How to reduce stress on your team by building trust
Did you know that “people in high-trust companies experience 74% less stress?”
This piece of data from Accenture, a global consulting firm, does not surprise me.
I see the impact that low trust has on relationships every day.
Most people describe these relationships as painful, toxic or even soul-sucking. Now that is not very pleasant!
Think about a low-trust relationship that you have had over the years.
What was it like to communicate with that person?
How did it feel to be in that relationship?
I’m sure it was a challenging situation for you.
So, to avoid these tricky workplace relationships, it is important that you dedicate the time and effort to building high-trust relationships.
High-trust relationships not only decrease stress on teams but also increase productivity and engagement.
So, building trust as a leader is not fluffy.
It’s good for business.
What can you do to ensure that you are building high-trust relationships as a leader?
Here are 5 proven ways to build high-trust:
- Lead by example. If you expect your team to be on time, you need to be on time first.
- Do what you say you are going to do. Following up on your commitments is 100% critical to building and maintaining trust in any relationship.
- Be transparent and honest with one another. Avoiding feedback or difficult conversations mitigates trust and creates tension in a relationship. Be courageous and give honest, transparent feedback to your team.
- Own your mistakes. Admit when you are wrong. Never blame another person or another team. Taking responsibility for your actions will help to build your credibility across your organization.
- Be respectful all of the time. This seems like a given but some leaders feel like it’s okay to behave poorly and then apologize. This behaviour only creates tension and uncertainty in relationships.
As a leader, your goal is to focus on leveraging these 5 behaviours consistently over time.
So here is your formula for success moving forward.
Consistent behaviour = trusting relationships = high-performing teams!
After all, a team without trust isn’t really a team. Rather, it’s a group of individuals working together.
When people trust one another…this is when your results will flourish.
