Trust begets trust

Trust – the foundation of a truly great team. The really effective teams have trust in each other, trust in their leaders and trust in their organisation.  Laying the foundations for a team built on trust, goes a long way towards the long-term growth and stability of your business. In the article “7 Ways to Build Trust and Confidence with Your Team”, there are couple of behaviours that stood out to me.

The first is to show belief in your employee’s capabilities. There will be times when even your best people are doubting their abilities. The cause of this lack of belief in themselves may be work orientated or it may even involve a personal situation.  Whatever the cause, you will need to clearly demonstrate your belief in them, help rebuild their confidence and get them back on the path to success.

The second point that struck my attention was the need for leaders to be honest and admit that they don’t have all the answers. And how the effective leader is not afraid to admit this to their team.  Nobody has all the answers, and having the courage to ask for help when you don’t know as a leader will demonstrate authenticity. You may be surprised at how people rise to the challenge when you ask them a question.

As a leader, the best way to get your people to trust you is for you to be clear on what you want, believe in them, let them lead and help them get better.  A team built on trust helps deepen relationships and develops an organisation where people feel safe, have a clear purpose and a strong sense of belonging.