August 15, 2023 • 23 mins
Looking to create extraordinary teams and a culture of trust in your workspace? In today's episode from Jenni's Culture Conference 2023 talk, we'll uncover the four trust-building actions designed to bolster relationships and nurture a thriving work environment.
As Jenni has worked with teams, helping them diagnose the health of their culture, she has found - time and time again - that a lack of trust is often at the heart of culture erosion. The good news is that there are some simple things we can do as leaders to begin rebuilding that trust or reinforcing it before it erodes. In this talk, Jenni addresses those behaviors and gives you suggestions to build trust that builds healthy teams.
Missed Culture Conference 2023? Check out the All Access Pass and view on-demand with your team!
Email us today at podcast@get4sight.com with "Trust Checklist" as the subject to request your FREE Trust Building Checklist!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Jenni Catron (00:10):
Hey friends, I'm your host, Jenni Catron, and
this is the Lead Culture Podcast, where I coach you to lead
yourself well so you can leadothers better.
My team and I at the 4sightGroup are committed to building
confident leaders, extraordinaryteams and thriving cultures.
(00:31):
Each week, we'll take a deepdive into a leadership or
culture topic that will give youthe tools you need to lead with
clarity and confidence andbuild a thriving team.
Now, you guys, last week, wehad the privilege of hosting
Culture Conference for the thirdconsecutive year and it was
(00:55):
absolutely amazing.
I hope you were there for it.
The speakers were phenomenaland the feedback we've received
so far is fantastic the teamsthat watched together, the teams
that learned together and justsparked good conversations to
help continue to build thethriving cultures we all hope
for.
And so I never get over theprivilege.
(01:18):
It is to equip leaders withresources that encourage them
and support them in their growth.
That's you.
That's what I hope we're doingevery week with Lead Culture.
That's what I hope we're doingthrough some of the different
resources we create, includingthe Culture Conference Just
helping you grow, helping yourteam grow and ultimately seeing
(01:39):
the impact towards your mission,that growth for your
organization.
That's what it's all about.
We know that healthy teams arethat linchpin between that
purpose, our driving why and ourstrategy how we're going to
make it happen.
And when we align a team and wesee teams working effectively
together, I feel like they areunstoppable.
(02:01):
So that's what we're trying todo.
That's what we're trying tohelp you do in the work that
you're doing.
So I hope that CultureConference was a resource to you
that really just catapultedgreat conversations.
We got to invest in thousandsof leaders last week and it is
absolutely a gift.
I am on Cloud 9 because it isjust so much fun.
(02:24):
So, if you joined us, thank youfor being a part.
I know that the investment oftime is an investment, even
though the conference was freeto you because of our sponsors,
including Leadr, Clever,Ministry Brands and Thrivent,
and then our Generis,Vanderbloemen amazing amazing
organizations that are allcommitted to coming together and
(02:45):
making this possible.
But I know you invested timeand so I hope that time was used
wisely.
So thank you for being a part,investing in yourself and being
committed to the important workof leading yourself well and
leading your team even better.
But for those of you that maybemissed it.
(03:07):
I have a treat for you today.
For those of you that werethere, I think it'll be
hopefully a fun refresher incase you didn't get to hear this
talk all the way through.
But today, on the podcast, I'msharing my talk from Culture
Conference.
We're going to replay it as itwas in the conference.
You'll hear me reference it alittle bit, but I'm talking
about four unexpected,trust-building behaviors of
(03:30):
extraordinary culture and, asI've worked with teams helping
them diagnose the health oftheir culture, we get to do this
all the time.
It's so much fun.
I kind of geek out about thiswhen organizations invite us to
come in and help them justassess where are we, even if it
doesn't feel terrible.
Right, we all know that there'sno perfect culture because
(03:52):
there's no perfect people, andso just taking a good look at
what is happening in our culturewe're going to be talking about
just taking a good look at whatis happening inside of our team
, like assessing where are wedoing well, where are we
struggling a little bit, wherecan we bring clarity?
We love doing that and, aswe've been doing that, one of
(04:14):
the things that I find time andtime again is that there's often
a lack of trust at the heart ofculture erosion.
So some teams they're nearlytoxic and there's been just
complete like trust is gone andwe're starting from the ground
up.
