Do you trust the people on your team? What about those you report to or who report to you? What is trust and how do you know you have it?

Trust you to be nice

Do we have trust when it means I can trust you to always be nice to me? Being nice means, you’re not going to do anything to make me feel uncomfortable. While it sounds comfortable, is this trust?

Trust your behaviours

What about when I trust you to behave in a certain way? When this happens, it reduces some anxiety stemming from the uncertainty of how people act. However, do great things come from this form of trust?

Trust you with the truth

The most powerful form of trust is tied closely to my ability to be vulnerable. To speak my truth without worry about being attacked personally. You might not agree with my point of view, but at least we’re focused on what is true for me.

Trust

How do you know you have trust? Are you able to show me a quantifiable metric which proves you have trust? Trust happens through your commitment to do all the things which allow for trust to be present.

Having their back. Being true to your word. Making it safe for them to be vulnerable. Seeing the greatness in others and encouraging it to come forward. There are so many things which contribute to an environment of trust.

In the absence of trust

You might have many forms of trust present around you. While they’re all good, what can you do to cut through to the vulnerable form of trust in which we can speak our truth?

The only way I know how to build high performing teams is to make it safe for people to be vulnerable. As a leader, are you making it safe for people to be vulnerable?

Do you want to elevate trust in those you lead? Demonstrate a higher degree of trust for them. This will permit them to do the same.

You’ve got this.