Probably all of you are familiar with the saying – “Teamwork makes the dream work.” If you want your business to become successful, you’ll need to gather a team of professionals that share your visions. However, finding skillful individuals is not enough to form a perfect team. There are so many other aspects you need to pay attention to.
In order to fully rely on your employees, it’s essential to build a trusting relationship with them. Trust is the crucial point of any working process. It is the only way to establish proper communication and cooperation between the team members and the leader. And as we all know, communication is the key to effective and productive work.
Let’s discuss in more detail why building trust is so important and define the way to do it in the most effective way. Keep reading if you’re interested in that topic.
Why Is Building Trust So Important?
According to various surveys, the majority of employees consider trust to be an integral part of any working relationship. We can all agree that a lack of trust usually leads to hiding information, lies, and miscommunication. It can significantly ruin the work environment and cause a lot of stress to both you and your employees.
As a leader, you should be the first one to earn trust and appear reliable to your team members. That’s how you’ll have more impact on them, and you’ll have the ability to settle trusting relationships between the employees.
What are some of the points that make the leader more reliable and trustworthy?
- Always keep your word and fulfill all your commitments and promises;
- Keep your authority, but try to remain friendly and receptive at the same time. Most people tend to trust the individuals they are fond of;
- It’s really important to be empathic and understanding. Always try to put yourself in the spot of your employees to understand why they act a certain way;
- Show your employees that you appreciate their work. Calmly react to their mishaps and give them advice;
- Admit your own mistakes, as that’ll show your employees that nobody’s perfect and it’s possible to fix anything;
- Always ask your team members for their vision and opinions. That way, your employees will have the feeling that you value their thoughts and ideas and rely on them;
- Try to be as helpful as possible when your employees need you. Encourage them to ask questions and ask for advice when needed.
Step-by-Step Guide On How to Build The Trust in The Workplace
So, we have already made our point about why building trust at work is so meaningful. However, let’s be honest – working with different people and finding a connection with them is not always easy. Today, we want to discuss how to make this process easier and how to build trusting relationships between employees.
1. Understanding the Main Points of Trust
Here are a few factors that trust is composed of:
- How credible you are. People tend to trust someone who has been proving their expertise over and over again. Someone who acts according to their words;
- Your reliability is quite essential as well. People around you want to know that they can always rely on you in any situation and that you’ll keep your promises;
- Being empathic plays a huge role in building trust. When you listen to other people’s concerns and share your own, it really helps you to connect with them;
- Taking the interests and thoughts of others into account. Being self-centered will never help you build trusting relationships with people.
If you want to keep up with these points, you’ll need to pay more attention to how you communicate with others, how you treat them daily and try to encourage more interactions.
2. Define the Issues Within the Team
Nobody’s perfect, and there’s no doubt that some of your employees might have certain conflicts or misunderstandings. To not let them negatively influence the working process, it’s better to note them and resolve them at an early stage. Here are some of the signals that your team members are having trust issues:
- You notice that your workers are constantly blaming each other for some mishaps and failures instead of admitting their own mistakes and acting responsibly;
- You constantly hear that the employees are badmouthing each other and talking behind their backs;
- Your employees are avoiding any topics besides the ones connected to the working process (this point is not critical, but it might mean that your workers don’t trust each other);
- You notice your team members acting selfishly and not taking others’ interests and the interests of the company seriously.
3. Develop Your Empathy
If you’re leading a team of people, it’s really important to develop your emotional intelligence. All your team members will have different personalities, and they’ll react differently to certain situations. It’ll be really useful if you learn how to read the atmosphere in the room.
Pay attention to your own feelings and the emotional state of your employees. Try to find the best way to build rapport with each of your employees.
4. Conduct Regular One-To-One Meetings
The best way to find out about any problems and concerns your employees might have is to ask them directly. Some points may be discussed during your regular team meetings.
However, some issues require more privacy. Try to hold personal meetings and encourage conversations at least once a month. That way, your team members will become more comfortable and open with you.
5. Point Out Your Goals
Never forget to define all the aims and goals clearly. When your employees see that you have a clear plan and strategy, they’re more likely to feel reassured and trust you.
It’s highly advisable to gather your team regularly and discuss all your plans, the working processes, and all the future task that they will need to complete. Don’t forget to ask for their opinions and suggestions. Try to involve your team members as much as possible.
6. Team Building Activities
Organizing various team activities is another great way to establish better communication between your team members. You may merge some of these activities with the regular working task you’re dealing with, or you may take one day a month, for example, and devote it to team-building activities.
In your day-to-day work, try to encourage your employees to work in teams more and to ask each other for advice.
Summing Up
We can all agree that keeping a healthy work environment is impossible without trusting relationships. Your workers cannot rely on you as a leader or each other if they don’t trust you. So, it’s really important to communicate more, take each other’s interests into account, and establish a connection.