But for a lot of teams it'sjust some little splinters that
(04:37):
have started to create mistrust,and we see that a lot that
really at the heart of some ofthe culture issues is a trust
issue between leaders and theirteams, between people within the
teams, et cetera.
And so the good news is thatthere are some simple things
that we can do as leaders tobegin rebuilding that trust or
(05:00):
reinforcing it before itcompletely erodes.
I find, like it's reallyfascinating to me that sometimes
we make it more complicatedthan it is, that there really
are some rather simple behaviors, some simple things that we can
do as leaders whether you'releading a team or you're leading
the whole organization butthere are some simple things
that you can do that beginrebuilding that trust or
(05:23):
reinforcing the health of yourteam.
So in this talk I addressedthose behaviors and then I'd
give you some suggestions tobuild trust that builds healthy
teams.
So here's my talk from CultureConference 2023 for unexpected
trust building behaviors ofextraordinary culture.
(05:52):
Thank you for a moment about oneof the best work experiences
you've been a part of.
I bet I can predict what youexperienced.
I bet you worked for a leaderyou admired and respected.
I bet you had coworkers whowere also friends.
I bet you enjoyed theorganization because you felt
(06:13):
like the work you were doing hadpurpose and meaning.
I bet you were passionate aboutyour role because you
understood your responsibilitiesand what was expected of you,
and I bet you were excited aboutthe mission of the organization
.
So if I had to boil all ofthose things down to one word,
(06:34):
I'd say that that word is trust.
You trusted your leader, youtrusted your coworkers, you
trusted the mission of theorganization and you trusted
what was expected of you.
So now my question is why?
Why did you have all of thattrust?
(06:56):
What created that level oftrust?
Because we know that trust isthe foundation of teams.
Trust is really the currency ofhealthy working relationships,
really any relationship.
So we absolutely believe thattrust is key.
I suspect we're not arguingwith the premise, but most of us
(07:18):
find ourselves perplexed withwhat to do when trust is lacking
.
Trust falls and team bondingactivities generally invoke eye
rolls, don't they?
Because we know that it's morethan that.
We often think, well, maybe theteam just needs more time
together, or we need to focus onrelationships and connection.
(07:41):
And yes, those things are agood start because, after all,
it's difficult to build trustwithout relationships.
But as I've worked withhundreds of teams and I've
analyzed cultures of all sizes,I found that there are some
relatively simple things we cando as leaders to build trust in
(08:05):
our organization that will leadto a stronger and healthier
culture.
Recently, my friend, steve, asenior leader of an organization
, reached out to me to ask formy help.
He had some challenges thattheir team was facing.
They had shifted somestrategies that resulted in
pretty sizable changesthroughout the organization
(08:27):
Probably not unlike some of thechanges you've made over the
past few years and his team wasfeeling the tension.
Now, this is a leader I knowwell.
He's trustworthy, he's deeplycommitted to the mission of the
organization he leads, he loveshis team and sincerely wants
(08:47):
everyone to be thriving, but theproblem was they weren't.
So I started my work byinterviewing various team
members just to get theirperspective and their insights,
and what I quickly discoveredwere the typical culture busting
behaviors that plague so manyteams, things like confusion,
(09:07):
confusion, chaos, suspicion,competition and mistrust.
And as I talked to each teammember, they actually still
expressed hope.
They wanted to believe the bestoverall, but their day-to-day
interactions were tense and thattension was only growing.
(09:31):
It was clear that without somecourse correction, the
connection and the camaraderiethat used to be a hallmark of
this team would be lost.
So what caused a team that wasthriving to seemingly overnight,
find themselves struggling?
(09:51):
The story probably isn'tunfamiliar to you.
I bet you've been there at somepoint too.
See, I identified that Steve'steam had really lost two things
clarity and trust.
So what I want to share withyou today is how the first a
lack of clarity leads to thesecond a lack of trust.
(10:16):
Now, if you joined us forCulture Conference last year,
you may remember me sharing theculture hierarchy of needs from
our LEED culture framework.
Now, the culture hierarchy ofneeds identifies the five key
things employees need to fullyengage in your organization.
So today I want to take adeeper dive on the
(10:38):
organizational clarity level ofthe hierarchy.
This is the level of thehierarchy that continues to be a
stumbling block for the best ofleaders.
In fact, of the thousands ofleaders who have taken our free
assessment, you guys 55%identify organizational clarity
as the blind spot that is themost challenging for them.
