Trust between employees and their team leaders is essential for any workplace. Lack of trust can slow down or hinder any team’s success. Besides achieving work goals, building trust with team members also allows leaders to improve communication within the team.
But building trust with team members can be more difficult in practice than in theory. Since team members have different personalities and personal motivators, leaders or managers must be cautious about building trust with team members.
However, the following tips can greatly help:
Be Accountable to Team Members
Accountability works both ways. As much as a manager expects their team members to be accountable to them, they should also keep themselves accountable to the team members.
A leader must have the courage to realize their mistakes and accept their fault in front of the team members. This action can inculcate the idea that leaders do not think of themselves as better than everyone else. It also keeps the leader from deflecting blame and holding others accountable for their mistakes. Accountability to team members also keeps the manager aware of their contribution to the team.
Learn to Disagree Respectfully
The role of team leaders in workplaces is to manage the team and their work as efficiently as possible. The management of team members and their work can often lead team leaders into arguments regarding the approach toward achieving the designated goals. But getting into arguments should never mean that leaders feel entitled to disrespect their team members.
Instead, leaders must learn to listen to their team members and understand their points of view. If a team member isn’t comfortable with the leader’s suggestion, it should not be imposed or forced. Moreover, the focus of the arguments should always remain on work and work output.
Take a Stand for the Team
Managers often have to face pressure from their reporting bosses. Bad managers or leaders end up transferring this pressure onto their team members. But building trust with team members isn’t possible when leaders pressurize their team into working more than they are required.
A good leader knows when to take a stand for their team members and stand against unfairness or unnecessary pressure. They don’t hold their team accountable for what isn’t their fault. They understand that a mistake of their team member that they didn’t notice becomes their mistake instead.
Lead by Example
A manager who only talks about teamwork but doesn’t contribute anything can never be a good manager or leader. Similarly, asking team members to work harder or support each other while not doing the same can keep a manager from building trust with team members.
Leaders must adapt and act on the behaviors instead of telling team members what to do. For example, if a leader wants their team members to help each other, they must be the first one who is always ready to help.
Last but not least, building trust with team members can be achievable for leaders who are always eager to learn from or teach their team members as needed. A leader always looking to improve their work appears approachable and easily wins their team members’ trust.
