Canteen Fundas - How Trust Building is Important in Your Team

Build trust - unconditionally! Accentuate the positive, build trust and watch the magic unfold!

https://www.edexlive.com/opinion/2022/feb/02/e-canteen-fundas-place-unconditional-trust-in-your-team-members-andwatch-it-work-its-magic-27207.html

E-Canteen Fundas: Place unconditional trust in your team members and watch it work its magic

Accentuate the positive to win their trust and make them feel secure. When they make mistakes, redirect their energy gently and point out the error without blaming them or making them feel wrong

How do you build trust? | (Pic: Edexlive)

‘Bhaiyya,’ said Rinku. ‘I feel our team is still wary despite my best intentions. How do I build trust to get the best from them?’

‘Trust is something you feel deep inside,’ said Rakesh. ‘You either trust or you don’t. Trust is that feeling that makes you feel secure, that the other person has your back no matter what happens. When one feels that way about their leader, people give their best.’

‘Whoa!’ said Rahul. ‘But how can I trust someone who keeps messing up?’

‘Rahul,’ said Rakesh. ‘Everyone makes mistakes. It’s how you make them feel about making mistakes, that’s the difference between them making more mistakes or showing game-changing improvement. That’s what building trust is. A person may know the job, but will never deliver her best if she feels that the leader does not trust her. While another person who does not know the job may deliver above expectations if she feels the leader trusts her. It’s this feeling of trust that the leader must convey to get the best from the team.’

‘Wow,’ said Rinku. ‘If we can crack this secret we’ll know how to get the best out of people.’

‘There’s no secret,’ laughed Rakesh. ‘When you trust somebody, trust them fully — whatever the result. Trust is not dependent on the outcome, the outcome is dependent on your trust. You cannot say I will trust you when things go right and won’t trust you when things go wrong. In fact, trust is built when you show evidence of trust when others are not confident, are insecure and things go wrong. It is then that you must be there for them, think in their best interests and not abandon them. When you communicate this through your thoughts, words and actions consistently, trust is built. Whether it is people or brands, trust is built through consistent behaviour.’

‘But,’ said Rahul. ‘Won’t people take advantage of our trust and keep making mistakes?’

‘That’s a classic example of not trusting,’ laughed Rakesh. ‘If you think that way you will never get people to work wholeheartedly for you. When people make mistakes it reflects on the training process — it has nothing to do with trust. When you build trust, people give you everything they have without holding back. Work only gets better. Which is why you must build trust and hold that space.’

‘So, it’s our approach and response to people’s behaviour that matters,’ said Rinku.

‘Yes, in his book, Whale Done, American author Ken Blanchard gives the example of how trainers build trust with killer whales and elicit superb performances from them at SeaWorld Orlando, a water park in the USA,’ said Rakesh. ‘He mentions the ABC principle. A stands for Activator, or the goal, which provokes B or Behaviour. Every Behaviour has a C or Consequence. When the leader provides the right consequence or response to behaviour, you earn trust and get great work in return. Even from killer whales.’



‘What’s the right response to build trust then?’ asked Rinku.

‘Accentuate the positive,’ said Rakesh. ‘That’s the magic mantra for all relationships, he says. When people are feeling insecure and do not feel trusted, which normally happens in the early period, accentuate the positive. Even if there is one positive out of ten negative things in their performance, accentuate that. Do not focus on the negative. When you focus on what they did right, it makes them feel that their intent and effort has been seen and acknowledged. It’s a big thing in building trust.’

‘How does this thing work, bhaiyya?’ asked Rahul. ‘Even they know they did a bad job, right?’

‘True,’ smiled Rakesh. ‘But your job as a leader is to improve their performance, not to make it worse by proving how right you are and how wrong they are. Whatever you pay attention to, grows. If you pay attention to their mistakes, you’ll get more mistakes. But if you, like the greatest managers, overlook the errors and focus on the one thing they did right, that one positive grows into two, then three and four and soon, the person feels confident enough to work up to their potential in a trusted atmosphere. Here, patience pays. Big time.’

‘But what if they do the wrong things repeatedly?’ asked Rahul.

‘Building trust is about energy management,’ said Rakesh. ‘When their energy is low after having made a mistake, redirect their energy so that their energy gets better. Separate the error from their effort. Only when the other person feels secure and understood does meaningful communication take place. They have done what they thought was right. It is now up to you as the leader to point out the error without blaming them, criticising or making them feel wrong. Treat mistakes as learning experiences, not as opportunities to punish. Teach them the right way and then let them correct themselves. As trust builds, they start doing more things right and magic happens.’

‘At what point can we give them negative feedback, bhaiyya?’ asked Rahul.

‘Only when enough trust has been built and they fully trust you,’ said Rakesh. ‘At that point, they know that even your negative feedback is only to help and not to harm them. Until that point, build trust. Trust-building is a never-ending story built on consistent behaviour. But it pays off in ways you cannot imagine.’

‘Yes, bhaiyya,’ said Rinku. ‘I’ll begin by accentuating the positive, redirect energy when mistakes are made and build trust so that we get good outcomes.’

Pro Tip: To build trust, consistently show that you mean no harm, that you have their best interests at heart. Accentuate the positive to win their trust and make them feel secure. When they make mistakes, redirect their energy gently and point out the error without blaming them or making them feel wrong.