(11:00):
So here are the core elementsof organizational clarity
Clarity of purpose, clarity ofrole, clarity of responsibility
and clarity of direction.
Now, none of that feels terriblyearth shattering, does it?
You're likely not arguing withthe concept of providing those
(11:23):
things, but I wonder if youfully understand how these
seemingly simple things connectto some of the greatest
frustrations we feel within ourteams, things like misalignment,
complacency and quiet quitting.
These frustrating behaviors areoften a result of a lack of
(11:45):
clarity.
Now we tend to think thatthey're an attitude problem
right, that people just have abad attitude but I believe those
issues are typically a clarityproblem.
Think about it for a minute.
If you don't have an org chart,or your org chart is not
actually how you work, it's easyfor team members to be confused
(12:07):
about who to go to for whatright, who does what around here
.
They might also haveexpectations of others that are
just misinformed or wrong and,as a result, they're frustrated
or worse, it's sparking tensionbetween team members.
Lacking clear goals anddirection, team members are
likely to do the bare minimum,resulting in a general sense of
(12:30):
complacency within theorganization.
And if people are just doingthe bare minimum instead of
their best, how can we trustthem with more?
See, a simple lack of claritystarts to erode trust, and that
trust erosion goes both ways.
Leaders don't trust staff andstaff don't trust leaders.
(12:55):
Now, friends, here's the goodnews Whether you're in an
executive leadership seat or theleader of a department or a
volunteer team, there is a levelof clarity that you can provide
to your team that builds afoundation of trust.
Today, I want to share with yousome simple but powerful
(13:15):
trust-building behaviors thatyou can begin applying
immediately.
See, one of the problems withculture is that it's really an
outcome.
Whatever culture you have is aresult of what you've put in it.
So we have to be intentionalabout what we put into our
(13:36):
culture.
This is why I use the phraselead culture.
Great culture doesn't happen byaccident.
It's created by intentionalinvestment, and trust is an
essential part of that.
Perhaps what gets me mostexcited about this is that what
I'm about to share with youisn't difficult.
(13:57):
Will it take some time?
Yes.
Will it take someintentionality?
Yes.
Will it require commitment?
Yes.
But, friends, that's the heartof leadership, and I am
completely confident that you'reup for the challenge.
(14:17):
So here are our fourtrust-building behaviors that
create extraordinary teams.
The first one is be a dotconnector.
So what do I mean by that?
I mean champion the why of yourorganization and be relentless
in communicating your purpose.
What is your mission and howare you communicating it to your
(14:41):
staff and reminding them everysingle day why you do what you
do?
It's not enough to put themission on your wall.
You've got to find a way tokeep your team tethered to that
mission at all times.
Tell stories of impact, putpictures of those you serve
around the office, share successstories of how you've achieved
(15:03):
your mission and regularlyremind your team of why it
matters.
Share the mission every way youcan and in as many ways as you
can, and then do it again.
Share it until they mimic you,share it until they're repeating
it, for you See yourself asthat chief purpose champion and
(15:24):
own that title, because, guys,if you don't believe it, why
would they?
The more confident you are inthe mission, the more your team
will trust the importance ofyour purpose.
Now here's what is crazy aboutSteve, that leader that I was
helping.
He's a fantastic visionary.
(15:45):
Their organization has anamazing mission and purpose, but
he forgot to connect the dotsfor the team.
Caught up in the busyness oftheir day-to-day
responsibilities, his team justlost sight of their why and, as
a result, were feeling a bitdisillusioned and distracted.
So as he re-engaged theirpurpose and put into practice
(16:08):
some of my coaching, he quicklysaw his team's energy and
passion return.
So the second trust-buildingbehavior that builds
extraordinary teams is be anarchitect.
You need to structure your teamto support your strategy.
Your org chart should make itvery clear who does what and why
(16:31):
.
Every seat on the team iscritical to achieving your
mission, or at least it shouldbe.
So this should be the premisebehind your organizational
structure.
Now some of you are saying wedon't even have an org chart.
That would be problem numberone.
You need a structure thatdefines how every role helps you
(16:52):
accomplish your mission.
Is your structure designed tohelp you achieve that mission?
Can team members look at theorg structure to know who to go
to for what?
Does it help them understandhow to work within the team?
You build trust with your teamwhen they understand how your
team is structured and wherethey fit in that equation.
