What puts cracks in the foundation?
While a relationship built on a sturdy foundation of trust can grow into a skyscraper, trust is a delicate thing. Cracks can spider through the foundation easily over time and turn into serious problems when left unattended. There are obvious culprits such as dishonesty, lack of integrity, and unresolved conflict. There are also less obvious enemies of trust and unity that can sneak in and do damage over time.
Inconsistency overtime can deteriorate trust. This can be completely overlooked by leadership because it is most often unintentional and at the root of it is lack of communication. Our team should be able to predict our answers and our behavior most of the time. If we react to a situation in a way that they did not expect we need to be clear about why. Predictability gives our team security.
Favoritism and exclusion can also weaken the foundation of trust. Showing one person or one group favoritism lowers your teams trust in your ability to be objective. The same is true when you exclude one person or group from benefits or the opportunity to participate in gatherings.
Rigid thinking can also wear away at trust. If your team sees you as close-minded, they will lose trust in your ability to listen. They will become unwilling to communicate ideas. Without realizing it, your rigid attitude can suffocate the relationship and cause the team to become disengaged.
Gossip can work its way into the foundation of trust and turn everything you have built into a house of cards. It is impossible to trust someone who gossips with you, because there is always potential they will gossip about you. Gossip can disguise itself as harmless "venting" or appealing to someone to offer advice in a difficult situation. The truth is, if you are not talking to someone that can fix the issue, you are gossiping. In a team environment this means you only take negatives to leaders (managers, supervisors, team leads, etc). This was one of the most valuable lessons we learned from Dave Ramsey's group in Entreleadership.
There are many other things that can cause faults to grow in your foundation: public reprimands, perceived sanctioned incompetence, and more. Leaders should identify these faults and seek to repair them quickly.
How do we build trust?
As we mentioned before, trust is a mutual endeavor. It takes both sides to build trust. It is a decision not to trust as much as it is a decision to forgive and show grace. Communication is a key ingredient in a foundation of trust. Positive, healthy communication over time creates a solid foundation of trust for your team to grow on.
Communicate the goals and visions of the team consistently. If you want your team to trust that you are leading them in the right direction, they need to understand what destination you are leading them toward. They need to share your vision.
Let your team get to know you and see you for the good person you are every day. When you put up walls between you and your team it is difficult for them to trust you, because you are not trusting them. If they see you as honest, with deep integrity, fair, and consistent they will follow you with full trust and loyalty. This means following through with consequences both positive and negative.
Work as a team. When your team knows you will work hard for them, they will work hard for you and each other A team that is cross trained and willing to cover for each other builds trust naturally.
A leader should also strive to refresh their team by being a source of renewal. Your team will should feel they can go to you when they have doubts, concerns, or even when they have made a mistake. If you work hard to build them up you will find trust comes easy.
Finally, remember LaDusta's motto "A good person does what's right no matter what anyone else is doing!" A team that lives by this motto trusts each other's intentions because they know even if someone made a mistake, they were trying to do what was right. Your team should know you will always be there for them, because you trust them.
Scriptures
Psalms 84:12 Proverbs 11:13 Proverbs 21:21
