QUICK TIPS: 8 Ways New Leaders Can Build Trust with Their Teams

🔍 Episode Summary

In this episode of Peacebuilding with Dr. Pollack, Jeremy dives into a critical skill for every new manager and team lead: building trust. Trust isn't automatic—it’s something you intentionally earn. Without it, even the best plans falter. But with it? You can prevent conflict, foster resilience, and lead with influence instead of authority.

Whether you’re stepping into a team for the first time or trying to rebuild broken trust, this episode offers 8 actionable strategies you can implement immediately. Real-world examples from business, healthcare, tech, and nonprofit leadership illustrate each point and help bring the ideas to life.

🧭 What You’ll Learn

• Why asking for hard feedback early on builds psychological safety
• How meaningful one-on-one conversations lead to deeper connection
• Why leaders who ask for help earn more respect, not less
• How consistent positive reinforcement boosts morale and performance
• The damage emotional inconsistency causes—and how to regulate it
• How transparency prevents toxic assumptions
• Why not level-skipping is about trust, not red tape
• How inviting people into decisions increases ownership and loyalty

📌 Key Takeaways

1. Trust is a bank account—make deposits before you need to withdraw.
2. Consistency beats charisma when it comes to emotional leadership.
3. Transparency builds credibility, even during tough decisions.
4. Your team are the experts—learn from them.
5. Small actions, done consistently, build the strongest trust.

🧠 Episode Quote

“Trust isn’t built in overnight—it is built over time in small, repeated, intentional actions.” — Dr. Jeremy Pollack

✅ Action Step

Pick two of the trust-building strategies discussed and commit to practicing them this week. Write them down. Schedule them. Build the habit—and the trust.

📬 Stay Connected

If you found this episode helpful, share it with a fellow leader. Subscribe for weekly insights on building peace, trust, and clarity in the workplace.

Dr. Pollack's Courses: peacefulleadersacademy.com/courses/

Host: Dr. Jeremy Pollack from Pollack Peacebuilding Systems

More from Dr. Pollack:

• Peaceful Leaders Academy
• Conflict Resolution Playbook: Practical Communication Skills for Preventing, Managing, and Resolving Conflict
• FREE e-book: The Ultimate 12-Step Guide to Coworker Mediation: Free Ebook - Pollack Peacebuilding Systems

Connect with Dr. Pollack on social media: Facebook | Twitter | YouTube | LinkedIn

Episode Transcript

(00:03):
Welcome to Peace Building withDr.
Pollock.
This is a quick Tips episodewhere I explore the strategies,
psychology and interpersonaltools that help you build better
relationships at work andbeyond.
I'm Dr.
Jeremy Pollock.
I'm a social organizationalpsychologist with a specialty in
peace and conflict psychology.
I'm also the CEO of PaulPeacebuilding Systems, a
workplace conflict management,consulting, and training firm.

(00:25):
Today we're diving into a topicthat every new leader has to
face.
Whether you're stepping into abrand new team or taking over a
reorg or leading for the firsttime, and that topic is trust.
Trust isn't automatic.
It's not given just because youhave a title, it's built
deliberately, consistently, andwith intention.

(00:45):
So in this episode, I'll shareeight proven ways that new
leaders can build trust withtheir teams.
And for each i'll pair practicalguidance with real world
examples to help you apply itimmediately.
Let's get started.
The first is ask for hardfeedback and stay calm.
If you're a new leader, one ofyour smartest moves is to

(01:06):
proactively invite feedback.
Ask your team what they'd liketo see from you, what's worked
for them in the past, even whatconcerns they might have about
your leadership style.
What's the most important part,stay calm when the answers come.
Let's say you're a new teamleader in a department, at an
organization, and after a fewweeks of onboarding and getting

(01:27):
to know people at a groupmeeting you say, you know, I
know I'm still new here, and Icertainly don't know this
company better than you all, soI'd really appreciate your
thoughts.
What should I keep doing?
What should I change?
Anything you're concerned about,please let me know.
And someone speaks up, let'ssay, and they say, you know,
honestly, we're worried you'regoing to slow us down.