(17:15):
Everyone wants to know wherethey belong and how they fit.
So a clear structure gives themconfidence that their role
matters and is intentional toachieving your mission.
Your team members can trustthat their role is critical to
the organization.
So when I shared this withSteve and his team, the light
(17:38):
bulbs were going off all over.
They realized that their lackof organizational structure was
creating frustration andgridlock for their team.
They didn't understand how theyworked together.
It just wasn't clear.
So as soon as they beganarchitecting their structure,
everyone on the team had abetter understanding of where
(17:59):
they fit and how they couldcontribute.
Alright, so let's look at TrustBuilding Behavior Number 3.
Be a designer.
In addition to helping each teammember understand their role in
the organization, we also needto be specific about each team
(18:20):
member's responsibilities andyour expectations of them.
Now, leaders, we're kind of badat this.
We all love each other and wewant to assume everyone
understands what's expected ofthem, but oftentimes they don't.
So we have to be clear aboutthis.
Your team wants to domeaningful work, so when they
(18:43):
understand the structure and theimportance of every role, and
then they understand theirspecific responsibility and what
you expect of them, they canmore confidently contribute.
With this clarity, they cantrust that the work they do
matters and they're not wastingtime trying to guess what you
(19:03):
really want or what you expect.
Additionally, this level ofclarity for each role helps team
members understand what toexpect from one another, and
when each person on the teamunderstands the role of their
teammates, they can do good worktogether and build trust with
each other in the process.
(19:26):
Trust begins to expandthroughout the organization as
each team member is confidentlyplaying their part.
So when I was interviewing someof Steve's staff, I heard over
and over from them that theyjust wanted to understand how to
succeed.
They just wanted to win.
So as we designed jobdescriptions and expectations
(19:47):
for them, they were re-energizedand excited about their work.
And so, finally, the fourthtrust-building behavior is be a
compass.
You have to set the directionWith an understanding of your
why, your purpose, and clarityaround your roles and
responsibilities.
(20:07):
Team members now need tounderstand where to direct their
energy.
What are you aiming for?
What does success look like?
It's hard to hit a targetthat's ill-defined, isn't it?
In fact, one of the biggesttrust busters for team members
is when they think they're doingwhat they're supposed to be
doing and then they getredirected.
(20:28):
So the clearer the target, themore team members can
confidently do their work andtrust that they'll succeed in
their efforts.
So my team and I at theForesight Group are committed to
cultivating healthy leaders tolead thriving teams, and we're
(20:49):
here to support you in yourtrust-building journey.
You can scan the QR code on thescreen to download our free
brand-new resource, your TrustBuilding Checklist, which will
help you assess where you needto focus to build the trust that
sets the foundation for anextraordinary culture.
(21:09):
Friends, you build trust whenyou provide clarity, and these
four trust-building behaviorsprovide clarity that will
unleash your team.
The more confident andcomfortable your team is with
the purpose, their role, theirresponsibilities and the
direction of your organization,the more trusting they are to
(21:33):
fully engage in your mission.
So, keep leading well and keepbuilding trust.
Okay, friends, I hope that washelpful.
I'd love to hear if it washelpful and I'd love to hear
what resonated with you.
You know what of those fourdifferent behaviors really
(21:54):
connected with you, and which ofthose trust-building behaviors
do you need to focus on?
Right, you probably identifiedone of them that you're like ah,
okay, I need to give someattention there and I would
encourage you to take just acouple of steps towards that.
Take some time to evaluatewhere can you invest in building
trust with your team, because Ipromise you it will make a
(22:17):
difference.
And I know there's a ton ofthings buying for your time.
But I would encourage you, takewhat you learned, take what you
heard, assess and evaluatewhich one of those might need a
little attention from you andtake a few steps towards
creating that clarity andbuilding that trust.
(22:38):
And then, if you wanna get acopy of the trust-building
checklist that I referenced,just simply email us at podcast
at get4sight.
com the word podcast atget4sight, g-e-t, the number
four, s-i-g-h-t dot com, andjust type trust-building in the
subject line in the bodysomewhere.
Just put trust-building.
We'll know what you want and wewill send you the link to that
(23:01):
free resource.
Just a simple way to kinda do aquick evaluation.
You know what I would do if Iwere you.
I would get that trust-buildingresource and then I would give
it to all of my team and say,hey, evaluate us on this.
Just put some check boxes.
