top issue through an anonymous survey they did.  Unfortunately, there are a few people in the Task Group that believe: (1) there is no trust issue and (2) that trust can’t be regulated or legislated - that no amount of process or policy could yield a higher level of trust.  Given this back drop they asked me:

how do we go about overcoming the group issues so that we can get on with building trust?

Before we get into this, let’s review what trust is and how easy it is for trust to break down.

For me trust in the workplace is best defined as confidence in leadership, in reliability that things will get done and conducting yourself honorably with truthfulness (most of you have “core values” within your company).  When trust exists there is an absence of worry or suspicion, team members are more willing to go through a difficult process, support each other through ups and downs, and is confirmed by your track record in how you conduct yourself and your ability to correct mistakes and mis-communications as they happen.

But trust can be so easily broken.  It usually goes like this: for a particular occasion where an employee is extending trust (e.g. going the extra mile for a project), something happens which leaves them feeling burnt, or betrayed (e.g. a manager rips into them instead of providing constructive feedback).  Their emotional response is one of hurt, shock, anger, vulnerability etc. and they usually think “never again!” which breaks trust and further reduces their motivation to go the extra mile again.  It’s happened to all of us atleast once so I won’t wax on about how trust can be broken.

Now let’s address their task force issues.

“no trust issue exists”

Uhm, you have an anonymous survey from over 200 employees that says it does.  Just sayin’.  However, obviously they need to work through this one so my constructive response will be:  over our careers, each of us has collected a set of beliefs, perspectives and opinions, some of which are productive and some which aren’t.  It would be easy if we all had the same value structure and management style but that is unrealistic in such a multi-cultural environment.  We need to agree that differences exist and that as a company we need to provide a framework to bring everyone onto the same page as to the constructive work environment that all staff will play in.  Hire and retain people who understand this.

“trust can’t be regulated”

Fair enough.  I hate it when people say to me “trust me”.  Uhm, that’s my decision.  However, they don’t call it building trust for nothing.  “To build” implies constructing an infrastructure; to develop according to a systematic plan, a process or on a particular base.  So, I’d argue that trust can be improved by introducing processes or policies that hinge on communication, articulating core values and actually doing them.

what is the process to build trust?

The company should encourage for every project or occasion to:

1. set clear expectations;
2. provide frequent and timely communication;
3. demonstrate reliability;
4. create dependency (e.g. people are dependent on each other to get results);
5. be supportive;
6. create mutual accountability.

and what to do about that lingering baggage?

I’ve got two answers (one honest and one cheeky).

Honestly, take a deep evaluation as to what the reasons are that trust no longer exists (e.g. is it specific areas or specific individuals?).  Then start with an apology and an intent to change (no intent to change? don’t align with your core values? then it’s time to go because to stay will create a toxic environment).  Mediate to correct the situation by apologizing, expressing your feelings about the situation, ask how the situation could be made better, and ask for forgiveness.  Even better, have the individual honestly acknowledge the behavior or habit that needs to be addressed and be upfront about asking for help from their peers to make the changes.  This is tough because you then need to act on recommendations.  You’ve got to want to change.  There are loads of books on this subject (and google “Top N ways to build trust in your team”) so knock your boots off.

OK, the cheeky response:

If they don’t agree then do the clichéd exercise: drag a table into the room, get everyone to stand in front of the table, get the person who said trust couldn’t be legislated to stand on the table (at the edge, back to the crowd) and ask him: “this is the cliché trust exercise.  tell us what you think should happen?”  In answering (#2 communication) the “process” (#1 set clear expectations) of getting the group together, of getting the person to “fall back” into the crowd (#4 create a dependency), to “trust” they will catch him (#5 be supportive) you begin to build trust.  This “process” is always articulated in advance so that people know the rules, the infrastructure, who is going to do what so that they may “build trust”.  So, uhm, ya, there are rules (guidance, legislation, terms of engagement, process, policies, what ever you want to call it) that are required.  They don’t have to fall - you are just proving your point with dramatic effect - however, if you want, don’t articulate the process, let them fall, and see what happens.  Make sure your medical coverage is strong.  [ok, that was a joke and my wicked side coming through].

Trust is a valuable and fragile thing.  Don’t mess it up.