Unlocking Organizational Potential: Strategies for Building Trust through Team Building
Trust is a tricky thing. It can’t be bought or manufactured, and there is no clear path to how you build it. One thing is for sure—it is the lifeblood of any organization. Without trust, employers are micromanaging and controlling, and employees are inefficient and transitory. Building trust is a process that requires the understanding of skilled and empathetic leaders. According to Simon Sinek, “the job of leadership is to create trusting teams.” Although there is no clear path, there are a few key earmarks you can look at that will tell you how effective your level of trust currently is.
The Power of Trust: Transforming Teams through Effective Team Building
Broadly speaking, building trust looks like making people feel safe. When people feel safe, they are more willing to tell you their needs and own up to their mistakes. When these things happen, a relationship grows, and your shared commitments grow along with it. The trouble is that you can’t follow a script to make people feel safe. If you are in a position of leadership, however, there are a couple of good questions you can ask your employees that will expand how safe they feel.
Fostering Trust and Connection: The Key to Successful Team Building Initiatives
Start by regularly asking your employees questions like “what do you need to be successful?” and “how are you?” – and be intentional. It’s common that people only interact with their supervisors when something goes wrong. Under this model, employees will never feel the freedom to go to their boss with concerns or try out new ideas that might benefit the organization. Rather, they may leave unexpectedly, and the employer may become frustrated and cynical about it.
Listening is a key skill when showing people that you care about them. While this may sound very simple, people can usually recognize right away whether you’re actively listening to them or paying just enough attention. By simply listening to someone, you are validating their existence. People want to be heard; they want to know that rather than a waste of space, they are valued for their unique contributions. When you start to orient yourself towards employees in these positive ways (making them feel safe and listening to them), you start to breed vulnerability. You can’t achieve organizational health without interpersonal health, and you can’t achieve interpersonal health without trust.
Need help with building trust within your organization or team? At Group Dynamix, our events will help you achieve just that. Our facilitators will listen to the needs of your group and tailor an event that will accomplish your desired outcomes.