(01:49):
And instead of defendingyourself or just brushing it off
and dismissing it.
You thank them.
Maybe you write it down in frontof them and you say, you know,
that's important.
Let's talk about this.
Tell me more.
That moment alone of receivinghard feedback and being calm and
open about it really buildscredibility.
You've shown your open, you'veshown your stable and safe

(02:11):
enough to talk to aboutdifficult subjects.
Second, host regular one-on-onesthat show personal curiosity.
Leadership isn't just abouttasks and timelines, it's about
people.
So when you set up yourone-on-one meetings, don't make
it purely performance based.
Ask about their lives, theirgoals, their values, and I don't

(02:33):
mean to pry, but it just meansbeing genuinely curious.
You know, imagine you're.
Managing a team, and in yourfirst round of one-on-ones, you
ask each person what's somethingyou are passionate about outside
of work Or something like,what's something important that
I should know about you?
That kind of personal curiosityshifts the tone from

(02:54):
transactional to relational, andover time it becomes easier for
team members to approach youwhen they're struggling or when
they're feeling overwhelmed orif they have new ideas.
Okay.
Number three, ask for their helpor advice.
Really, really powerful.
One, to help build trust withsomeone.
You don't need to be thesmartest person in the room.
In fact, one of the fastest waysto earn trust is to recognize

(03:16):
that your team members haveinsights and expertise that you
don't, and to ask for theirguidance.
You know, let's say you're a newmanager in a department and
there's someone in particularthat you've noticed.
maybe some difficultycommunicating with maybe,
someone who's been there a longtime.
You might pull them aside andjust have a moment of
vulnerability.

(03:37):
You could say something like,listen, I'm really just learning
the ropes here, and you have somuch great experience.
Is there any way you'd bewilling to help me get up to
speed?
I'd really like to learn fromyou.
That simple invitation sends amessage that you respect their
experience, and in return,you'll get deeper insights and
stronger buy-in for thedecisions that you do make later

(03:57):
on.
Okay, number four, scheduleregular positive reinforcement.
Trust thrives in an environmentof recognition.
People want to feel seen, somake gratitude a habit, not a
special occasion.
Put it on your calendar.
E acknowledge wins.
Celebrate effort, not justoutcomes.

(04:17):
I remember I was coaching amanager, um, we'll call him
Fred, who supervised a very busycustomer support team.
You know, the days were chaoticat the stress levels were high,
so every Friday morning he wouldchoose two team members to whom
he would send a short specificmessage.
Something like, uh, Hey Sam,thanks for how you handled that

(04:39):
tough customer Tuesday.
Or, Hey Jen, I noticed how youstayed calm when the system went
down the other day.
Really appreciate that.
These little moments of positivereinforcement and appreciation
really helped to create aculture of respect.
And when we administered a 360assessment on his leadership, it
was clear that his team valued,uh, his fairness, his presence,

(05:00):
and his encouragement.
Number five, be consistent,especially emotionally.
Nothing shakes trust, likeemotional unpredictability.
If people don't know.
Uh, whether they're getting thecalm you or the reactive you, if
they don't know which version ofyou is gonna show up that day,
they'll stop sharing.
They'll stop asking, and they'lljust start avoiding you.

(05:22):
Your team doesn't need you to berobotic, but they do need you to
be stable.
You know, imagine if you'remanaging a team and you've had a
rough morning, maybe deadlinesor upper management pressure, or
some tech issues or something,but you walk into the team
meeting and you are composed Andyou could even, you know, just
have a moment of vulnerabilitythere because the heads up you
know, today, uh, there's been alot going on, so I, you might

(05:45):
find me to be a little quiet,but I promise I'm here and I'm
engaged.
Yeah, just having that momentwhere you can be open about
what's going on for you, butyou're still behaviorally
consistent.
You model emotionalintelligence.
People know what to expect ofyou.
They feel safe and trusthopefully grows because your
presence is steady.

