TRUST TOOLS

Suggestions for Building Trust

Here are a few tools and some examples to help you foster a trust-building environment. For a deeper understanding, take a look at our interpretation of what the the Great Place to WorkInstitute describes as the "building blocks of trust": credibility, respect, and fairness.

Day-to-day actions

What communicates trust?

• Give credit where it's due
• Take responsibility for your mistakes
• Share information openly
• Think in terms of "us," not "me and them"
• Assure that each person’s role is clear, to you, to the person, and to the department
• Voice concerns or conflicts easily and directly
• Speak positively about the team and the work

How would you rate yourself on the above factors?
Suggestion: Print this list, for a frequent check and reminder.

If you want to dig deeper:
Take a look at The Practical Coach, by Paula Caproni. Chapter 3, "Building Trust," is both a thought-provoking exploration and a practical guide. (Paula is a faculty member at the U-M Business School. Read more about her)

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Breaking the cycle of distrust

Here's an example of how distrust develops:

Scenario: A department manager is assigning a project to a new staff member.

Staff member, new and feeling the pressure of deadlines

"I don't know how I'm going to fit this in."

"When did you say you needed this done?"

Supervisor, also rushed, not knowing this staff person well

"Sounds iffy. I wonder if I can depend on her? Still, I don't want to appear tyrannical right off the bat."

"We'll need it fairly soon. How long do you think it will take?"

Staff member

"Sounds like a quiz. What if I give the wrong answer? This boss is going to be hard to understand!"

"Just tell me when you need it."

Supervisor

"This feels like a game of ping pong. Guess I'll have to watch her closely."

"Why don't you just get it started and check with me tomorrow. We'll see how you're doing."

Staff member

"Micromanagement. I'd better not step out of line at ALL."

"OK. See you tomorrow."

Next day, the staff member has completed only a very small first step.

Staff member

"The boss obviously wants close control over this project. I'm just going to do one step at a time so I don't get it wrong and get in trouble."

"Here's the project startup you asked for."

Supervisor

"Wow! That's ALL she could get done? Not very competent! What am I go to do with her?”

This relationship is on a downhill slide — a cycle of distrust — a pattern that is repeated in workplaces when we race to conclusions about other people's behavior. Break the cycle of distrust by:

1. Examining your own assumptions
2. Opening up and asking for feedback about what you are thinking

For more on cycles of distrust:

Ryan & Oestriech, Driving Fear Out of the Workplace (Jossey-Bass, 1998), Chapter 2, "Cycles of Mistrust." For examples of the assumptions that supervisors and staff members make about each other, see Chapter 3.

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Building relationships

Relationships at work, especially a staff person's relationship with his or her supervisor, are a HUGE part of a person's productivity.

You make my work sing when you:

• Treat me as a colleague — not as a "subordinate"
• Let me know that you believe I can succeed
• Show that you trust me
• Let me see you as a person

An excellent resource about relationships is Jane Dutton's book, Energize Your Workplace: How to Build and Sustain High-Quality Connections at Work. (Jane is a faculty member at the UM Business School. Read more about her)

HRD courses

Want additional training in "how to"? Check out HRD classes on:

• Leadership
• Listening
• Team Development
  

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* Much of the information contained herein is an interpretation by the University of Michigan of the findings of Great Place to Work® Institute and the Great Place to Work® Model©. This information does not necessarily represent the findings of Great Place to Work® Institute. Comprehensive information on Great Place to Work® Institute research may be found at http://www.greatplacetowork.com.