Why Do Leaders Struggle to Build Trust?

The best and the worst ways of building trust with teams.

Mar 12, 2024

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Friends,

In any workplace, the foundation of success lies in Trust.

Trust is the glue that holds teams together, enabling us to face challenges confidently and celebrate victories together. Building trust, however, is not always straightforward.

I recently conducted a survey at my current organization on the best and worst ways for a leader to build trust with their teams.

A total of 908 people responded globally, and the results were not what the leadership team thought. Their presumed “best ways” turned out to be the “worst.”

In this newsletter, I will share a summary of my findings: the 3 best and 3 worst ways to build trust with teams for leaders.

But before I do that, here’s a quick shout-out to all the readers who reached out to me with heartwarming, thoughtful messages after reading the last post:

“How to Change the Company Culture?”

Credit for a good solution never goes to the person who writes about it. It goes to the person who asked the right question, and in this case, the credit goes to one of our fellow coaches (he requested not to reveal his name).

I appreciate all the kind words that some of you took the time to send my way, and I want to extend a special thanks to our coach for asking the right question.

Back to building trust with our teams.

Worst ways that leaders attempt to build trust with their teams.

If you ask an executive leader, “How do you build trust as a leader?” the answer will be somewhere along the lines of:

paid company off-sites
team-building activities
informal lunches
monthly socials at the bar
1:1 meetings
saying thank you in public
being transparent during all-hands meetings

These are some of the most popular ways leaders like and use to build trust.

But do they really work?

I am afraid that these ways do not work!

In fact, according to the survey, the following 3 ways of building trust are the worst.

1) Team Building Games

99% of the people who took part in the survey said that these so-called “team building activities” and games do not build trust. In fact these games sometimes do the opposite as team members get to know the competitive sides of each other.

2) Saying Thank You in Public

Thanking your team and giving credit where it’s due is never a bad idea. It is a good way to motivate your team. But when it comes to building “trust,” merely thanking them for their contributions falls a tiny bit (a lot) short. 95% of the respondents said it’s the worst because leaders think it works.

3) Being Transparent in Town Hall Meetings

Transparency is a must — there’s no doubt about that.

It helps you communicate the mission, vision, and strategy to the team so that they can make the same decisions that the leaders of the organization will make. However, building “trust” through transparency is not how it works.

Caution: Just because these are the worst ways to “build trust,” doesn’t mean that these activities should be dropped. They don’t help in building trust, but they are helpful in other ways.

For example:

Team Building Games: Help team members get to know each other. This may be the first step towards building trust.

Saying Thank You in Public: Provides motivation through recognition.

Being Transparent in Town Halls: Helps in aligning objectives.

In summary, they should be used but not for building trust.

Best Ways to Build Trust — Specifically for Leaders

When I announced the results of the survey in an executive meeting, I could clearly sense mixed emotions.

According to the survey, the best ways leaders can build trust are:

1) Asking for “help”

When someone up the ladder asks for help, they appear vulnerable.

Accepting their “shortcomings” as a leader makes them look human in front of their reports, creating an instant connection. It gives the other person a signal that someone important trusts them for their help, making them trust the leader in return.

2) Doing what’s promised

Following through on commitments is one of the best ways to build trust.

This finding was eye-opening, especially because most of the participants thought that the company had been failing to take action despite making promises.

3) Communicating the “Why”

Making the why (the intent) behind actions clear is one of the best ways to build trust.

“Trust in someone means that we no longer have to protect ourselves. We believe we will not be hurt or harmed by the other, at least not deliberately. We trust his or her good intentions, though we know we might be hurt by the way circumstances play out between us. We might say that hurt happens; it’s a given of life. Harm is inflicted; it’s a choice some people make.”

― David Richo

Communicating your intentions behind your actions shows that you want the other person to understand that your actions will benefit the shared goal between you and that person.

This clarity of intentions, along with the reassurance that there is no hidden harm involved, helps you build trust.

Takeaway

Trust is not about building rapport or getting people to like you or feel good about the company.

Trust is good intention followed by action.

Holding social get-togethers or thanking your team every week won’t build trust unless you're also vulnerable doing that.

Being transparent with information is good, but it won’t build trust unless you’re also transparent in your intentions.

When it comes to building trust, good intentions and actions speak louder than any promises you can make.

- Vibhor ✌️

Last Week’s Posts

Quote of the Week

“We develop trust when we show that we are reliable, by doing what we say we are going to do to take care of that treasure, and then stepping it up by doing more, by anticipating problems and handling them before they even happen.”

― Michele Jennae, The Connectworker

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Wish you a successful career journey ahead.

Until next week 👋