10 Ways to Build a Company Culture Based on Trust
How to effectively earn the trust of your team
Kendall Barndollar
, Thu 22 February 2024
The onus is on leaders to establish trust within a team and foster the best-fit culture. But, building a company culture with a foundation of trust requires commitment and constant communication from leadership. When expectations are met, trust is built. Although seemingly simple, many leaders may struggle with clear communication expectations and setting realistic goals for their direct reports, thus diminishing the trust being built and detrimenting the growth of their team. To set realistic goals, leaders must focus on honesty in expectations and, work to limit unrealistic optimism about the outcome of projects or goals. While setting high goals can be a great motivator, unrealistic expectations discourage direct reports from working towards high standards.
Finding the balance of achievable expectations is extraordinarily challenging for leaders. In working towards direct reports meeting expectations, here are 10 tips for leaders and executives to improve their team culture and build trust:
- Lead By Example
Managers and team leaders' indirect actions are key communicators to their direct reports. Managers' commitment to meeting expectations and holding up their end of responsibilities creates a culture that values accountability and builds trust based on past experiences. Leaders set the tone for the whole team, if leaders put trust in their direct reports, their team may autonomously flourish and grow. Leaders' practice of trust will create a ripple effect throughout the entire organization allowing for tremendous growth and innovation in teams.
2. Set Goals
The best way to encourage direct reports to meet expectations is to set clear, SMART goals. SMART goals are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Timely. When setting these goals, teams, and leaders must collaborate and follow each letter of the acronym for maximized motivation and ability to meet the expectations. In setting goals, consider the use of software such as AIM Insights that will provide continuous feedback for growth. The best tool for establishing these goals is a collaboration between executives and their direct reports to find a realistically attainable goal without jeopardizing the work-life balance of any team member.
3. Encourage Open Communication
Open communication is essential for the development of trust. Leaders must be deliberate in effectively communicating with their teams promptly. With open communication, direct reports are better equipt to meet and exceed goals. Managers should consider sharing decision-making practices and promote open discussions that will encourage a community feeling. Trust in a team where individuals know that the managers value their contributions and work in the best interest of the team will see tremendous growth.
4. Set Accountability Standards
Accountability is a key aspect of establishing trust within a work culture. Over time, direct reports meeting expectations build trust in company culture. Holding individuals accountable for mistakes and errors along the way, without scrutinizing them will work to build a company culture foundation of trust. Open discussion of errors or shortcomings will allow individuals to learn from their mistakes, build trust, and, allow executives to learn how to better their team. Trust cannot only be built on exceeding and meeting expectations but in honesty through shortcomings and errors along the way as well.
5. Practice Consistency
An important factor in establishing trust is consistency and predictability. With executives in decision-making processes, leaders must practice a process of consistency to build trust with direct reports. Inconsistencies in leadership build a culture of uncertainty and fear within direct reports. With a lack of reliability, direct reports will not be meeting their fullest potential and may be negatively impacted by fear or uncertainty within their team.
6. Emphasize Team Building
Team building, in and out of the office is imperative to build a culture with trust. Team building enables individuals to see their co-workers as friends, and builds a community with camaraderie and morale that will encourage collaboration and success. Getting to know peers allows individuals to build connections and trust with their teammates. These connections will not only improve trust but, will improve accountability and collaboration amongst direct reports.
7. Establish Recognition Norms
Regularly recognizing individuals who have met or exceeded their goals builds a system of appreciation and will further encourage success within a team. With a regular practice of acknowledging individuals, management can express the value of hard work and determination. Sharing team members' success will greatly improve trust and morale within a team's culture. Additionally, recognition can serve as a great motivator for direct reports to meet their goals and expectations of managers. When a company creates a culture that communicates how valued each employee is, turnover will decrease and a team community will be built.
8. Promote Psychological Safety
As always, managers must consider the psychological safety of their team environment in working to establish a productive culture. Psychological safety builds an environment centered around valuing individuals and building trust. Any individual on a team may detriment to the psychological safety that is built, from managers to direct reports. In this instance, managers should focus on building an environment that values individuals and their contributions which will build mutual trust for both management and direct reports.
9. Limit Jargon
A crucial factor in building trust in a team environment is to be clear and honest in all communications, including limiting jargon and phrases that are intentionally indirect. To establish expectations and build trust, leaders must be transparent with their direct reports. The same holds for recruiting practices. In recruiting, leaders should be clear in their communication of the expectations and culture of the team, avoiding phrases such as “work hard, play hard” that create a confusing expectation of the work environment.
10. Empower Team Members
Members in teams with trust should feel empowered to succeed and excel with the support of their peers. Managers working to build trust should focus on empowering direct reports to meet expectations independently. Direct reports sense of belonging and support from teammates will enable individuals to meet and exceed expectations with the help of their peers. Building a culture that values inclusion will create a safe space for members to productively fail and find great success.
In establishing a culture of trust, leaders need to recognize that the results may not be noticeable overnight. Building trust takes time. To build trust, leaders need to provide ample opportunities for direct reports to meet and exceed set expectations while still maintaining a productive team culture. In creating attainable expectations, trust within a team will unlock growth and collaboration, leading to great success.
