Trust is the strongest foundation for any team. Trust in the people around you, trust in your leaders and peers, trust in your team. Those teams that really challenge and support each other trust.
How do we build trust? All of us build trust differently with different requirements set over different periods of time but how much do we truly evaluate the trust we place in others?
When we get on the tube, we trust the driver to get us from A to B safely with no incidents. We trust in our fellow passengers that we share a carriage with and we trust the staff working at all stations to look out for us and to an extent keep us safe.
How do we build that trust, its usually over large periods of time commuting however there is an implicit trust the first time we get on the underground. We follow those around us and trust, we travel safely and the trust increases. Friends and family gain our trust in other ways, the depth of trust is usually different and deeper, it is specific trust towards a person and is learnt from their interactions and behaviours over time but with out parents is built into to us as babies from our first interactions.
How we trust in and gain the trust of others and is vital in how we build powerful teams. A team that will feel safe enough to challenge and stretch each other is a team that has the potential to be truly great. If members of a team hold back for fear of conflict they are likely to hold back thoughts of value, ideas, opportunities or challenges that have the potential for greatness.
As leaders, our greatest skill is to create a powerful safe environment where trust is felt throughout and the value recognised by all those involved as they must understand its value and commit to protecting that trust for the sake of the team and the greatness that can follow.