I was doing some leadership development coaching with a client recently.

He has just been appointed to his position. The team he has inherited is established but has experienced lots of recent change including the loss of some key members of staff through a reorganisation.

The team were very pleasant but a little reserved and my client said that didn’t offer many ideas at team meetings. They appeared to require lots of direction which did not really fit with his inclusive leadership style. He said that he wanted to create a more open and high performance culture.

I suggested that in order to have a greater understanding of the present position and size of the task that we ask the employees to complete a survey.

I based the design of this on the work of Jon Katzenbach and Douglas Smith, who wrote about the characteristics of High Performance Teams.

They define these characteristics as:

• Sense of purpose – Common and shared vision, goals and objectives.

• Open communication – People express their thoughts and feelings freely

• Trust and mutual respect – People value and support others. . They tell each other the truth and provide honest caring feedback.

• Shared leadership – Different team members assume leadership depending on the task at hand.

• Effective working procedures – The team knows how to gather, organise and evaluate information.

• Building on differences – The team optimises the skills, knowledge and personal strengths of its members.

• Flexibility and adaptability – People see changes as opportunities.

• Continuous learning – Team members learn from their experiences and mistakes

One of the key findings from the survey was that many of the employees said that they felt there was a lack of trust in the team. I always think that trust is an interesting thing to define. We know when we trust something or someone but we can’t always define what we mean by trust.

The dictionary defines trust as a firm belief in the reliability, truth, or ability of someone or something.

The team explained what they meant by a lack of trust. They said that they did not feel trusted. It appears that my client’s predecessor had been very directive in their management style and described by some as a micro manager. The team did not feel empowered or trusted to come up with solutions and ideas, so did not bother to stick their heads above the parapet!

They also said that a lack of communication or consultation about changes and reorganisation of resources had impacted on trust levels.

I have listed below some tips that I have devised to help leaders develop greater trust in their teams. I used these as a framework to help my client create his own action plan to address the challenges and meet his aspirations for the team

Some tips to develop greater trust in teams:-

• Be approachable, honest and open in your dealings – the world is crying out for transparency. Be consistent and fair in how you deal with people

• Communicate swiftly and honestly when major change is proposed. Explain the rationale for change and seek feedback and opinions on the proposals

• Clarify your values and guiding principles of your organisation and involve your team in bringing them to life in their interactions with each other, customers and suppliers. Lead by example and ensure that you role model these values and principles and not just talk about them!

• Show you are human and make mistakes too! Encourage an environment where mistakes are communicated quickly, dealt with and learning points are gleaned.

• Avoid the temptation to micro-manage – show confidence in your team and regularly seek their views and input on what is working or needs to change in order to develop performance.

This week, why not take some time to think about the teams that you are involved with. How are trust levels? Are there any changes that can be made to increase trust amongst team members?

Quote for the week:

“Trust is the glue of life. It’s the most essential ingredient in effective communication. It’s the foundational principle that holds all relationships” Stephen Covey

To arrange a free no obligation consultation, please contact Stephen Pauley via the contact form or by e mail: Stephen@befirstclass.co.uk