How do we have #trust in our team members when we can’t even see them any more? ?
This is a question that has come up in more than one workshop over the last few months.
Not because all the people asking were cynics and expect only bad things from their team members
…but because the usual trust signals? they were used to are gone
?? Trust is a FEELING
And that feeling comes from the trust signals you perceive.
In office you receive many trust signals – you can SEE them working, there’s informal CHIT-CHAT, you can sense their VIBE
With #WFH all of these are gone.
So how do you still maintain trust?
In their #HBR article ’The 3 Elements of Trust’ Zenger and Folkman* speak about
? Positive Relationships
? Expertise
? Consistency
(Thank you Tanmay Vora for the sketchnote)
We now need to create new ways of getting our trust signals for these elements. Here are some ways Roshini Ganesan and Meenakshi Sarup suggest:
✅ REGULAR Check-ins – catch-ups 1-on-1 or in teams become critical in the new working environment. Even with peers ??
Yes, these will take time. Sometimes you need to spend time to save time.
Mutually decide the frequency and length of these check-ins – even 10 mins may be enough.
Sense their vibe – regularly
✅ Make work visible
Create virtual collaboration spaces so you can ‘see’ what other people in the team are up to
We love the fact that many teams are using #Miro as a way to manage their work, but you can find your own way
✅ Create opportunities for connection that are non-work related
Team lunches and dinners can still happen?. Coffee catch-ups ☕ and team games can be virtual.
? We’re wired to trust people we have a positive relationship with ?
Here are some interesting HBR articles on TRUST:
The 3 Elements of Trust – https://hbr.org/2019/02/the-3-elements-of-trust
The Neuroscience of Trust – https://hbr.org/2017/01/the-neuroscience-of-trust
Do you really Trust your team and do they trust you: https://hbr.org/2019/12/do-you-really-trust-your-team-and-do-they-trust-you