team building – Brilliant People

5 Tips to Create a Cohesive, Collaborative Team

Whitney Nelson — Thu, 26 May 2022 19:29:40 +0000

5 Tips to Create a Cohesive, Collaborative Team

To build a cohesive collaborative team takes time and effort. As managers, we have to know that just assigning a group of people a common project and calling them a ‘team’ in no way ensures that they will function as one. Teaming well requires soft skills like communication, problem solving and leadership as well as emotional intelligence. Those aren’t always skills we’re born with but they can definitely be learned.

The learning process is easy. It’s being fully committed to the process and ultimate outcomes that is most important. We’ve narrowed it down to 5 steps for a cohesive, collaborative team. Follow these steps and you’ll be well on your way to creating team dynamics that work, allowing more success in individual teams that ladder up to the overall organizational wins!

#1 Get To Know Your Teammates

This sounds so simple, almost yawn-inducing simple. But honestly, what are you doing to actually get to know the people you’re working with?

We’ve all got a lot on our plates but maybe all that’s needed for starters is taking the time to do a bit more than just saying hello. Ask how they’re doing and actually wait to hear their response. Pay attention to whether they’ve got photos of kids on their desk and ask their names, or what they’re into. Maybe instead, they’ve got photos of a four legged friend. Chat them up about it. Animals are a great way to connect because people LOVE talking about their pets!

Do some covert question-asking to see what their favorite coffee drink is and then surprise them with one. Finding out if someone on your team is a coffee catch up or happy hour kind of person can be super helpful and make for great opportunities to get to know them better outside the office. Sometimes, even if you’re not in the mood for a chat, asking a simple question and just listening is all someone else needs to feel that sense of belonging. It really does go a long way.

#2 Build Trust Through Your Actions

When people hear phrases like “trust building” in the context of work, visions of ‘trust falls’ pop into their heads and that doesn’t always leave a great impression. They think: No way! That is such a waste of time and I’ve got too much on my plate!” Well, we’re right there with you on the trust fall, but we know that building a foundation of trust is the #1 most important thing companies can do.

Historically, it’s been really challenging to quantify the benefits of having better trust in the workplace. We all know we need to trust our colleagues and company leaders, but it’s been hard to quantify and connect the dots between what that does to things like earnings, profit and financial KPIs. But, we have to remember: the question isn’t if a company will deal with a trust issue, it’s when. So, thankfully, Accenture completed a study a few years back and the findings were incredible. The research determined a connection between things like trust and EBITDA. And guess what they found??

WHEN TRUST DROPS BY 2 PTS, EBITDA IS COMPROMISED AND DECREASES BY 9.8%

What does this mean for your company? It means your revenue is at risk if you don’t have a solid foundation of trust throughout your organization. The impact of trust on a company’s bottom line is a big deal and one every company should be thinking about.

As we’ve said before, vulnerability based trust is the key. Be authentic. Understand who you are in the mix so you can better understand who others are. It’s a simple process, you just have to be dedicated to the outcome. And, understanding how a lack of trust affects the company’s bottom line may give some incentive.

#3 Be Accountable

When there is clear communication, accountability comes more easily. And, I’m not talking about top to bottom accountability. I’m talking about peer to peer. If you’ve got a clear line of communication, and everyone is on the same page about expectations, then you have a road map for how to show up, the work that you do, and the outcomes the team is seeking. Which means, being accountable is three fold:

we need to be accountable to ourselves
we need to be accountable to the commitments we make to others
we need to hold others accountable as well

When we talk about holding ourselves accountable, that can start with something as simple as: do what you say you’re going to do, whether it’s showing up on time or turning something in when you say you will. Those types of actions go a long way in communicating how you really feel about the team and your responsibility to it. It also gives your teammates an idea of what you think about them. I’m sure you’ve heard it before, but the person who is constantly late is basically saying they don’t respect the other person’s time. Being confronted in the moment with “I don’t feel like you respect my time when you show up late to meetings” may feel super aggressive. And, your first thought may take you back to 3rd grade when you told someone “you’re not the boss of me!” However, I’d venture to guess that a little self reflection would tell you: they’re right! Whatever the reason for being late, it was obviously more important than showing up on time.