Let's come back and talk aboutit next week in our team meeting
.
So email podcast at get4sight.
com.
(23:22):
Type trust-building in thesubject line or the body of the
message and we will send thatback your way.
All right, friends, thank youfor joining me today, thank you
for continuing to invest in yourhealth as a leader and the
health of your team, and I hopethis episode equipped you to
keep leading well, and I willsee you next time.
(23:44):
We'll see you then.
Hey friends, I'm your host, Jenni Catron, and
this is the Lead Culture Podcast, where I coach you to lead
yourself well so you can leadothers better.
My team and I at the 4sightGroup are committed to building
confident leaders, extraordinaryteams and thriving cultures.
(00:31):
Each week, we'll take a deepdive into a leadership or
culture topic that will give youthe tools you need to lead with
clarity and confidence andbuild a thriving team.
Now, you guys, last week, wehad the privilege of hosting
Culture Conference for the thirdconsecutive year and it was
(00:55):
absolutely amazing.
I hope you were there for it.
The speakers were phenomenaland the feedback we've received
so far is fantastic the teamsthat watched together, the teams
that learned together and justsparked good conversations to
help continue to build thethriving cultures we all hope
for.
And so I never get over theprivilege.
(01:18):
It is to equip leaders withresources that encourage them
and support them in their growth.
That's you.
That's what I hope we're doingevery week with Lead Culture.
That's what I hope we're doingthrough some of the different
resources we create, includingthe Culture Conference Just
helping you grow, helping yourteam grow and ultimately seeing
(01:39):
the impact towards your mission,that growth for your
organization.
That's what it's all about.
We know that healthy teams arethat linchpin between that
purpose, our driving why and ourstrategy how we're going to
make it happen.
And when we align a team and wesee teams working effectively
together, I feel like they areunstoppable.
(02:01):
So that's what we're trying todo.
That's what we're trying tohelp you do in the work that
you're doing.
So I hope that CultureConference was a resource to you
that really just catapultedgreat conversations.
We got to invest in thousandsof leaders last week and it is
absolutely a gift.
I am on Cloud 9 because it isjust so much fun.
(02:24):
So, if you joined us, thank youfor being a part.
I know that the investment oftime is an investment, even
though the conference was freeto you because of our sponsors,
including Leadr, Clever,Ministry Brands and Thrivent,
and then our Generis,Vanderbloemen amazing amazing
organizations that are allcommitted to coming together and
(02:45):
making this possible.
But I know you invested timeand so I hope that time was used
wisely.
So thank you for being a part,investing in yourself and being
committed to the important workof leading yourself well and
leading your team even better.
But for those of you that maybemissed it.
(03:07):
I have a treat for you today.
For those of you that werethere, I think it'll be
hopefully a fun refresher incase you didn't get to hear this
talk all the way through.
But today, on the podcast, I'msharing my talk from Culture
Conference.
We're going to replay it as itwas in the conference.
You'll hear me reference it alittle bit, but I'm talking
about four unexpected,trust-building behaviors of
(03:30):
extraordinary culture and, asI've worked with teams helping
them diagnose the health oftheir culture, we get to do this
all the time.
It's so much fun.
I kind of geek out about thiswhen organizations invite us to
come in and help them justassess where are we, even if it
doesn't feel terrible.
Right, we all know that there'sno perfect culture because
(03:52):
there's no perfect people, andso just taking a good look at
what is happening in our culturewe're going to be talking about
just taking a good look at whatis happening inside of our team
, like assessing where are wedoing well, where are we
struggling a little bit, wherecan we bring clarity?
We love doing that and, aswe've been doing that, one of
(04:14):
the things that I find time andtime again is that there's often
a lack of trust at the heart ofculture erosion.
So some teams they're nearlytoxic and there's been just
complete like trust is gone andwe're starting from the ground
up.
But for a lot of teams it'sjust some little splinters that
(04:37):
have started to create mistrust,and we see that a lot that
really at the heart of some ofthe culture issues is a trust
issue between leaders and theirteams, between people within the
teams, et cetera.
And so the good news is thatthere are some simple things
that we can do as leaders tobegin rebuilding that trust or
(05:00):
reinforcing it before itcompletely erodes.
