This Herbism provides a best efforts attempt to explain what trust is, why trust is so important as a basis for high performance teams, and how to create a trusting environment.

What is trust?

The concept of trust is hard to explain because trust is largely [75%] an emotional construct and the emotional brain (Limbic) does not have the ability to speak—it feels—and relies on the rational brain (Neocortex) to translate those feelings into words.

That’s why when we truly trust, or don’t, it’s something we feel and not something we are able to easily put our finger on.

Here are some simple words and concepts that might help provide a basic understanding:

• Rational Trust (25% of what drives behavior) has two components:
  • Competence: believing that somebody has the ability to do what they say they will do.
  • Reliability: believing that somebody will do what they say they will do.
• Emotional Trust (75% of what drives our behavior) has two components:
  • Authenticity: sensing that somebody is genuine in their representations and interactions—includes transparency.
  • Care: sensing that somebody is putting others’ best interests ahead of their own—includes selflessness.

Why is trust so important as a foundation for high performance teams?

Without trust team members are known to:

• Lie: Not forthright about the real issues and concerns—excuses are common.
• Hide: Not transparent about weaknesses and shortcomings.
• Fake: Not admit that they don’t know how to do something or that they need help—blame is common.
  

Patrick Lencioni, author of The Ideal Team Player and The Advantage—Why Organizational Health Trumps Everything Else In Business, offers the following perspectives:

• Trusting teams engage in open conflict, and then commit to decisions – team members have the courage and confidence to confront one another when they see something that isn’t serving the team. 
• On trusting teams people feel free to admit what they don’t know, make mistakes, ask for help if they need it, apologize when necessary, and not hold back their opinions. 
• When team members trust each other and know that everyone is capable of admitting when they’re wrong, then conflict becomes nothing more than the pursuit of truth or the best possible answer.

In an environment of trust team members feel safe and are willing to be vulnerable, which allows them to function at their natural best. 

How to create a trusting environment…

The formula is actually quite simple. It requires both intentionality and consistency of trustworthy behaviors over time.

In other words, it cannot be a program or act. Leaders must be intentional, proactive, and consistent in being authentic and caring. It must be a lifestyle.

Great leaders are intentional in the their attitudes and actions in building trusting teams recognizing that a high trust environment leads to better decision making, more engaged teams, higher performance, and a greater sense of well being both for the leader and the people they lead. 

Here is a great video that captures the value of building trusting teams:

Herb Mast is a Leadership Coach and Employee Engagement Specialist. Learn how he can assist you in implementing the principles and concepts presented here.

Synergy is not about my way or your way…it’s about our way!

Synergy happens when people come together to achieve common goals. 

Synergy requires a few key elements to be present:

• Talent: Task specific strength and skill
• Diversity: Different and complimentary talents that overcome the inherent weaknesses of others
• Coordinated Effort: Everybody working together to maximize forward motion while minimizing drag
• Humility: Selflessness, which minimizes ego and enables coordination.

Great leaders create synergy within teams, recognizing that the whole is greater than the sum of the parts, and thereby achieve greater effectiveness, efficiency, and results. 

Herb Mast is a Leadership Coach and Employee Engagement Specialist. Learn how he can assist you in implementing the principles and concepts presented here.

Do you ever catch yourself saying I, me, or my when addressing your team? 

Granted, there are times when it is appropriate, like when giving praise, or even necessary, like when accepting responsibility. For example, “I would like to recognize Mary for her outstanding work with Mr. and Mrs. Jones yesterday. She was a wonderful representation of our team values, especially hospitality.” Or, “I apologize that my decision to rush the job resulted in us not catching the typo in the copy before it went to press.”

But I am talking about the other 90% of the time here.

It is easy to dismiss and minimize the importance of saying we, us, and our and fall into a habit of saying I, me, and my. Not only does saying I, me, and my feed our egos, but it can often feel to those at the top of the organization like they are doing more of the work simply because they have power to make more of the decisions.

Self-aware and humble leaders, however, recognize that the real work of an organization is done by the team and not readily attributable to a single person. Great leaders also recognize that I, me, and my puts the spotlight on themselves and diminishes the inherent value and engagement of their team members.

Being a leader often sucks because it requires giving away all of the credit, when things go well, and taking all of the responsibility, when things turn out poorly.

In order to put the spotlight where it will have the greatest impact great leaders make a concerted effort to say we, us, and our.

Herb Mast is a Leadership Coach and Employee Engagement Specialist. Learn how he can assist you in implementing the principles and concepts presented here.

We are all endowed with freewill and the power of choice.

We are empowered to choose our own path [and the consequences that come with it]. The good news is we can choose a different path at any time.

The reality is, if we do not choose our path we will not be committed to it and the journey will be more difficult—not only for us, but those who are journeying with us. Further, not only will we be less inclined to invest energy into the journey we do not choose, but we will also be more inclined to give up when faced with struggles and roadblocks.

Jim Collins, author of Good to Great, popularized the metaphor of a bus and the importance of getting the right people on the bus and in the right seats. To have the wrong people on the bus is disruptive. It is better to stop the bus and invite the wrong people off the bus than to try to change them along the way.

To use a different analogy, imagine a football team. You are the head coach and you are recruiting players for your team. You walk into a room filled with talented athletes. How do you select the right players to assemble a team with the greatest potential? I suggest that the first question to ask each athlete is, “how much do you love the game of football?”

If their answers were given as a number between 0-10, which players would likely be the best choice? Those that answer 10! Everything is easier when internal desires and passions are aligned with the game [aka mission].

Imagine, if instead your initial selection criterion was to evaluate physical conditioning. You might end up with a team of athletes but who are not driven to use those talents for football. It would be better to find out what sport they like most and encourage them to pursue that than trying to get them to fall in love with football.

Unfortunately, too many managers hire “athletes” than those who have passion for the game/mission.

That is why great leaders do not try to change people. Change must come from within.

Rather, great leaders create an environment that encourages and supports beneficial change and that attracts and retains talented people who share their passion for the mission.

Herb Mast is a Leadership Coach and Employee Engagement Specialist. Learn how he can assist you in implementing the principles and concepts presented here.