On the flip side, if holding a teammate accountable falls on you, my guess is that you’re likely thinking “Why do I have to be the one to show them where they’re going wrong…? This is NOT my responsibility!” Well, if this is you, you may need a reframe. Part of having healthy team dynamics is being able to hold each other up, which involves a willingness to out the situation when a teammate isn’t holding up their end of the bargain. If they’ve committed to some action or some type of behavior, but they aren’t following through, that’s an open invitation for a heart to heart. As hard as it is to be the one to instigate it, and possibly harder to be the one who receives the feedback – this is exactly what organizations need in order to create truly cohesive, collaborative teams.

#4 Focus On Team Results, Not Personal Results

We’ve all got our daily tasks and weekly goals that we have to keep front and center for the overall success of the organization, but it’s a real problem when you’ve got a lone wolf in the mix who is only out for #1! If you’re in this situation, take the time to discuss what “team commitment” actually looks like. Ultimately, it comes down to decisions and actions that serve the greater good of the organization.

If you are the lone wolf constantly shutting others out, not allowing collaboration or input of any kind to muddy the waters of your solitary strategy you are creating derision and division in the team. This will never be in the playbook for creating cohesive, collaborative teams. Instead, remember that old adage: There is no ‘i’ in team. It still holds true. Allowing others to be part of your process improves the final outcome on so many levels. The workload is spread out, amazing ideas are generated by bringing other voices into the mix and the end result is so much more fulfilling.

#5 Show Appreciation

When we let others know how much we value their help it really goes a long way. More than 35% of employees consider lack of recognition of their work as the biggest hindrance to their productivity according to a recent poll by Tjinsite, a division of TimeJobs.com. So you can see, everyone needs to feel appreciated, but we are each moved differently when it comes to how it’s shown. Picture this scene: One of your teammates has been responsible for pulling together a really important client event for the company. Time and again this person comes through, working overtime, putting their heart and soul into the outcome, but when you pull them into a large group gathering to present them with a thank you card and a round of applause, they look like they might throw up. And, you’re left wondering what went wrong…

We are all wired differently. For some of us, we want a standing ovation every time we have a win (big or small). And, then others of us are mortified at the thought of being publicly recognized. Some may just want a pat on the back and a thumbs up, and it’ll carry them through until the next win which takes us back to #1! If we get to know our people, we know what they want and what they need. A little creative investigation goes a long way and then allows you to show how much they mean to the overall team dynamics in the way they need.

Conclusion:

We know it takes time and dedication to build cohesive, collaborative teams. As managers, we have to ensure that every person on the team is dedicated to the process of taking their communication, problem solving and leadership skills to the next level, while also throwing a little EQ into the mix. When you take these five steps and consistently implement them into your team processes the results are amazing. You can’t help but have cohesive, collaborative teams as a result.

If you need help creating cohesion on your teams, call us. We’ve got a brilliant plan for guiding teams through the right steps to keep them on their path to success!

Trust – The Foundation of Transformation

Brettne Shootman & Whitney Nelson — Thu, 20 Jan 2022 17:50:00 +0000

Listen to this blog post.

When building or ‘renovating’ relationships – lay a foundation of trust first

To go from trust to transformation in relationships, we have to approach them like we would if we were building or renovating a house. We would never add the framework or layer multiple floors on without having a very secure base. In this case, trust is the foundation of transformation, which is key when building or ‘renovating’ relationships at work or in our personal lives.

A strong foundation needs to be fortified and able to withstand the known and unknown forces at play. If you ask people what trust means to them you will hear varying responses. Examples might include: trust in myself, trust in the system, trust in others, and trust that it will all work out. This is because perceiving and embodying trust is totally subjective. We all have our own interpretation of trust and how it serves us. And these interpretations are formulated by our own unique experiences. So how do we transform through trust and build a strong and resilient foundation? We begin with trusting ourselves.