I find, like it's reallyfascinating to me that sometimes
we make it more complicatedthan it is, that there really
are some rather simple behaviors, some simple things that we can
do as leaders whether you'releading a team or you're leading
the whole organization butthere are some simple things
that you can do that beginrebuilding that trust or
(05:23):
reinforcing the health of yourteam.
So in this talk I addressedthose behaviors and then I'd
give you some suggestions tobuild trust that builds healthy
teams.
So here's my talk from CultureConference 2023 for unexpected
trust building behaviors ofextraordinary culture.
(05:52):
Thank you for a moment about oneof the best work experiences
you've been a part of.
I bet I can predict what youexperienced.
I bet you worked for a leaderyou admired and respected.
I bet you had coworkers whowere also friends.
I bet you enjoyed theorganization because you felt
(06:13):
like the work you were doing hadpurpose and meaning.
I bet you were passionate aboutyour role because you
understood your responsibilitiesand what was expected of you,
and I bet you were excited aboutthe mission of the organization
.
So if I had to boil all ofthose things down to one word,
(06:34):
I'd say that that word is trust.
You trusted your leader, youtrusted your coworkers, you
trusted the mission of theorganization and you trusted
what was expected of you.
So now my question is why?
Why did you have all of thattrust?
(06:56):
What created that level oftrust?
Because we know that trust isthe foundation of teams.
Trust is really the currency ofhealthy working relationships,
really any relationship.
So we absolutely believe thattrust is key.
I suspect we're not arguingwith the premise, but most of us
(07:18):
find ourselves perplexed withwhat to do when trust is lacking
.
Trust falls and team bondingactivities generally invoke eye
rolls, don't they?
Because we know that it's morethan that.
We often think, well, maybe theteam just needs more time
together, or we need to focus onrelationships and connection.
(07:41):
And yes, those things are agood start because, after all,
it's difficult to build trustwithout relationships.
But as I've worked withhundreds of teams and I've
analyzed cultures of all sizes,I found that there are some
relatively simple things we cando as leaders to build trust in
(08:05):
our organization that will leadto a stronger and healthier
culture.
Recently, my friend, steve, asenior leader of an organization
, reached out to me to ask formy help.
He had some challenges thattheir team was facing.
They had shifted somestrategies that resulted in
pretty sizable changesthroughout the organization
(08:27):
Probably not unlike some of thechanges you've made over the
past few years and his team wasfeeling the tension.
Now, this is a leader I knowwell.
He's trustworthy, he's deeplycommitted to the mission of the
organization he leads, he loveshis team and sincerely wants
(08:47):
everyone to be thriving, but theproblem was they weren't.
So I started my work byinterviewing various team
members just to get theirperspective and their insights,
and what I quickly discoveredwere the typical culture busting
behaviors that plague so manyteams, things like confusion,
(09:07):
confusion, chaos, suspicion,competition and mistrust.
And as I talked to each teammember, they actually still
expressed hope.
They wanted to believe the bestoverall, but their day-to-day
interactions were tense and thattension was only growing.
(09:31):
It was clear that without somecourse correction, the
connection and the camaraderiethat used to be a hallmark of
this team would be lost.
So what caused a team that wasthriving to seemingly overnight,
find themselves struggling?
(09:51):
The story probably isn'tunfamiliar to you.
I bet you've been there at somepoint too.
See, I identified that Steve'steam had really lost two things
clarity and trust.
So what I want to share withyou today is how the first a
lack of clarity leads to thesecond a lack of trust.
(10:16):
Now, if you joined us forCulture Conference last year,
you may remember me sharing theculture hierarchy of needs from
our LEED culture framework.
Now, the culture hierarchy ofneeds identifies the five key
things employees need to fullyengage in your organization.
So today I want to take adeeper dive on the
(10:38):
organizational clarity level ofthe hierarchy.
This is the level of thehierarchy that continues to be a
stumbling block for the best ofleaders.
In fact, of the thousands ofleaders who have taken our free
assessment, you guys 55%identify organizational clarity
as the blind spot that is themost challenging for them.
(11:00):
So here are the core elementsof organizational clarity
Clarity of purpose, clarity ofrole, clarity of responsibility
and clarity of direction.
Now, none of that feels terriblyearth shattering, does it?
You're likely not arguing withthe concept of providing those
(11:23):
things, but I wonder if youfully understand how these
seemingly simple things connectto some of the greatest
frustrations we feel within ourteams, things like misalignment,
complacency and quiet quitting.
