In my experience of working with teams, the biggest challenge that blocks success is trust. It's the behaviour that we spend most time developing, because if there is no trust, the other behaviours can't be fully embedded. Trust is rare and traditional corporations are layered in competition, ranking others performance against one another, politics, fear and blame. To move from these institutionalised cultures takes courage, it is hard to do trust first. That is why I call on leaders to go first.
The first and foundational behaviour of a cohesive team is trust. Unfortunately, the word trust is used—and misused—so often it may not impart the same meaning to everyone.
The definition here isn’t centred around the ability to predict a person’s behaviour based on past experience (a standard description). Predictive trust means that I know that James is always late to a meeting, or that Martha will always put her hand up to offer help, or my boss will erupt if I say no. I have worked with my team members enough to predict their behaviour. This happens naturally and doesn't mean the team is healthy or successful.
In the context of a cohesive team, trust means vulnerability.
- a willingness to be completely vulnerable with one another
- trust that you can be open, exposed or honest about your failures or frustrations
- confidence among team members that their peers’ intentions are good and that there is no reason to be protective or careful around the team.
Trust lies at the heart of a functioning, cohesive team. If people are not afraid to admit their truth about their thoughts, feelings, intentions or ideas, they are able to speak up and engage in innovation, creativity and to take risks. A team with low trust is guarded, closed and political. They spend energy people reading, second guessing and in self-protection mode. Imagine if you could take off the armour and just be you. How much more fulfilling and engaging would your meetings be?
A case study
I once worked with a team who were riddled with politics and mistrust. They didn't know it. In fact they thought they were thriving. In the first session, the norming stage, they were polite and enthusiastic yet I became aware that no one volunteered their opinion until the leader spoke. Then, one by one they would all add their thoughts, layering on to what the leader had said, but largely repeating what had already been spoken.
This to me is a red flag. No team is that aligned naturally, and I was also hired because the HR Director was constantly being drawn into "he said/she said" conflicts. After the first session I did a one to one with each member and that's when the truth came out. The leader had worked with a team member for years. They had risen through the ranks together. The team member wielded power over the other members behind the scenes and used his relationship with the leader to get what he wanted - all behind closed doors. Those that had tried to oppose or speak up were silenced. There was zero vulnerability based trust.
In the second session I named it. I shared that in our one to ones, grudges, frustrations and so many brilliant ideas were shared with me, yet in the group none of this was shared. I created a safe space to explore the trust issue.
The first stage is to recognise it, then we move on to alignment around the desire to change it. That takes courage and vulnerability. That second session changed the dynamics of the team forever and I could see, and feel, the huge relief around the room.
You might also witness team members finding it difficult to admit their weaknesses or own up when they get things wrong. Even if they are presented with evidence, they might deflect, blame or reject the feedback or observation. If the leader finds it hard to admit their weaknesses then it makes it even harder for the team to do so.
One common problem I see is leaders blaming their team for their ineffective behaviour. Only when the leader can say, "I know I can sometimes get carried away with ideas and sometimes forget to be clear about what we have agreed. I am aware and working on it. I need your help, so if I am not clear, please ask me for clarity". Perhaps the leader likes to be in control so might lead with, "I want us to really challenge my ideas because I can easily make decisions autonomously and not involve you. I know it is my barrier to success. So please challenge me if I do this". By becoming aware of our weaknesses, naming them to our team, then asking for what we need, we not only build trust, but also create more efficiency in the team.
The leader takes action to build trust. They go first, role model it and create the intent that "this is how we do things around here."
Lucy Barkas
The five behaviours of a cohesive team assessment will give clarity on your teams scores against each of the five behaviours. It gives a measure that can be tracked. No matter how a team scores on the assessment, teams should always begin with trust because there is no quality or characteristic that is more important for building a team.
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