(06:05):
Even when things around youaren't.
All right.
Number six, be transparent andover communicate.
Trust doesn't just depend onwhat you decide, but on how you
communicate your decisions.
If you're making a change,explain why.
Share your thought process.
Let your team into your mindset.
Uh, I was working with thefinancial services team

(06:27):
recently, and the manager had toreduce remote flexibility from
three days to one day a week.
Now, obviously, he could havejust announced it without any
explanation.
Just said, Hey, here's what youneed to do.
Please be in the office, youknow, four days a week.
But instead, he really wanted tobe transparent about why the
decision was made, you know,what was going on in the
business that led to thisdecision.

(06:48):
So he told everyone, you know,we've seen communication gaps
and project delays, and afteranalyzing the data and talking
with leadership, we decided thatmore in-person time could help.
I know this affects everyone, soI'm open to ideas about how we
roll it out.
This was a really importantmessage.
Then he held a meeting and heardpeople's input and worked with a
few people individually to helpthem with this transition and

(07:10):
make it work for them and theirfamily obligations.
So even when people disagree,they're far more likely to
respect your decision if theyunderstand the why behind it.
Over communicating might feelrepetitive to you or maybe even
too laborious sometimes, but itfeels respectful to your team.
Number seven, don't level skip.
Trust is damaged quickly.

(07:30):
When leaders bypass people inthe chain of communication, that
means don't go behind someone'sback to their manager.
Don't give feedback to someone'sdirect report without informing
their supervisor, and don'tescalate a problem without
addressing it directly with themfirst.
Imagine someone on your team hasmissed a few deadlines, and
instead of venting to theirmanager or skipping ahead to hr,

(07:52):
you approach them directly andsay something like, I've noticed
some delays.
What's going on?
How can I help?
Then if you need to, you loop inothers.
You can tell'em like, I wannamake sure your manager's in the
loop here, so let's bring theminto the conversation together.
This kind of transparency andrespect builds long-term
credibility.
And finally, number eight,include people in decisions that

(08:14):
affect them.
people don't need full controlover every decision, but they do
need a voice.
So whenever possible, bring yourteam into the decisions that
impact them.
Even if the final outcome ismostly fixed, you can still give
them influence over how thingsunfold.
Let's say you're updating yourteam's scheduling system and you
already know you're switchingplatforms, but you ask, Hey,

(08:36):
everyone, before we roll thisout, what features matter most
to you, or what would make thetransition easiest for you?
That sense of inclusion buildstrust because you're not just
issuing mandates, you're showingrespect for the people that are
gonna be affected by thedecisions.
Okay, so to recap the eighttrust building moves that every
new leader and really any seasonleader should make.

(08:57):
Number one, ask for hardfeedback and stay calm in
response.
Number two, use one-on-ones tobuild personal curiosity and
connection.
Number three, ask for help andadvice to empower your team's
expertise.
Number four, reinforce effortand wins with consistent
appreciation.
Number five, maintain emotionalconsistency to create

(09:18):
psychological safety.
Number six, be transparent andlet people in on your thought
process.
Number seven, avoid levelskipping.
Communicate directly andrespectfully.
And number eight, include peoplein decisions that affect their
work lives.
Remember, trust isn't builtovernight, but it is built over
time through small, repeated,intentional acts.

(09:41):
I would suggest you pick two ofthese to focus on this week.
Schedule them, practice them.
Then keep going.
Pick two more the next week.
Thanks so much for joining me onPeace Building with Dr.
Pollock.
If this episode helped you,please share it with a
colleague.
Leave a review and subscribe formore practical guidance on
leadership, trust and workplacepeace building.

(10:02):
Until next time, lead well, leadwisely, and build trust
deliberately.