Building Trust: A Leader’s Field Guide
Five practical ways to earn your team's trust every day
Years ago, I took over a geographically dispersed team of 12 people that had suffered through several years of poor leadership. The culture was rife with mistrust and unhappiness. I knew I couldn't walk in and announce that things were going to be different.
Trust isn't granted with the position. It has to be earned.
So I began applying the 5Cs of Operational Trust: Character, Commitment, Competence, Connection, and Communication.
I started with CONNECTION. I spent time with each member of the team. I let them vent their frustrations and anger about the past. I learned about their qualifications, experiences, and interests. I asked about their families and where they grew up. I looked for common ground and tried to see the world through their window. It was a start.
Because we were geographically dispersed, I looked for opportunities to meet each person face-to-face. After that, I scheduled a brief, weekly check-in phone call with each one. After a month or so, it shifted to every two weeks.
At the same time, they were trying to figure me out. Who is this guy? What does he believe? Can we trust him? To give them some insight into my CHARACTER, I sent an email describing my leadership values. Now they knew my talk. The hard part is walking it. Not occasionally. Not just when it was convenient. Every day.
I worked on demonstrating COMPETENCE by spending much of my first weeks understanding how the team operated, the status of our projects, and the expectations of my boss and our stakeholders. I looked for low-hanging fruit. Where could I remove a barrier? Make a decision? Provide resources? Empower someone to move forward? As I learned more and earned the trust of my teammates, I began making small but significant changes. Often that simply meant approving their good ideas and getting out of their way.
COMMITMENT meant investing my time and attention. I wanted the team to know I was present. Not just physically, but mentally and emotionally. I responded to questions. Followed up on requests. Kept promises. Showed up when problems arose. The message I wanted to send every day was simple: I am here for you and our team.
Especially in the early stages of a relationship, I believe it's better to over-COMMUNICATE. In the absence of communication, people create their own stories about who we are, what's happening, and where we're going. Gossip, false assumptions, and misunderstanding grow. So, in addition to phone calls, I sent a weekly update to the entire team, my boss, and several key stakeholders. It provided a regular cadence of information people needed to know: developments, decisions, priorities, and information. No surprises. No information vacuum.
Finally, I looked for opportunities to recognize and reinforce trustworthy behavior. When I saw someone demonstrate one or more of the 5Cs, I acknowledged it and noted the specific actions that I appreciated. Genuine appreciation reinforces the values, standards, and behaviors that create a high-trust culture.
Did all of this immediately transform the team? No. Building trust takes time. It requires hundreds of interactions, decisions, conversations, and promises kept. And the work never ends.
That's one of the most important lessons I've learned about trust. You don't build it once. You must earn every day.
So here's a simple field guide for the week ahead. Take a few minutes at the end of the week and ask yourself each question.
Character: Did I walk my talk?
Commitment: Did I show up when times were tough and bring my A-game?
Competence: Was I curious to continue learning so I remain skilled and relevant?
Connection: Do my teammates continue to believe I understand them and care about their success?
Communication: Do people understand what I expect, what I'm thinking, and where we're going?
Bonus: Have the courage to ask your teammates how they would answer one or more of these questions about you.
That's where the real learning occurs.
To be an Undaunted Leader, earn trust every day.