How Leaders Can Build Trust in Teams

Every team is different and leaders must treat them as such.

What matters is not who you have on your team but how well you work together as a group. If you’ve ever worked on a team (which you likely have), you know that building trust within your group is crucial for success.

Now I know you’re here to learn about trust, so let me cut to the chase. The clear-cut formula for building trust within your team is…

Well… it doesn’t exist.

Because every team is inherently different, there is no formula for building trust. However, we can look into the science of trust to give you an understanding of how it can be developed within your unique team.

Elements of Trust

There are two elements that make up trust:

• Affect-based trust: This is based on how often you see the other person and work to support others’ tasks and emotions. If done well, this all leads to trusting environments where goodwill occurs.
• Cognition-based trust: This comes from the track record of an individual’s performance (can they do their job?), follow-through on their work (are they dependable?) and professional credentialing (are they qualified to do their job?)

Teams require both task and relationship investment to build trust. Cognitive-based trust is more quickly built, but affect-based trust is longer standing and can overtake cognitive-based trust.

Often, we focus on making others “earn” our trust — or we prioritize work with others that is task-oriented. Focusing solely on these aspects of trust may seem easier, but it falters without attention to the emotional (affect) side of trust.

Recommendations for building trust

• Display elite character. You can display elite character by repeatedly following through with what you say you will do and acting in the best interest of your team.
• Demonstrate your competence. You can demonstrate competence by repeatedly doing your job and improving the team.
• Develop connection. You can build connection by repeatedly showing them you care, listening carefully and fully engaging with team members.
• Be committed. You can show commitment by repeatedly demonstrating dedication, dependability and perseverance.

Building trust takes time. By repeatedly displaying these characteristics over time, you can build strong trust within your teams and accomplish your goals with ease.

References:

Lount, B. (2018). Those who trust their leaders follow their leaders: Part one. Lead Read Today. https://fisher.osu.edu/blogs/leadreadtoday/blog/those-who-trust-their-leaders-follow-their-leaders-part-1/

Lount, B. (2018). Those who trust their leaders follow their leaders: Part two. Lead Read Today. https://fisher.osu.edu/blogs/leadreadtoday/blog/those-who-trust-their-leaders-follow-their-leaders-part-two/

McAllister, D.J. (1995). Affect- and cognition-based trust as foundations for interpersonal cooperation in organizations. The Academy of Management Journal, 38, 24-59.