Turning the focus inward by fortifying our own solid base of trust allows us an opportunity to be vulnerable and honest. But, being vulnerable and allowing ourselves to be honest can be terrifying because it means exposing our true selves and all of our self-perceived faults to others. However, when we are able to show this vulnerability to others and understand what it takes to work through difficult moments, we are better equipped to understand what it’s like for others to do the same. This process helps us develop empathy, which builds connections, shared experiences and ultimately trust.

Trust, according to research reported in The Harvard Business Review consists of 3 main elements: positive relationships, good judgment/expertise, and consistency.

Positive Relationships

So let’s look first at fostering a positive relationship of trust with ourselves. This is important because it’s the template for how we view and interact in our external relationships. For example, if we are more optimistic and engaged, we can more easily partner with colleagues or friends in both the good times and the hard times remembering that we’re all there for the greater good. The trust we nurture in ourselves enables us to trust our own voice, gut feeling…our intuition. And intuition helps to cultivate emotional intelligence. The most important positive relationship we can have in our lives is with ourselves. When we befriend our inner critic we are more capable of nurturing positive relationships with other people. And, it’s this nurturing that creates trust as a foundation of transformation.

Trust is about transparency, about learning that it’s safe to let another person know who you are and what you feel, and it’s basically trial and error,” he says. “You pay attention to your instincts about whom to trust, and you try it out.
Joshua Coleman; psychologist

Good Judgment & Expertise

Next let’s look at judgment. We cannot exhibit good judgment and expertise without first having experiences. These moments shape us and can guide us if we take the time to tease out the learning from each one and acknowledge what it provided. This empowers us to be able to trust our choices next time. This framework continues to build and ladder up as we collect more experiences and make adjustments for the next time we are confronted with something similar…or totally different. Each situation experienced will demand us to trust that we can prevail because our past has proven that it’s possible.

Consistency

Last of all, let’s consider consistency as it relates to building trust. Trust is strengthened over many occurrences. Although practice may not always end in perfection, it does provide us with data to reflect and build upon. And it’s the practice that bonds and strengthens trust individually and collectively. We will probably falter at times or misstep, but making a consistent effort toward trusting ourselves will pay off as true transformation takes shape through consistent practice and new habits! You can take this a step further by doing what you say you are going to do. Your word is your worth, so being true to your word and following through strengthens that foundation of trust.

Trust…on solid ground

In conclusion, the ability to build or renovate relationships is one of the most important aspects of life, period. But to do so, you must first create a foundation of trust. And, before others will trust you, you have to trust yourself. Allowing space for your own vulnerability and authenticity with others is key. Secondly, learn from your experiences so that they create strength in this area. Third, continue seeking out other opportunities that will stretch your capacity so that you can practice trusting yourself first, and eventually others. And remember, the glue that binds the elements of trust together in a work environment is communication. Using words to describe, share, protect and champion our thoughts and beliefs can help us find things in common with each other. This goes a long way in building a solid foundation of trust that leads to true transformation.

If you’re ready to see a transformation in your organization, we’ve got your back. Our Five Behaviors of a Cohesive Team program is the perfect place to start. Call us for a complimentary discovery session. The path is so much easier when you have a guide!

How To Build Trust On Your Team

Whitney Nelson — Wed, 08 Dec 2021 18:20:00 +0000

Listen to this blog post read by the author.

“There is probably no quality or characteristic that is as rare as trust.” Patrick Lencioni

What is Trust?

The formal definition of trust is ‘the assured reliance on the character, ability, strength or truth of someone or something.’ But really, trust is about vulnerability.

In fact, we think Patrick Lencioni’s definition is way more impactful. In his book, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, Lencioni states,

“When it comes to teams, trust is all about vulnerability. Team members who trust one another learn to be comfortable being open, even exposed, to one another around their failures, weaknesses and fears. Now, if this feels a little touchy-feely, that’s not where I’m going with it. Vulnerability-based trust is predicated on the simple – and practical – idea that people who aren’t afraid to admit the truth about themselves are also not going to engage in the kind of political behavior that wastes everyone’s time and energy, and more importantly, makes the accomplishment of results an unlikely scenario.”

