The Foundation of a High Performing Team: Trust Part 2

In part 1, I focused on the role of the leader or manager of the team in building trust. We often hear about the need for leaders to earn the trust of those they're leading, which is fair because the culture of a team usually follows the direction of the leader or leaders.

However, there are two other directions that trust must flow for a team to be healthy and perform at a high level. A leader must trust their team, and the team members must trust each other. While the leader ultimately sets the vision and direction, a team will never becoming high performing unless everyone involved is committed to and engaged in building trust.

One of the most well know high performing teams in the world are the US Navy Seals. They are famous for their skill, valour, and effectiveness and are one of the most high performing teams in any discipline or field. Simon Sinek describes the simple tool that the Seals use to determine the fit of a potential teammate in his book The Infinite Game.

Five reasons why trust trumps performance on any team.

1. Trust can't be dichotomized. If we don't trust someone in one area of their life, it's really hard to trust them in other areas.

2. Trust increases efficiency. Communication and execution happen faster when there is high trust. When there is low trust, so much time is spent explaining and discussing. On a mission, there is little time for discussion so high trust is absolutely critical.

3. Pressure reveals areas of distrust. You may be able to manage when things are peaceful and easy, but when challenges and stress hit, cracks in character and distrust in each other are amplified.

4. Trust makes work more enjoyable. Obviously we want to work with people who are competent, but everyone shows up and gives more when they enjoy working together.

5. Trust multiplies performance. You've probably heard the idiom, "the whole is greater than the sum of it's parts." It's only when a team trusts one another that they can accomplish more than they could by simply combining their expertise.

How High Performing Teams Build Trust

To understand how the best teams build trust, researchers at Ignite80 surveyed over 1000 workers. Lead researcher, Dr. Ron Friedman shared their findings in an article for Harvard Business Review.

- They don't leave collaboration to chance. Many teams assign tasks and then get to work, but high performing teams start by discussing HOW they will collaborate, particularly in three areas: strengths of teammates (what tasks do they excel at), communication preferences of teammates, past collaborative experiences that have been successful and unsuccessful.

- They keep everyone in the loop. High performing teams proactively share information, which not only builds trust, but has also been shown in research to improve creativity, performance, and profitability. Members go out of their way to keep teammates informed rather than expecting managers to do it.

- They share credit. High performing teams go beyond rewarding individual efforts and success and celebrate team accomplishments. Teammates who get recognized for performance acknowledge and thank those who contributed to their success.

- They believe that disagreements make them better. High-performing teams don't experience less conflict than other teams, they just interpret and respond to disagreements differently. They have a growth mindset, which is a belief that through commitment and effort, every obstacle is an opportunity for growth. This in turn makes disagreements and conflict less scary, less likely to become personal, and less likely to elicit defensiveness.

- They proactively address tension. Not only do high performing teams interpret disagreements positively, they also take initiative to resolve those disagreements and are more willing to make sure that their teammates are okay when conflict happens. They value and practice empathy with each other and are intentional in building genuine, authentic, caring relationships.

Creating a high-performing team takes more than simply hiring the right people or building a strong workplace culture. It requires building a foundation of trust, and that can't fall solely on the shoulders of the managers or leaders. Trust is built when all team members exhibit behaviours that empower everyone to do their best work. Unfortunately, that means some people shouldn't be on the team because they undermine the team and refuse to shift. Those people need to be let go.

Using assessments and surveys along with debriefing sessions with a team coach, you and your team can identify the health of your organization, build a foundation of trust, and work better together for success.