"T" Is For Trust

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As always, I want to offer my sincere apology to Sue Grafton for using (stealing??) her approach for the titles of her many outstanding mystery novels for this series of articles that I hope makes YOU a happier and more effective leader working with a truly empowered team that really enjoys what they do! Oh, and if you have not read any of Ms. Grafton’s novels I highly recommend that you give her a try.

Perhaps you would agree with me that we currently live in a world FILLED with mistrust. Honestly I’ve NEVER seen it this bad. Our country is split apart and neither side trusts the other side. We generally don’t trust our leaders or politicians. Some folks aren’t sure which doctor to believe for their advice on how to deal with COVID-19. Some folks mistrust our police officers and even our religious leaders. Hell, we often don’t trust in the weather report! I sincerely wonder HOW we got this way, but I’m here to tell you in no uncertain terms that you MUST build a trusting relationship with all of your Teamers….it is ESSENTIAL to have a happy and successful team!

Trust Them and Help Them to Trust You!!

“Mistakes are, after all, the foundations of truth, and if a man does not know what a thing is, it is at least an increase in knowledge if he knows what it is not.”

-  Carl Jung

Trust is a critical ingredient in being a good Middle. Trust is a “two-way” relationship; you must trust your Teamers in order for them to trust in you.

As I said in a earlier article, almost all of the folks that I’ve worked with over five decades really wanted to do good work and feel good about their performance and contribution to the success of the team and the Organization, so I recommend that you trust your Teamers until they prove that they can’t be trusted. If you have a Teamer that doesn’t want to do good work and be a part of the team that does, then it is time for you to help them find another opportunity.

Once you give your Teamer the assignment let them make mistakes. You must trust THEM to do the project. That’s part of the motivation for the project! My suggestion is to meet with them as frequently as you think is needed to avoid a disaster. Again, as I mentioned in an earlier article One-on-One sessions are a good time for this checkpoint. Focus on their concerns and problems as well as their accomplishments and plans. Can you help them? Then do it! Work with them often so that they don’t go too far from what you want them to accomplish and give them immediate feedback on their performance.

Think about the five major steps and processes that I’ve covered in earlier articles to help you build mutual trust between you and your Teamers:

  • Co-developing the Job Success Talents for their job

  • Co-developing a Job Description for their job

  • Asking for their help in interviewing candidates and selecting new hires

  • Setting up regular One-on-One sessions with all of your Teamers

  • Starting to have regular team building meetings

All of these steps and processes REQUIRE you and your Teamers to work together and to trust one another! Mutual trust may be the most critical ingredient in empowering you and your Teamers.

“A mature person is one who does not think only in absolutes, who is able to be objective even when deeply stirred emotionally, who has learned that there is both good and bad in all people and in all things, and who walks humbly and deals charitably with the circumstances of life, knowing that in this world no one is all knowing and therefore all of us need both love and charity.”

- Eleanor Roosevelt

I wish you empowerment, happiness, peace and every success!! Jonesy