Your creativity, productivity and ability to build relationships in the workplace will be severely impacted if you don't have basic trust in your colleagues. If you have doubts about the intentions and intent of your colleagues' actions, what can you possibly concentrate on?
But what does trust really mean? Should I be willing to let my children be looked after by my colleagues, lend them my car, or where are we?
"Trust is present when members believe that their colleagues have the best intentions and that there is no need to protect themselves or be cautious around the group"
Once trust is established, we can start making great achievements, coming up with creative solutions and building close collegial relationships.
Just like in tango, it takes two to trust, but what can you do to build trust? For example, you can demonstrate trust-building behaviors in these 5 ways.
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1. Build integrity - Do as you say
"A deal is a deal." That's what they say in Jutland, and in this proverb you can find good advice on trust. In order for your colleagues to build trust in you, they need to be able to trust that what you say is what you do.
So if you promise Thomas the project manager that you'll finish your part of the project by Thursday. You'd better be done on time. It's a given.
If you promise your colleague Kathrine not to interrupt her presentation during the meeting. Then you must remain silent until the presentation is complete. It's a no-brainer.
If you promised Andreas from the other team that you'd have lunch with him, don't be tempted to sit with your own manager at another table. It's a no-brainer.
I'm sure you get my point. Simple but powerful.
2. Membership of exclusive clubs
You're on vacation in Argentina when, late one night, you walk into a bar in a remote village. You're thirsty and order a large beer, after the first sip you look around the room. To your surprise, you see a blonde haired person wearing an AGF shirt. The city's team. The Hvi'e. You quickly strike up a conversation with the person and find comfort in something as familiar as another Aarhusian so far from home.
Trust is created by the fact that you are both members of the very exclusive club in Argentina: "The Club for Aarhusians". We can use the same mechanism in the workplace to build trust by finding out what "club memberships" we have in common with our colleagues. Who went to the same school as you? Who has the same hobbies? Who also has a history in the financial sector?
It requires you to lead by curiosity and example. You need to share a bit of your own stories, interests and personality.
3. Demonstrate professional competence
If you're the most skilled accountant, engineer or journalist in the office, you'll build a basic trust through your skills and expertise. Some of your colleagues will see your professional skills as the biggest reason to build trust in you.
We know it from ourselves, we rely on experts, sages and scientists who, through their position and competence, can convince us of everything from consumption patterns, diet and child rearing.
Therefore, be aware that some of your colleagues will only trust you when they trust your professional skills, which is your reason for being part of the group in a work context.
4. Value alignment
Another group of your colleagues will be more indifferent to your professional skills and instead build trust in you for being an amiable fool. Arrh, maybe not straightforward, but in any case, value alignment is far more important to this group of people than competencies and professional skills.
For these people, it is important to be able to recognize your values in your behavior. Therefore, you will have much more success living your values in a visible way. This could be showing care for your colleagues, asking questions because you're curious, working purposefully because you're ambitious, or communicating your opinions clearly because you're honest.
It's about your colleagues trusting you to be a "decent human being" and being consistent about it.
5. show vulnerability
We are all human, and this needs to be visible. We all build trust with people we can identify with and mirror ourselves in. That's why humanity and vulnerability is a great way to show your colleagues that you are just like them.
Vulnerability can sound very sensitive and perhaps even transgressive. But it doesn't have to be. There's no need to beat yourself up about all your personal tragedies, worries and challenges. In fact, this can be stressful for both yourself and others around you.
To help you, you can think of vulnerability as limitations and influences. For example, if you occasionally dare to highlight a limitation in your knowledge by saying the famous words: "I don't know" or saying "No" to task no. 1000 that lands on your desk. This is how you can make your human limitations visible from time to time.
Only the Ice Queen and the Great Dictator are not affected by events in the outside world, so it can be a good idea to articulate situations where you are emotionally affected. Frustration, joy, powerlessness, motivation, inspiration. The whole spectrum will help show your colleagues that you are a real human being.
If you need other advice, it might be a good idea to look inwards. What do the people you trust do?
If you're more curious about trust, we recommend the book"The speed of trust" by Steven R. Covey.
Learn more about how you can work with vulnerability and trust in this podcast episode:
https://www.feedwork.dk/2018/05/09/tillid-og-samarbejde-m-christian-spohr/
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