AGL 034: Trust Doesn’t Come from a Title

A Geek Leader Podcast - inspiring technical and creative leaders around the world

Your team doesn't just "trust" you because of your title. When I started at my most recent position where I head up the IT group at a mid-sized company just south of Charlotte, NC, I wasn't granted full trust of my team. Just like, when you get a new boss, you don't fully trust them. You can't tell them just anything at first. You have to learn how they react to things, how they accept feedback, etc. As a leader, we must remember that trust works both ways, and people don't automatically trust you because you're their manager. You must earn that trust. Building Trust with Your Team is Critical A leader must provide the vision and direction for their team. Then the team pours in their focus, assets, time and energy (FATE - from Todd Henry) into the project. Many times the team has no idea what is just around the corner and what might come of the work they are putting in. They trust the leader to guide them. If they don't trust you, will they really put in the hard work? You must build trust over time and ensure that your team trust you and that you can trust your team. If you don't trust each other, it makes working with each other very difficult. You'll always be watching your back, spending time verifying petty things that you should need to do. When I have members of my team that don't trust each other, I find it difficult to watch them work together. Their work doesn't flow, it doesn't jive, it doesn't move in an efficient way. It's just meh. But when a team trust each other, their work has an artistic type of efficiency that is beautiful to watch. If you want to build the best team you can, then trust is critical. Trust is Dynamic It takes a longtime to build trust, but you can wash it away in an instant. Trust can also vary based on a person's mood, how they are feeling that day, and what situations they may have encountered that day. Trust is fluid and dynamic, its not a constant. Trust varies from situation to situation and from circumstance to circumstance. My team trust me to make a good technical decision on purchasing software or equipment, but they don't trust me to tell them how to go sky diving. Trust is fluid and dynamic. If you understand that you must build your trust in different areas at different times and at different paces, you will do a better job of mastering trust with your team. For example, when I started my new position, it wasn't long before I built up trust on my technical knowledge of Active Directory and server infrastructure. It took longer for me to build trust about my direct reports skill sets. At first people were afraid to let me in on what exactly they were good at and what they weren't. They didn't know how I would judge them. I had to earn that trust by being vulnerable myself. Showing them the areas I wasn't good at and letting them know that I understood that everyone is good, maybe even great, at somethings, and not good, or even downright terrible at others. And that it is fine. It took time to communicate that I don't expect perfection, just a strive for perfection. And that I don't want to focus on your weaknesses, but rather, focus on your strengths. Make your Actions Match your Words If you say you're going to do something, do it. But more than that, if you say its "not okay" for someone on your team to do something, then you better be sure that you're not doing that thing. For example. If you're a boss who is strict on employees coming in on time, then you better make sure you're never late. If you tell your team that its important to show up to meetings on time, then you better not be late to meetings either. If you are, then your actions aren't matching your words. I know this may seem petty, but it actually matters when it comes to building trust. Our brain does a good job of figuring out in the background what matches and what doesn't. They say the easiest way to spot a counterfeit $20 bill is to put it on a table next to s...