_Trust is the glue that holds teams and organisations together_  Bren Brown, _Dare to Lead_

High trust cultures outperform low-trust ones by **286%** in both stock price and dividends\).$1$

Former CEO of Westpac Gail Kelly knows the value of building trust in the workplace.

Kelly told the authors of _CEO Excellence_ that **trust and collaboration** helped progress her vision during the global financial crisis. She worked to build trust at off-sites $keep reading for _how_ $, and attributes her success to having high demands on **teamwork**.

If one of the worlds best leaders $Kelly doubled her companys value from **$38 billion to $79 billion** $ works to build trust, we should too. Yet only 6% of top HR executives think their executive team operates as a well-integrated team. $2$

Methods to build trust can be learned. Many global speakers and authors weve featured at Growth Faculty research methods for building trust, and we share some below.

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_Most people believe theyre completely trustworthy, yet they only trust a handful of their colleagues._  Bren Brown, _Dare to Lead_

Lets face it, building trust is at the centre of [how to improve workplace culture](https://www.thegrowthfaculty.com/blog/improveworkplaceculture). Without trust, colleagues cant be their true selves at work, wont share their best ideas, and wont admit theyre struggling.

[Bren Brown](https://www.thegrowthfaculty.com/blog/BestBreneBROWNquotesleaders) has a chapter on trust in her book _Dare to Lead_. She uses a definition of trust from the _Thin Book of Trust_ by Charles Feltman: _Trust is choosing to_**_risk_**_making_**_something you value_**_vulnerable to another persons actions._

Distrust is defined as: _What is important to me is_**_not safe with you_**_in this situation, or really in any situation._

Put bluntly, without efforts to build trust at work, team members feel unsafe. They feel threatened in how they see themselves and others. This leads to siloed behaviour  everyone for themselves.

Lack of trust has implications for [psychological safety](https://www.thegrowthfaculty.com/blog/psychologicallysafeworkplaces) and [workplace mental health and wellbeing](https://www.thegrowthfaculty.com/blog/mentalhealthandwellbeing).

How can teams work with people they dont feel totally safe with?

Lets break it down  What does trust mean in the workplace?

Gartner says how much employees trust their organisation is a great barometer to measure **employee engagement** and **productivity** levels.

And it says business units with engaged workers have **23% higher profit** compared with business units with miserable workers. $3$

Why the difference in profit? In our masterclass with [Stephen M.R. Covey](https://www.thegrowthfaculty.com/blog/stephencoveytrustandinspire), co-author of _Trust and Inspire_ , we learned that a lack of trust makes things **move slower and cost more**.

You know this makes sense. Without trust, team members wont share or communicate well, slowing down tasks and projects. They wont own up to mistakes, leading to scrapped projects or cost blowouts.

In our interview with Patrick Lencioni on his book [_The Five Dysfunctions of a Team_](https://www.thegrowthfaculty.com/blog/fivedysfunctionsofateam) , we learn that once trust is established, teams can feel comfortable engaging in honest healthy conflict. Thats great for building [high performing teams](https://www.thegrowthfaculty.com/blog/teambuilding).

And as for [retention strategies](https://www.thegrowthfaculty.com/blog/staffretentionstrategies), it's good to know high-trust environments have 50% lower staff turnover than their competitors, reports Practice Business. $4$

Why Does Trust Matter in Business?

As we list out effective ways to build trust, know this: Googles _own_ leadership coach, the late Bill Campbell $who also [coached Steve Jobs](https://www.thegrowthfaculty.com/blog/SteveJobsscoachTrillionDollarmentorBillCampbellstopfourtraits)$, had one trait at the top of his list: Trust

_Bill knew that to get to great leadership you needed to_**_build trust_**_,_ former Google executive Jonathan Rosenberg said in an[ interview with The Growth Faculty](https://www.thegrowthfaculty.com/blog/TrillionDollarCoach). Teams who trust each other and their leader tend to outperform those who dont.

Here are some ways he and our global speakers suggest you go about it.

9 effective ways to build trust in the workplace

The path to building trust starts with vulnerability. Its earned in **collective moments of vulnerability** over time.