Based on his work with thousands of teams, he’s seen time and again that trust is the foundation for cohesive, collaborative, and productive teams. So how exactly do you go about building that trust?

Trust and Self-Reflection

Self-reflection is key to building trust, so first, consider your own experience with trust. Maybe you have broken someone else’s trust, or maybe yours was broken. Either way, you can learn from what happened. To do so, consider the following:

How did it feel?
How did it affect the relationship?
Were you able to repair the relationship after the trust was broken?

Repairing relationships isn’t easy but the effort is worth it. No matter what your current role is, you need good working relationships and building trust is the only way to get there.

Vulnerability = Trust

Second, learn to be vulnerable with your teammates. That might be a bit scary for some. I mean, people don’t usually think: Hey! Let’s go be vulnerable at work today!

Said no one ever…

Instead, try thinking of vulnerability as being able to be authentic. Help your teammates understand why you do what you do. Giving insight to others about what you prioritize, what motivates you, and what stresses you out will help them understand you more, building better relationships. And FYI, all of that is related to your personality type. The Everything DiSC model describes the four major personalities as:

Dominance: Direct, forceful, lack of concern for others, impatience, insensitive
influence: Talkative, disingenuous, impulsive, lack of follow-through, disorganized
Steadiness: Slow to respond, acquiescent, too accommodating, avoid changes, indecisive
Conscientiousness: perfectionist, over analytical, skeptical, overly critical, keeps to themselves

Understanding how your personality type typically shows up can help you understand how others might perceive you. And those perceptions might be causing trust issues on your team.

Get To Know Your Team Personally

Third, if you want to develop trust with your coworkers, get to know them personally. I don’t mean superficial stuff like their name or role in the company. I’m talking about taking the time to understand who they are and why they show up the way they do. So, find out what drives them, what their aspirations are, what they’re passionate about, where they’re from, whether or not they have a family, etc. All people want to feel that they’re worth knowing. Understanding what makes them tick will give you clues as to how to motivate teammates better and ease their stress, so that they work better on the team.

To Wrap It All Up

Building trust takes time and effort but the rewards outweigh the cost. Just remember that team members who trust each other are more comfortable being open to one another around their failures, weaknesses and even fears. When you can talk about these things honestly, you’ll be able to work together to solve team issues. Again, the three steps to practice are

Self-Reflection: think through your own trust experiences to learn from them.
Personality: understand the motivators, stressors, strengths & struggles (yours and your teammates) and lastly,
Vulnerability: set the example for being authentic so others will follow

Individually, we are each responsible for doing our part to build trust on our teams. Of course, it won’t happen overnight, so start small so it won’t be overwhelming. For example, choose a different commitment each week, until they become second nature. With persistence you’ll get there. Ultimately, we have to be the change we want to see in the workplace and that starts with TRUST.

Want to give your team the gift of a full day session focused on building a cohesive and collaborative team? Choose The Five Behaviors of a Cohesive Team training. You’ll get

An in depth assessment of how the team is functioning based on the five behaviors: trust, productive conflict, commitment, accountability and results.
A full day session including team building activities for setting team norms around each of the behaviors and
3, 6 and 12 month post training comparison reports to show progress as well as areas that may still need improvement

Schedule a discovery call to learn more and decide if The Five Behaviors of a Cohesive Team training is right for you. Remember, you have to be the change. The culture (r)evolution starts with you!

Soft Skills Are As Important As Hard Skills

Brettne Shootman — Fri, 07 May 2021 13:03:00 +0000

Soft skills are as important as hard skills as reported by ninety-seven percent of employers surveyed. This is because they’ve realized just how much soft skills contribute to productivity and the overall culture of their business. However, not all organizations are willing to provide training to develop these skills. Most just think that money needs to be spent on developing hard skills. I won’t argue that they’re necessary. But unless you work in a vacuum with no need to ever interact with another human in any capacity, soft skills are crucial to your success at work.

