How to build trust in a team and develop engaged employees
Everyone understands the role of trust in a relationship; relationships don’t work quite well when trust is either absent or broken. Companies seeking to build real relationships with their employees must take the issue of trust seriously. Trust is an absolute requirement when developing employee engagement, I mean for companies seeking to win the hearts and soul of their employees. Managers must develop trust and rapport with their employees to get the most from them. Remember, people always give back what they are given.
If trust is such a critical component of team success, how do you build it? Although Dale Carnegie Training can provide you with quick tips, there is no quick or easy “how to build trust in a team” guide. Building trust in the workplace is a long term strategy for success. It takes time and dedication to your employees. Here are four ways to get you started building trust in a team and developing engaged employees.
1. Give support when employees need it. Empower your employees to go out and do their job, but when they need help make sure that you are there to provide guidance and support. This sometimes means allowing employees to fail (not many companies in Nigeria has tolerance for failure). If they do fail, you must be there to support and help fix the challenge. Failure can be a good lesson just as long as you support them through the event and make it a learning experience. Giving support will not only build trust but help develop engaged employees as well.
2. Facilitate when roadblocks come up. Roadblocks come up all the time in the workplace. A big part of supporting your employees and understanding how to build trust in a team is making sure that you clear roadblocks. If an employee can count on you to make their job easier during these critical moments, you’ll sure be building trust.
3. Praise the slightest improvement. Everyone has strengths and weaknesses. When employees are working on a certain competency where they are weak, you need to recognise their small successes. This practice will reinforce the positive results and help them gain confidence. Just make sure you are genuine, sincere, and specific about the improvement when you offer praise. Do not be one of the many companies in Nigeria where managers criticize every time and everything that they fail to notice the improvements people are making.
4. Build their confidence! Confidence is a massive part of employee engagement. If you want to develop engaged employees, focus on building their confidence and showing them how to be more confident. That means taking a genuine interest in them, caring when they do well, and supporting when they need help.
When figuring out how to build trust in a team you must understand that it is not something that can be done in a day. It is something that builds over time, as in any kind of relationship. As a manager, you must be willing to commit to long term team building goals. By dedicating yourself to these long term goals you can create a team with fully engaged employees.
Are there any other approaches that you have tried in the past? Consider teambuilding activities also; they offer opportunities for improving employee engagement.
Patrick E. Nwakogo