It all came down to a deficit of trust.
My client was a recently promoted CFO who had taken over a large, talented team. When she first took on the new role, the CFO was comforted by the fact that the team she inherited was widely reputed to be top notch. A few months into the job, however, the CFO began to see that beneath the team’s company-wide reputation, there were some problems.
At meetings, the CFO noticed that there was very little comradery. The team included members from an array of international cities, so she rationalized that geographic distance might be an issue. However, she also noticed that the lack of interaction meant that the team was quick to make decisions without involving other team members, which led to setbacks. When things went wrong, team members didn’t ask for help and tried to resolve issues alone.
Then, there were two team members I will refer to as Thing One and Thing Two
You may remember Thing One and Thing Two as the mischievous troublemakers from Dr. Seuss’ Cat in the Hat who, once released from a box, proceeded to cause all kinds of trouble.
The CFO’s Thing One and Thing Two essentially performed the same function. They dominated team discussions. They often disagreed with each other, sometimes vociferously, to the point that it made others uncomfortable. Although they didn’t realize it, their constant conflict had created a profound trust deficit.
I was asked by the CFO to help repair team dynamics, and it did not take long for me to see what was going on.
During the first team session I attended, the dynamics between Thing One and Thing Two were plainly evident. To be honest, it was a bit disturbing. Their behavior was shutting others down and making the team ineffective. After the session, I scheduled time to meet with Thing One and Thing Two, both separately and together.
Fortunately, both leaders eventually accepted that they had let their emotions get the better of them. They realized that if their relationship improved, it would clear the way for others to get more involved. Together, the team could rebuild its trust and become truly high performing.
Why is trust the bedrock of high-performing teams?
Truly great teams need to exhibit a lot of qualities. They must be collaborative, creative, and able to rely on each other when devising solutions to pressing problems. You need the right kind of people to be part of a team like that. And you need a lot of trust.
Trust makes people feel psychologically safe enough to share unconventional ideas and voice concerns without fear of retribution.
Unfortunately, trust is not a quality easily cultivated. It requires a leader who understands the link between trust and performance. It takes time to build trusting relationships. Teams often involve people of different cultures, personality types, professional backgrounds, and work experiences, and it may be difficult for them to find common ground. Great team leaders find a way to build open communication where team members gain confidence in each other’s capabilities and commitment to sharing goals.
Determining the level of trust requires a thorough and independent analysis of the various dynamics at work on your team. Although it’s sometimes possible for leaders to get this perspective from peers, bringing in an objective third party can be of enormous benefit.
However, before undertaking that kind of intervention, ask yourself these simple questions, and be as honest as possible with your answers. They will tell you whether you need a trust booster shot or major surgery is required.
- Does everyone on your team contribute to discussions, brainstorming, and problem solving? Team leaders must encourage an open exchange of ideas, questions, and concerns. This can be done by having team leaders share their own thoughts and assuring the team that there will be no retribution if they do the same.
- Do team members openly share opinions about other areas? When reviewing the team’s various projects, do members voluntarily share their thoughts on why someone else’s project did not work out or how it could be improved? The willingness to offer assessments about the work of other team members, and for those team members to be open to suggestions from colleagues, marks a deep level of trust.
- Do team members share credit for successes and take responsibility for setbacks? One of the clearest expressions of trust is the willingness to share credit and take responsibility for mistakes. Teams with a trust deficit rarely take the time to mention all the people who contributed to a successful project or speak up and take a share of the blame for setbacks.
- Are team members asking each other for help or offering help? If relationships on the team are strong, you will see it when one team member specifically asks another for help—or when that help is offered and, most importantly, graciously accepted.
- Do team members spend time together outside of meetings? You don’t have to put your team through Lego-building exercises or ask them to fall backward into each other’s arms. You do, however, need to make time for your team to gather outside of formal meetings. If your team is dispersed, try to find the resources to gather your people at least once a year. These casual gatherings expedite the building of trust.
- Are team members complaining about each other, or are they working out their differences on their own? Personality conflicts exist on every team. However, teams built on a foundation of trust tend to work out conflicts amongst themselves. If a member of your team is coming to you on a regular basis to voice concerns about a colleague, their trust has eroded to the point where they may be trying to undermine each other.
Great leaders are always explicit about the importance of trust. It needs to be identified early on as a key team expectation, and all team members need to be held accountable for fostering trust. Once everyone understands that trust is table stakes, the team leader can deal directly with instances of wavering trust.
Some leaders may dispute the importance of trust in team dynamics. But, after working with senior leadership teams in many different industries, I can tell you that it’s essential. Trust drives performance; it is really that simple.
And you’ll just have to trust me on that.
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