The foundational behaviour-set of any team or working group is safety and trust. Safety within the group + trust among my colleagues.

When safety is present and trust exists, we can redirect the substantial energy and effort that ordinarily goes into managing those high-stakes nonconscious concerns and use them in more productive ways.

A foundational base of safety and trust also gives us greater access to the collective knowledge, experience, skill and support of the team.

(Without safety and trust, I’m probably neither willing/able to ask for help, nor so-interested in the input of others, favouring instead to stay within the safe bounds of myself.)

🔸What makes it easier for you to build trust?
🔸What do you do to make it easier for others?

To answer these questions – and so, make a stronger contribution to your team – requires that we understand trust is based on multiple dimensions including: Competency / Capability / Character / Integrity / Reliability / Vulnerability.

When I notice “I don’t trust this person” it’s important and useful for me to get more specific in my private enquiry.

For example: I may well trust my direct report 100% in terms of their character and integrity; but missed dates and deadlines has me doubting their reliability.

Perhaps I can acknowledge the willing support of a colleague, but my lack of trust comes from a skills gap (competency-based mistrust).

Alternatively, I might lack vulnerability-based trust (for example, being unguarded enough to share a difficult truth with my manager) for fear of judgement or lack of acceptance.

There are a number of good trust behaviours which will likely help in establishing trust across all its variant forms. For example:

Being genuine with others.
Owning our mistakes.
Being open about a weakness.
Assuming good intention.
Resisting jumping to conclusions.
Offering the benefit of the doubt.
Asking for input and help.
Reserving judgement.

Beyond these foundational habits, take some time to examine the types and levels of trust you share with your teammates.

What conversations, decisions and actions might be necessary for you to improve your sense of trust with your teammates? And what (else) might your teammates be needing from you, given the likely trust-challenges they are battling with, also.