These frustrating behaviors areoften a result of a lack of
(11:45):
clarity.
Now we tend to think thatthey're an attitude problem
right, that people just have abad attitude but I believe those
issues are typically a clarityproblem.
Think about it for a minute.
If you don't have an org chart,or your org chart is not
actually how you work, it's easyfor team members to be confused
(12:07):
about who to go to for whatright, who does what around here
.
They might also haveexpectations of others that are
just misinformed or wrong and,as a result, they're frustrated
or worse, it's sparking tensionbetween team members.
Lacking clear goals anddirection, team members are
likely to do the bare minimum,resulting in a general sense of
(12:30):
complacency within theorganization.
And if people are just doingthe bare minimum instead of
their best, how can we trustthem with more?
See, a simple lack of claritystarts to erode trust, and that
trust erosion goes both ways.
Leaders don't trust staff andstaff don't trust leaders.
(12:55):
Now, friends, here's the goodnews Whether you're in an
executive leadership seat or theleader of a department or a
volunteer team, there is a levelof clarity that you can provide
to your team that builds afoundation of trust.
Today, I want to share with yousome simple but powerful
(13:15):
trust-building behaviors thatyou can begin applying
immediately.
See, one of the problems withculture is that it's really an
outcome.
Whatever culture you have is aresult of what you've put in it.
So we have to be intentionalabout what we put into our
(13:36):
culture.
This is why I use the phraselead culture.
Great culture doesn't happen byaccident.
It's created by intentionalinvestment, and trust is an
essential part of that.
Perhaps what gets me mostexcited about this is that what
I'm about to share with youisn't difficult.
(13:57):
Will it take some time?
Yes.
Will it take someintentionality?
Yes.
Will it require commitment?
Yes.
But, friends, that's the heartof leadership, and I am
completely confident that you'reup for the challenge.
(14:17):
So here are our fourtrust-building behaviors that
create extraordinary teams.
The first one is be a dotconnector.
So what do I mean by that?
I mean champion the why of yourorganization and be relentless
in communicating your purpose.
What is your mission and howare you communicating it to your
(14:41):
staff and reminding them everysingle day why you do what you
do?
It's not enough to put themission on your wall.
You've got to find a way tokeep your team tethered to that
mission at all times.
Tell stories of impact, putpictures of those you serve
around the office, share successstories of how you've achieved
(15:03):
your mission and regularlyremind your team of why it
matters.
Share the mission every way youcan and in as many ways as you
can, and then do it again.
Share it until they mimic you,share it until they're repeating
it, for you See yourself asthat chief purpose champion and
(15:24):
own that title, because, guys,if you don't believe it, why
would they?
The more confident you are inthe mission, the more your team
will trust the importance ofyour purpose.
Now here's what is crazy aboutSteve, that leader that I was
helping.
He's a fantastic visionary.
(15:45):
Their organization has anamazing mission and purpose, but
he forgot to connect the dotsfor the team.
Caught up in the busyness oftheir day-to-day
responsibilities, his team justlost sight of their why and, as
a result, were feeling a bitdisillusioned and distracted.
So as he re-engaged theirpurpose and put into practice
(16:08):
some of my coaching, he quicklysaw his team's energy and
passion return.
So the second trust-buildingbehavior that builds
extraordinary teams is be anarchitect.
You need to structure your teamto support your strategy.
Your org chart should make itvery clear who does what and why
(16:31):
.
Every seat on the team iscritical to achieving your
mission, or at least it shouldbe.
So this should be the premisebehind your organizational
structure.
Now some of you are saying wedon't even have an org chart.
That would be problem numberone.
You need a structure thatdefines how every role helps you
(16:52):
accomplish your mission.
Is your structure designed tohelp you achieve that mission?
Can team members look at theorg structure to know who to go
to for what?
Does it help them understandhow to work within the team?
You build trust with your teamwhen they understand how your
team is structured and wherethey fit in that equation.
(17:15):
Everyone wants to know wherethey belong and how they fit.
So a clear structure gives themconfidence that their role
matters and is intentional toachieving your mission.
Your team members can trustthat their role is critical to
the organization.
So when I shared this withSteve and his team, the light
(17:38):
bulbs were going off all over.
They realized that their lackof organizational structure was
creating frustration andgridlock for their team.
They didn't understand how theyworked together.
It just wasn't clear.
