A poll by the Harvard Business Review found that 58% of employees trust a complete stranger over their own boss. That is absolutely pathetic, but not at all surprising. There have been a number of times leaders asked me, “We need to build trust on the team, can you help me?” When we get to talking, they quickly follow up with, “We only have time for a single 1-hour session.” That’s like me asking a personal trainer, “Can you help me get a six pack? I only have 10 minutes.”
Trust is granted, not built. It is ultimately up to others whether they trust you. My dog (pictured below) completely trusts me when I tell him to “leave it” because we have done thousands of repetitions of that command and he knows that he will get a treat if he obeys. Not many leaders put in thousands of repetitions over months and years communicating transparently, showing vulnerability, and being their authentic self. Not many leaders allow their team to give unfiltered feedback in real time, without the leader first reviewing and filtering it.
To address the lack of meaningful, candid, team-related feedback, I have developed a tool that enables leaders and teams to have the conversation necessary to become a more effective team. This tool is meant to be utilized quarterly in perpetuity.
Email me if you’d like more information about the team checkup!
