Supporting Team Trust:
Many corporate environs include “pods” or teams of workers all focused on specific duties, responsibilities or endeavors. The question often arises regarding how a team of workers can effectively partner with one another for the purposes of the team and its efforts.
The answer to this is 3-fold: What can the individual do, what can the team do, and what can the team leader do. Obviously, everyone has a role and responsibilities to meet expectations, metrics or deadlines.
The following breakdown is a good basic outline in providing teams with an understanding of their personal and corporate responsibilities in building toward success.
What I can do (the individual):
I can be dedicated and committed to not only performing my specific duties to the best of my abilities, but be committed to pushing my own personal envelope by increasing my knowledge and abilities through personal learning opportunities both inside and outside of work.
I can be open to others’ new ideas and/or alternate paths to goals.
I can be available to, and present myself to, my team in such a way that fosters trust in me as a viable resource and sounding board whose opinion has merit.
The quality of my work is such that I can be trusted with new projects.
What the team can do:
The team can supportive and open to new ideas and new personal and corporate learning paths, and be open to the advancement of alternative thinking they may require or inspire.
The team can act effectively in their duties, thereby building trust in the team from peers, other departments and superiors.
The team can be open to constructive criticism and suggestions for improvement meant to increase competencies.
What our leaders can do:
Leaders can support the team and nurture trust by being dually focused on both needs and behaviors that drive short-term agendas as well as the behaviors that will impact the team long-term.
This dual focus will help leaders stay in touch with team needs, and help them maintain a clear understanding of what’s taking place in their department.
Leaders need to have their fingers on the pulse of their department in the now and be able to determine whether current behaviors will meet the needs of long-term objectives and changing trends inside the team and outside their department, within their company and in the industry in general.
Good leaders will have an open-door policy.
Good leaders foster a healthy, supportive work environment that is open and safe.
