Recently I was asked to work with a large department of 55 employees divided into five intact teams. The assignment was to develop and deliver a workshop to build trust between teams, that is, across organizational boundaries.The problem is trust isn’t built across, by or between teams.
Ok, yes, you are probably aware of a team you trust. But if you explore why you trust them, it boils down to trusting the individual people on the team.
You don’t build trust between teams, you build trust between people.
Building trust is not a team sport; it is a game of one-on-one.
One of the things we teach our workshop participants is that “Trust is like a savings account.” You establish a savings account so you have money on hand when something unexpected arises. Once a week or so, you add a little to your savings account. Over time it grows and compounds. It is your security against the unexpected, ready when you need it.
A Trust Bank works in a similar way: you make small, regular deposits of trust with other people.
These don’t need to be large deposits, but you should make them regularly. Like money in a savings account, trust deposits also compound and grow.
And the similarities don’t end there. The value of a trust bank lies in knowing that when something unexpected happens – you say the wrong thing or forget a commitment – you can make a withdrawal. If you made regular trust deposits, you will have a positive balance even after a withdrawal – that is, you will retain a trusting relationship.
Make no mistake: most trust deposits are small and a single withdrawal can often be significant. That’s why it is so important to make regular deposits, not only with your regular contacts, but also people you may work with in the future.
The great thing about Trust is that that is there is always plenty to go around. Strive to make trust deposits daily with everyone you meet.
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