So as soon as they beganarchitecting their structure,
everyone on the team had abetter understanding of where
(17:59):
they fit and how they couldcontribute.
Alright, so let's look at TrustBuilding Behavior Number 3.
Be a designer.
In addition to helping each teammember understand their role in
the organization, we also needto be specific about each team
(18:20):
member's responsibilities andyour expectations of them.
Now, leaders, we're kind of badat this.
We all love each other and wewant to assume everyone
understands what's expected ofthem, but oftentimes they don't.
So we have to be clear aboutthis.
Your team wants to domeaningful work, so when they
(18:43):
understand the structure and theimportance of every role, and
then they understand theirspecific responsibility and what
you expect of them, they canmore confidently contribute.
With this clarity, they cantrust that the work they do
matters and they're not wastingtime trying to guess what you
(19:03):
really want or what you expect.
Additionally, this level ofclarity for each role helps team
members understand what toexpect from one another, and
when each person on the teamunderstands the role of their
teammates, they can do good worktogether and build trust with
each other in the process.
(19:26):
Trust begins to expandthroughout the organization as
each team member is confidentlyplaying their part.
So when I was interviewing someof Steve's staff, I heard over
and over from them that theyjust wanted to understand how to
succeed.
They just wanted to win.
So as we designed jobdescriptions and expectations
(19:47):
for them, they were re-energizedand excited about their work.
And so, finally, the fourthtrust-building behavior is be a
compass.
You have to set the directionWith an understanding of your
why, your purpose, and clarityaround your roles and
responsibilities.
(20:07):
Team members now need tounderstand where to direct their
energy.
What are you aiming for?
What does success look like?
It's hard to hit a targetthat's ill-defined, isn't it?
In fact, one of the biggesttrust busters for team members
is when they think they're doingwhat they're supposed to be
doing and then they getredirected.
(20:28):
So the clearer the target, themore team members can
confidently do their work andtrust that they'll succeed in
their efforts.
So my team and I at theForesight Group are committed to
cultivating healthy leaders tolead thriving teams, and we're
(20:49):
here to support you in yourtrust-building journey.
You can scan the QR code on thescreen to download our free
brand-new resource, your TrustBuilding Checklist, which will
help you assess where you needto focus to build the trust that
sets the foundation for anextraordinary culture.
(21:09):
Friends, you build trust whenyou provide clarity, and these
four trust-building behaviorsprovide clarity that will
unleash your team.
The more confident andcomfortable your team is with
the purpose, their role, theirresponsibilities and the
direction of your organization,the more trusting they are to
(21:33):
fully engage in your mission.
So, keep leading well and keepbuilding trust.
Okay, friends, I hope that washelpful.
I'd love to hear if it washelpful and I'd love to hear
what resonated with you.
You know what of those fourdifferent behaviors really
(21:54):
connected with you, and which ofthose trust-building behaviors
do you need to focus on?
Right, you probably identifiedone of them that you're like ah,
okay, I need to give someattention there and I would
encourage you to take just acouple of steps towards that.
Take some time to evaluatewhere can you invest in building
trust with your team, because Ipromise you it will make a
(22:17):
difference.
And I know there's a ton ofthings buying for your time.
But I would encourage you, takewhat you learned, take what you
heard, assess and evaluatewhich one of those might need a
little attention from you andtake a few steps towards
creating that clarity andbuilding that trust.
(22:38):
And then, if you wanna get acopy of the trust-building
checklist that I referenced,just simply email us at podcast
at get4sight.
com the word podcast atget4sight, g-e-t, the number
four, s-i-g-h-t dot com, andjust type trust-building in the
subject line in the bodysomewhere.
Just put trust-building.
We'll know what you want and wewill send you the link to that
(23:01):
free resource.
Just a simple way to kinda do aquick evaluation.
You know what I would do if Iwere you.
I would get that trust-buildingresource and then I would give
it to all of my team and say,hey, evaluate us on this.
Just put some check boxes.
Let's come back and talk aboutit next week in our team meeting
.
So email podcast at get4sight.
com.
(23:22):
Type trust-building in thesubject line or the body of the
message and we will send thatback your way.
All right, friends, thank youfor joining me today, thank you
for continuing to invest in yourhealth as a leader and the
health of your team, and I hopethis episode equipped you to
keep leading well, and I willsee you next time.
(23:44):
We'll see you then.
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