Communication Key #5: Build a Foundation of Trust

by Angela Gallogly
Vice President of USA Operations, Advanced Team Concepts
http://www.atctraining.com

I recently facilitated a two-day retreat for a group of customer service representatives (CSRs) in the Dallas area. The focus topics included teambuilding, communication and dealing with difficult customers. I really enjoyed working with the group, particularly through the teambuilding module. It was obvious that the participants were attentive, engaged and open during our work together.

As I was driving home from the retreat, I remembered another group that I worked with a couple of years ago. This group was comprised of IT professionals. Although their roles and industry were different, they had similar goals for the retreat. The hope was that the experience would help them communicate and work more effectively together. Wow! This retreat was a completely different experience.

I remember the pre-consultation with the IT group. They wanted the training to contain models for better understanding roles and responsibilities and models for better communicating. According to the team’s leadership, they just weren’t communicating as well as they could. He felt that they needed some new tools for their toolkit.

As I progressed through the material that morning, I recall the feeling of the group. Rather than engaging in the process and talking candidly together, they hung back, used silence and obviously kept their true feelings guarded. In a short period of time, I made an important discovery about this group. They already knew how to communicate, but they chose not to. No one seemed to trust anyone else.

At that point, I abandoned my carefully designed curriculum and changed tactics. We spent time in the afternoon focused on breaking through barriers and rebuilding the team. I was pleased that we made some progress, and the team opened up a little more as the day progressed.

Unfortunately, with the time that was left, I didn’t get to the core of this team’s issues. I wish I would have had more time with them, because there was so much potential in the group. These individuals were skilled, educated, and engaging when I spoke to them one to one. They just didn’t feel that it was safe to share in the group. I encouraged the team’s leadership to revisit teambuilding in the future. I shared my belief that their lack of trust was getting in the way of their success, not a lack of communication skills.

Communication Key #5: Build a Foundation of Trust.
The tools introduced at the CSR retreat worked because the participants made this connection. They talked about differences, worked through them and agreed to solutions. They set team goals. They communicated.

You can spend all of the time, training and money in the world on communication, but it the team doesn’t have a foundation of trust, it’s going to be a waste.

How do you build trust in an organization?

It’s not a one-time effort, like flipping a switch. It takes time. Make teambuilding a priority. Help the team get to know each other. Create operating rules for the team that shouldn’t be broken. Examples might include:

-Fostering mutual respect
-Encouraging listening
-Making it safe for the team to share
-Keeping feedback constructive

There are endless possibilities. The key is to understand that building trust in a team is an important priority. It takes ongoing work, but the results will undoubtedly contribute to the success of the organization.