How to build trust?

We’ve all been there when joining a new team: “I don’t trust the team and the team doesn’t trust me”… yet. Agile Coach / Scrum Master should be there to help.

The absence of trust is one of the notorious fundamental dysfunctions in any team (from “The Five Dysfunctions of a Team” by Patrick Lencioni). And even though trust might seem an abstract thing – YOU CAN do something to build it!

Below follows my recipe.

Get personal

Run workshops or team-building activities where team members share more about their personal lives.

Try applying Personal Maps from Management3.0 – for this or you can adapt “The 36 Questions That Lead to Love” from the NYT. There are many ways how to get personal and find out more about what’s behind the Zoom image.

Learning about the personal stories of each team member creates strong bonding, and a culture of caring and strengthens empathy between the team members – you know what’s happening in the personal lives of others and you take it into account – because you care.

Get informal

Meet your team in person, do team building, get physical, and bond by doing activities not related to your work. Yes, that one beer after office hours also counts! It is important.

Learn about what are the strengths and talents of your teammates outside the office. See how you collaborate out there – facing real-life situations.

Team buildings create a shared story for the team that everyone can relate to. That is important because human relationships can be told through these shared stories over time.

Become vulnerable

This is my favourite. To get to the next level of trust – you have to give something away. That might be your pride, ego, mask, or image you’ve been cultivating. Show that you’re also just a human being with your wants and desires, problems and pains. Lift the veil and it’ll do the magic.

All of us have similar issues that we hide behind the Instagram filter. Exposing some of your vulnerabilities may cause an avalanche effect – other team members will feel that they are in a safe place and can share some of their secrets too. And I guess you remember that your best childhood friends were the ones whom you shared your secrets with. That still stands when you’re a grownup.

P.S. How NOT to build trust? Don’t demand trust. Don’t assume people should care about you or trust you. Don’t expect to be trusted. Work on it!

How do you build trust in your teams?