Take this last year, in particular. We’ve all had to adapt (soft skill) in order to keep our heads above water. Most of us had to get creative (soft skill) in order to turn our homes into a combination office/school/gym/restaurant. And then we had to figure out how to collaborate (soft skill) with our teammates via a virtual meeting room. None of this was fun, but because it was necessary to do these things, we’ve built some resilience along the way (soft skill). See what I mean, about the importance of the so-called soft skills?

Today’s employers expect to provide some if not all the training for the hard skills necessary for a particular role. But the idea of having to also train employees in the soft skills is a fairly new revelation. This is something that’s occurred over the last 2 decades. So what are the soft skills most lacking in the current workforce? According to recent statistics, they are communication, collaboration and leadership.

Communication Is A Soft Skill

Effective communication is the key to any relationship at work. I mean, we live in a world where we might be working with people across the room or across the globe. We’re doing this mostly by telephone and email, without hearing tone of voice or seeing body language. And this leads to A LOT of miscommunication. However, even if we are able to speak with someone in person, we aren’t always able to communicate effectively. Why? Because our personality styles often get in the way. Each of the four major personality styles have different priorities, motivators, stressors and emotional needs which we communicate differently.

Take the Conscientious style who tends to be analytical, methodical and private. Now imagine that he/she has to work closely with an Influencer style. The Influencer never knew a stranger, throws out new ideas every few minutes just to see if they’ll stick, and flies by the seat of his/her pants. These two different personality styles don’t understand why they each individually show up the way they do. And this leads to miscommunication. There are just no two ways around it.

Collaboration Is A Soft Skill

Communication by itself is important, but the reality is it’s also a necessary component of collaboration. Today’s workplaces share people and data across many channels and groups. Individuals, teams and departments may operate independent of each other, but they’re often dependent upon one another. And again this is where personality differences can create problems.

For example, let’s say you have a Dominant personality type who wants to win at any cost, and doesn’t have time for niceties. And this person needs a report ASAP. In the Dominant’s mind, this is top priority. The problem is that he’s demanding it from a Steady personality style who is often slow to respond because he/she really needs to think through things and has difficulty speaking his/her mind when challenged. You think this might cause some anger, frustration and hurt feelings? Absolutely!

Leadership Is A Soft Skill

The third soft skill that is lacking in many organizations today is leadership. People often get promoted to management positions because they were great in their previous role. But that doesn’t mean they know how to work well with other people. And this discrepancy becomes glaringly clear in a short amount of time, with the result being disgruntled employees. It’s extremely important for managers to understand their leadership shortcomings and to work to rectify them. This is why leaders should never stop learning. But also because being elevated to a leadership role inherently implies that you know how to lead!

Of course, it’s not just managers who should be expected to lead well. Everyone, no matter where they fall on the org chart, has a responsibility to lead within their own role. All employees should understand how they show up at work, take responsibility for their actions and learn to work well with others. If everyone chose to do these things, work would feel a lot less like work.

Soft Skills Are Needed For Success

Like I stated in the beginning, most employers recognize the importance of soft skills in the workplace. The problem is there aren’t enough employers helping their employees develop these skills. This is a problem since the soft skills dilemma continues to worsen, and higher ed hasn’t stepped in to fill the gap. This means organizations have to step up if they want their employees to have the necessary skills to help them stay engaged, create positive company culture and increase production. Specifically, they need to focus on helping employees improve their communication, collaboration, and leadership abilities.

If your organization is ready to take on this challenge, get in touch with us today.

The Culture (R)evolution starts with you!

This was originally posted Oct. 18, 2018

Supercharge Your Workplace with Connected Teams (Part 4)

Whitney Nelson — Thu, 25 Mar 2021 13:01:00 +0000

4th installment of a 5 part series:

Humans are complex. We know this. Yet, organizations still assume that just putting a bunch of talented people together will ensure the success of that team. Unfortunately, it’s just not true. There’s a lot more to creating connected teams and a feeling of community in the workplace.

