Being a part of a team is comforting, but only when you can trust your peers and leader. A distrustful work environment can hinder performance and cause unproductive conflicts. Some professional leaders don’t realize how much their actions can set the tone and either establish or destroy trust.

Honest and empathetic leaders can contribute to positivity and productivity among the team. Conversely, leaders who play the blame game and pit their employees against each other can cause serious damage. Naturally, it’s hard to trust a leader who is either consistently negative or unpredictable.

Luckily, building trust isn’t as hard as it seems, whether you run a brick-and-mortar office or manage remote employees. Follow along as we explore how you can build a strong, trusting team and become the best leader possible.

Display Transparency

It’s hard to trust a leader who leaves those around them in the dark. Many people can relate to having trust issues with bosses who share little information. After all, it’s hard to perform to the best of your abilities when you don’t see the full picture.

As a leader, you must do your best to give context and paint a vivid picture for your peers and employees. Explain the reasoning behind your vision and opinions to help others grasp the weight of your goals. That said, you must walk a fine line regarding behind-the-scenes information that isn’t always for everyone to know.

For example, you can inadvertently overwhelm your team by sharing all your concerns, especially if they don’t affect others. However, offering context and reasoning will not only help your team perform better but also build trust.

Prioritize Communication

Poor communication can cause big problems in any personal or professional relationship. This applies to both in-person and online communication, which are both prominent in many workplaces. Communication problems often arise when people feel they can’t honestly or easily communicate.

Sometimes this happens due to tension among the team, while in other cases it happens due to disorganization. As a leader, you can lead by example and express the importance of open communication. This may involve taking charge and asking the team how they feel about the current workflow.

Nobody will offer honest feedback if they fear retribution or don’t think their feedback will be taken seriously. Holding open meetings where everyone can contribute to the conversation can help establish trust among the team. Honest communication can help improve operations and relationships among team members.

Establish Accountability

Leaders typically hold their employees to a high standard and hold them accountable. However, it’s hard to trust a leader who doesn’t take accountability themself. For example, a leader may steer their team in the wrong direction, then blame the team when the results are disappointing.

The best leaders lead from within the team instead of simply dominating them. You can establish a lot of trust with your team if you take accountability for your role in each outcome, good or bad. That way, the team won’t feel like you’re working against them.

Finger-pointing can create a hostile work environment, and it won’t help anyone reach a great solution any faster. A solution-focused workplace can foster creativity and problem-solving skills, which can benefit the whole team.

Show Empathy and Vulnerability

Working for a stone-faced leader is not only stressful, but it can make work unnecessarily difficult. The “strict leader” archetype comes from a bygone era when society didn’t hold leaders accountable as much. Today, everyone expects their leaders to treat them with respect and display empathy.

Kind, empathetic, and vulnerable leaders can instill trust in their employees and help them feel much more comfortable. You must display empathy when addressing your team, as well as when creating the weekly or monthly schedule. Overworking your team and failing to understand why they’re experiencing burnout can damage the relationship.

Apathetic leadership can create a disconnect where the team may perceive a strong sense of superiority from their leader. You must be willing to be vulnerable and connect with your team on a personal level. This is a big part of management and leadership that gets overlooked, but it can help with most aspects of operation.

Show Your Gratitude

Work isn’t always fun, but it’s always necessary until you retire. That said, many people work so hard without ever hearing “thank you” and “great job.” Of course, compliments only matter when they’re warranted, but they are invaluable.

Whether you’re soliciting cybersecurity tips or hearing product pitches from your staff, you must show others that you value them. Private and public praise are equally valuable and can work wonders to make your team feel valued. Acknowledge efforts and accomplishments to help your team feel like their hard work paid off.

Don’t hesitate to be specific, so the team understands what was particularly important about their efforts. Specific gratitude and criticism can help the team understand what you appreciate and expect from them.

A Trusting Team is a Successful Team

Honesty and empathy are the keys to establishing trust as a leader. You can catch more flies with honey, so being honest and kind while guiding your team toward great results is better than being apathetic. Great leaders know how to motivate their team while also valuing their opinions and what’s going on in their personal lives.

Things won’t always be all fun and games, but the hard times will be easier if the tone is typically positive. It won’t take long for your team to trust you if you are honest, kind, and grateful.

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