Most people think that we build trust with someone first _before_ we are vulnerable with them. However, Dr Bren Brown, author of _Daring Greatly_ and _Dare to Lead_ , told us in an interview and at our event that **vulnerability comes before trust**.

Its a case of you go first and Ill be more inclined to trust you.

If we go back to Gail Kelly of Westpac, her off-sites used this knowledge to build trust.

Im prepared to be very vulnerable and asked others to do the same, she says in _CEO Excellence_ , We developed a little book called The Story of Us and each of us had a page about what strengths we had and the things we were working on.

She said it really helped to build trust.

Have the courage to be vulnerable

Building trust question: Do you go first whenever theres an opportunity to be vulnerable and so build trust with team members?

Bren Brown did a study on building trust in the workplace.

Her research team asked 1000 leaders what behaviours in their team members most built their trust. The most common building trust behaviour given? **Asking for help.**

Surprised, Bren realised this played out in her own team.

_To team members I trust the most I will hand over important projects because I know if theyre stuckthey will come back to methat makes me feel safe in delegation._

Kylie explained how Googles Project Aristotle found the \#1 factor in high performance was high psychological safety. What risks did you take this week? is asked in some Google meetings.

Ask for help

Building trust question: Is asking for help encouraged in your organisation, is it explicitly valued? Or is there a culture of blaming, shaming, and a lack of visibility of leaders?

Its gutsy to go with honesty.

Adobe was honest with investors and employees when it pivoted to a subscription model for its software. It explained revenues and **profits would decline** for years as the new business model bedded in.

Heres what happened. Honest and transparent information about the change meant the **stock price** went up even as the company lost revenue.

[Charlene Li](https://www.thegrowthfaculty.com/blog/adobefuturecustomer), author of _The Disruption Mindset,_ says transparency and dialogue stops distrust in its tracks.

_Being open about the hopes, fears, and realities that everyone will face during the transformation helps to dispel any perceptions..\[of\]..hidden motivations._

Practice Honesty and Transparency

Building trust question: When you think Theres no way I can say/do/think that, why not go deeper into your assumptions? Why cant you be honest and transparent in this instance?

If someones inconsistent, we think of them as undependable, unreliable, flaky.

Its deeply rooted in our psyche. In the 1940s a psychiatrist named John Bowlby explored _attachment theory_ in infants. He discovered children need to feel a **secure connection** to at least one primary caregiver to feel comfortable and confident to explore the outside world. Without it, children become fearful of new experiences.

Put simply, its hard to trust inconsistent people. Consistency is important for teams to feel safe with others.

Lt. David Marquet, author of _Turn the Ship Around_ and _Leadership is Language_ , says trust is transparency over time. We consistently say what we mean.

Be consistent

Building trust question: Are you consistent in your manner and actions?

We interviewed [Daniel Coleman, author of _The Culture Code_](https://www.thegrowthfaculty.com/blog/GreatIdeasTheCultureCodebyDanielCoyle) _,_ who says one **misconception** about highly successful cultures is that they are happy, light hearted places.

His research shows something different. They have energy but there is also **high candour feedback** , **uncomfortable truth-telling** as the teams **solve hard problems** together.

A study of students given feedback found that the words _Im giving you this feedback because I have very high expectations and I know that you can reach them_ boosted effort and performance.

Thats because belonging cues $essential to trust$ in the sentence say this is a safe place to give effort.

Promote feedback

Building trust questions: Do you respect your team members enough to give them feedback? Does your feedback says You are part of the group This group is special I believe you can reach those standards? Do you encourage feedback on yourself?

_81% of working adults say they would work harder if their boss was more grateful for their work._  _Leading with Gratitude_

During the 2008 global financial crisis lubricant company WD-40 former CEO Garry Ridge wanted to increase trust and reduce fear among his employees.

- He decided to increase its investment in employee [**learning and development**](https://www.thegrowthfaculty.com/blog/8benefitsofpeerlearning).

- He instructed his managers to regularly express **sincere appreciation** to their tribe.

Two years later the company reported its best financials in its 57-year-history. To this day employee engagement is so high, 99% of its people say they love to work there.