A lot of employees believe the most important element of team connectedness is the buy-in of each employee to the company’s mission, vision, and values. Some would suggest it’s creating effective and efficient communication strategies across channels, so everyone knows what they need to know. And the really brave might even suggest that employees need to feel valued, heard and celebrated for their wins.

All of these are necessary on some level for team cohesion. That being said, at Brilliant People, we believe the three most important steps to creating team success are building trust, engaging in productive conflict, and strengthening connection in your teams.

Trust: the glue that holds a team together

Patrick Lencioni, author of The 5 Dysfunctions of a Team, once said:

There is probably no quality or characteristic that is as rare as trust.”

This is especially true in the workplace. And, employees and their organizations are suffering because of it.

The formal definition of trust is ‘the assured reliance on the character, ability, strength, or truth of someone or something.’ But, when it comes to teams, trust is all about vulnerability. Team members who trust one another are comfortable sharing their failures, weaknesses and fears with their teammates. We aren’t talking about touchy-feely stuff here. That’s not where we’re going with this. Connected teams have trust and are less likely to waste time slacking off or engaging in backbiting and office politics. And they have more motivation to do the work asked of them. In fact, increased trust in a team directly correlates to better job performance and increased employee engagement. The direct result being an increase in profitability.

We understand that an absence of trust is the #1 destroyer of teams. Because of this we offer The 5 Behaviors of a Cohesive Team to help individuals build trust with their teammates. All other behaviors (conflict, commitment, accountability, and results) are important. However, trust is the foundation needed to create cohesive, collaborative, and productive teams (aka connected teams).

The Aftermath of Conflict

Conflicts that are ignored or mishandled fester within an organization, wreaking havoc on relationships and ultimately the company culture.

Ever see the movie Jaws? Or, any thriller/suspense movie where the music for a given scene induced feelings of intense anxiety, suspense, or fear? These same feelings are evoked when people have to deal with conflict. Conflict is most often associated with fighting, and confrontation, so more often than not, people try to steer clear of it.

Even so, the reality is that US employees spend approximately 2.8 hours each week involved in some level of conflict. That’s 140+ hours a year and almost $359 billion in hours paid that are filled with and focused on conflict! And our clients tell us that it’s happening way more than this research shows.

Other important ramifications due to conflict in the workplace include:

Low team morale
Negative impact on authority
Increased number of personal clashes
Low productivity and efficiency
Low quality work

All of which equals a disengaged workforce.

Conflict: use it or diffuse it

Conflict is really just the natural result of putting a bunch of people together who have different personalities, talents, values, and backgrounds. So, why not channel all those differences into something positive and productive? Why not allow conflict to be used as an energy source for creativity, innovation, and transformation? That would be amazing, right? But to get there we need to develop methods to diffuse negative conflict so that we can use it productively.

When trust is developed within the organization, the ability to encourage and take part in productive conflict is greatly enhanced. Everyone at the table can then genuinely explore issues in a collaborative way. This is way better than each individual having a “save yourself” mentality.

Navigating conflict is tricky but everyone can learn to engage in it. We do this by offering training that provides the tools needed to make educated, non-emotional decisions about how to handle conflict appropriately. This allows for all involved to retain their integrity, which is critical to a cohesive team.

All For One & One For All

Having connected teams is integral to a team’s success. Feeling that connection and community within the team happens when there is an emphasis on implementing people-centric strategies. In plain English, teammates have to spend time getting to know each other. They need to know their own and each other’s priorities, motivators, and stressors. Recognizing our differences and working through them is an important tenet of a thriving company culture.

Creating a successful team is work and it doesn’t happen overnight. It takes consistency and a commitment to the effort every day. Because of this, we’ve created a continual learning model that speaks to the value and power of a connected team. Our training program provides applicable everyday strategies to bring teams and leaders closer together. And positive productive culture is the result. You spend a lot of time at work, so use your time wisely and focus on productivity, not negativity and unproductive conflict.

The culture (r)evolution starts with you. If you’re ready to create successful teams within your organization, contact us. We can show you the way.

