How I failed at team trust and what I learned from it
My number one premise about teams is that trust must be solidly anchored as the foundation of a successful team. And by “successful” I mean a team that is able to achieve significant shared results, whether that be a product, a service, or some other outcome that is only possible by the team working together as a unit.
Let me share my own story about how I messed this up. I was a rookie, but old enough to know better…
Years ago, I was a relatively new manager in a “well-known computer software company.” I had an assignment from my manager to lead a discussion on a certain topic in a cross-site meeting, but I forgot about it until the meeting started and I looked at the agenda. There I was in a video conference room with no place to hide! Feeling an immediate need to “cover my rear end”, I sent a frantic online message to the
The point of this story is that I had no stomach for saying, “I messed up…I’m not prepared on this topic.” Although I survived the meeting, on that day I represented a weak link in the team, in which I had never heard anyone say, “I’m sorry” or “I made a mistake”, not to mention “I don’t know.” This basic level of vulnerability is “Trust and Teamwork 101.” It took me a while to overcome this weakness, but when I quit trying to look good all the time, I found a new freedom to lead from a more authentic and believable place.
You already know you are not perfect, and your team members (peers or direct reports) know that, too. What your team desperately needs is assurance that no person on the team is holding back, but all are bringing their real selves to the team and to work each day.