[_Leading with Gratitude_](https://www.thegrowthfaculty.com/blog/leadingwithgratitudeeltongostick) authors Adrian Gostock and Chester Elton told us in interview that gratitude increases feelings of belonging, which, as we know is important for trust. It can be a huge motivation and productivity booster, and it costs nothing\!

Show your appreciation

Building trust question: Are you showing appreciation regularly and for incremental progress, not just at the finish line?

Trust thrives where there is clear, unambiguous communication.

As the pilot-in-command of QF32, [Richard de Crespigny](https://www.thegrowthfaculty.com/blog/GREATIDEASFlybyRicharddeCrespigny), author of _QF32_ and _Fly\!_ , told Growth Faculty pilots have to have absolute trust in their team.

When a catastrophic explosion disabled their aircraft in 2010, communication was a key component in keeping the 469 passengers and crew alive. __

_With so much going on in a crisis, its crucial you dont forget to communicate._

Richard says to put yourself in the shoes of the audience.

Think what their concerns are likely to be in the circumstances. Then tell them everything they need to know at that time. Spell out everything.

He uses the acronym **N.I.T.S.** : State the **nature** of the problem. State your **intentions** for dealing with it. Estimate the **time** it will take. Clearly explain any **special** requirements.

Communicate clearly and openly

Building trust question: Do you communicate whats in your head clearly and often to your team?

_Trust is knowing that when a team member does push you, theyre doing it because they care about the team._  fictional CEO Kathryn Petersen.

In Patrick Lencionis book _The Five Dysfunctions of a Team_ fictional CEO Kathryn Petersen explains how avoidance of accountability happens.

_Some people are hard to hold accountable because theyre helpful. Others because they get defensive. Others because they are intimidating._

But to keep trust, teams must be able to rely on each other. And trust must be present so team members feel safe to hold each other to account.

_Push with respect.but push anyway. And never hold back._

Build a culture of accountability

Building trust question: Do you improve your team by holding one another accountable? Are you encouraging more difficult conversations?

_Feeling included is where you can stand out but also fit in._ - Dr Stefanie Johnson

One way to build a [positive workplace culture](https://www.thegrowthfaculty.com/blog/positiveworkplaceculture) where trust can thrive is to make everyone feel included.

An inclusive culture feels like family, says Daniel Coyle in _The Culture Code_.

_When you receive a belonging cue the amygdala.turns from an angry guard dog into an energetic guide dog._

Daniel says a steady stream of signals of safe connection say We are close, we are safe, we share a future. Trust is built on this stream of inclusivity.

[_Inclusify_ author Dr. Stefanie K. Johnson](https://www.thegrowthfaculty.com/blog/howtomakecorrectdecisions) says work attendance improves in inclusive cultures and inclusive companies outperform other companies by 8:1.

_Inclusifying is the leadership skill of tomorrow, but you can capitalize on it today. It starts with understanding the two most basic human drives: to be unique and to belong._

Build an inclusive culture

Building trust question: Are you sending out lots of belonging signals to your team? Do you make others feel accepted as they are?

Building trust in the workplace is critical for any organisation to function optimally. Each of our ways to build trust also helps with enjoyment, engagement, and productivity.

There is so much to be gained by learning better leadership methods. With a [Growth Faculty Pass](https://join.thegrowthfaculty.com/growthfacultypass/) your team can get ahead of the pack with leadership development weekly masterclasses and more.

Unlimited access to 40 live virtual masterclasses and Global Headliner virtual events - PLUS year-round leadership content at On Demand with videos, podcasts and book summaries. See [who's up next.](https://www.thegrowthfaculty.com/?promoCode=Blog#liveevents)

References:

1\. Watson Wyatt report

2\. CEO Excellence by McKinsey Senior Partners Carolyn Dewar, Scott Keller, Vikram Malhotra, 2022.

3\. 9 Questions That Should Be in Every Employee Engagement Survey, 2022, Gartner

4.How to get the most out of your workday, 2022, Practice Business

Various global speakers and authors featured in Growth Faculty live virtual events

Photo by [Austin Distel](https://unsplash.com/@austindistel?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText) on [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/s/photos/team?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText)

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