Up Next: Leadership At All Levels-Part 5

Trust With Your Team And How to Build It

Whitney Nelson — Thu, 13 Aug 2020 13:15:43 +0000

“There is probably no quality or characteristic that is as rare as trust.” Patrick Lencioni

What is Trust?

The formal definition is ‘the assured reliance on the character, ability, strength or truth of someone or something.’ But really, trust is about vulnerability.

In fact, we think Patrick Lencioni’s definition is way more impactful. In his book, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, Lencioni states,

We’ve probably all experienced that on some level. At Brilliant People, we know it doesn’t have to be this way.

Trust and Your Relationships At Work

We’ve all experienced broken trust at some point in our work environments. Possibly, it was you that broke someone else’s trust, or maybe yours was broken. Consequently, there were bad feelings left behind. But you know what? You can learn from your own mistakes as well as those of others! A few things to consider in regard to this might be:

How did it feel?
How did it affect the relationship?
Were you able to repair the relationship after the trust was broken?

For some, a sincere apology does the trick, and they move on. For others, they want you to prove yourself over and over again, to gain their trust back. And as you can imagine, that could take a very long time.

Repairing relationships isn’t easy but the effort is worth it. In your current role, no matter what it is, you need good working relationships and building trust is the only way to get there.

The #1 Destroyer of Teams

In his book, The 5 Dysfunctions of a Team, Patrick Lencioni states that ‘absence of trust’ is the #1 destroyer of teams. The other layers in this model are important, but trust is the foundation for cohesive, collaborative, and productive teams.

Now, there are a zillion books on leadership that can tell you what leadership skills you need to be successful. But wouldn’t you know, leadership isn’t just about you. You have to take into account the needs of those people you hope will follow your lead. The good news? Those who follow leaders really only have 4 basic needs.

Want to take a guess at what those might be?

Based on research for a book called Strengths Based Leadership: Great Leaders, Teams, and Why People Follow, the 4 basic human needs are trust, compassion, stability, and hope.

So, how do you build trust with those that have been entrusted to you?

Steps to Success

First, we believe the #1 thing you have to do is be vulnerable with your coworkers. That might be a bit scary for some. I mean, people don’t usually think: Hey! Let’s go be vulnerable at work today! Said no one ever…

But, remember what I said earlier? Team members who trust each other learn to be comfortable being open to one another around their failures, weaknesses and even fears. It won’t happen overnight, but persistence will get there.

Depending on personality and personal history, vulnerability may be hard for some. So let’s take a moment to understand how our personality types play into this.

As a refresher, let’s discuss some of the struggles each personality type might have while trying to build trust.

Dominance: Direct, forceful, lack of concern for others, impatience, insensitive

influence: Talkative, disingenuous, impulsive, lack of follow-through, disorganized

Steadiness: Slow to respond, acquiescent, too accommodating, avoid changes, indecisive

Conscientiousness: perfectionist, over analytical, skeptical, overly critical, keeps to themselves

Remember: I’m not saying this IS who you are, or that you WILL struggle. I’m just saying this is how others might perceive you, which can cause some issues.

The #2 thing you can do to develop trust with your coworkers is to get to know them. And I don’t mean the superficial stuff like their name or role in the company. I mean, you need to take the time to understand who they are and why they show up the way they do. This means you need to spend time finding out what drives them, what their aspirations are, what they’re passionate about, where they’re from, whether or not they’re married, divorced, have kids, etc. will go a long way in developing genuine relationships at work.

A few things to consider as you work to build trust on your team:

How will each of your personality struggles keep you from being vulnerable and/or authentic with your coworkers?
How can you use your strengths to overcome those struggles?
Define some commitments that will help you create a foundation of trust with anyone you connect with.

It’s up to us as individuals to do our part. Ultimately, it’s our responsibility to create the change we want to see in the workplace. And it starts with TRUST.

Call us for information on The Five Behaviors of a Cohesive Team training. This program is based on the model shown in this post.

The culture (r)evolution starts with you and we’re here to help.