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Key Takeaways
- The ability to inspire trust in others is important for all relationships, but especially so for managers.
- In low-trust environments people may struggle to step out of their comfort zone, and be unable to realize their full potential.
- In high-trust environments wellbeing improves, teamwork flourishes, and you might observe a boost in productivity too.
- Understanding how well you build trust is the first step to developing high levels of trust among your team.
Test Your Skills in Building Trust
Trust is important within any relationship in life, and the relationships between managers and team members are no different. Trust encourages team members to step out of their comfort zones to achieve ambitious goals. This is why high-performing organizations are likely to have high levels of trust. Trust can also boost productivity, employee engagement and overall business performance. With so many benefits, it’s clear why building trust is a critical skill for managers.
We’ve used research from the Mind Tools Impact and Insights Team to create a 10-question assessment tool, to help you assess your recent experiences with building trust at work.
Your Self-Assessment
Coming up are 10 questions that ask about trust at work. To answer them, consider your experiences over the past three months.
Be as honest with yourself as you can. There are no right or wrong responses, and you’ll have a chance to review and change your answers before you submit them.
Look at the statements below and choose how much you agree with each by selecting the most appropriate answer.
When you have completed the diagnostic, press “Calculate my total.”
Your Result
When you think about this result, are you surprised? Does it make you more – or less – confident about your existing ability?
If your result shows that there’s more you could be doing to build trust in your team, there is a range of practical strategies to support you to do this.
What, in particular, do you want to get better at? Think about where you currently have gaps – but also why it would benefit you to fill them.
If you’re already developing trusting relationships in your team, you can focus on the areas where trust matters most for you at work, as well as hone your skills even further.
Let's Act
Having reflected on your score, pick one of the following areas to take action on in the next week or two:
- Your level of personal accountability, from being reliable to maintaining confidentiality. (See questions 1, 2 and 3.)
- How you build rapport with your colleagues and friends. (See questions 8 and 9.)
- Your ability to create reciprocal relationships in your team, from openly sharing your thoughts to relying on each other. (See questions 4, 5 and 10.)
Take Your Learning Further
Authenticity
When we lack authenticity at work it can hold us back from reaching our true potential. As a manager, authenticity within your team starts with you. Role modeling authentic behaviors will help you build trust with your team members.
Interpersonal relationships
Building strong relationships with your colleagues and team members is essential for trust. This includes people who you don't immediately have anything in common with. Understanding how to build rapport , and mastering how to manage different generations will improve your interpersonal relationships at work.
Consistent communication
A foundation of consistent communication is the ability to master active listening.Through making a conscious effort to engage fully with what someone's saying, you understand what they really mean. This is foundational for building trust - if your team don't feel that you listen to, and understand them, then they may avoid speaking openly.
