Building a Trustworthy Team
By: A Staff Writer
Updated on: Sep 02, 2024
Building a Trustworthy Team
As you grow, it’s not just about YOUR trustworthiness. Your employees/contractors represent you too, for better or worse.
We hire for skills, then are shocked when the person lacks integrity, eroding client trust, even if unintentionally.
- Hire slow, fire fast: Gut feeling is important here. A red flag in the interview process will only get worse when they’re on the job.
- Values alignment is non-negotiable: If they don’t share your commitment to quality, honesty, etc., their work will reflect that.
- Clear systems for everything: Prevents the “I didn’t know” excuse, which makes YOU look like the unreliable one.
- Empower them to fix mistakes: …without coming down on them hard. This builds trust that they can TELL you, leading to faster resolution.
- Publicly acknowledge the good stuff: Give credit where it’s due, makes the whole team feel valued.
- Your own behavior sets the tone: Do as I say, not as I do, destroys trust faster than anything else a leader can do.
What’s trust like within your current team? Areas for improvement?
Is there ANY task you could delegate, even a tiny one, to start building trust in a contractor/new hire?