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Help Create a Climate of Trust

June 14, 1999

"The 'growing season' for trust is when people are being tested - in matters big or small.  Only then do you get a chance to really prove anything.  Will you keep your word?  Do you honor commitments?  Are you consistent?  Do you play fair?  Can others count on you to be "be there" - hanging tough under fire, helping out when they need you, putting yourself at risk for the sake of the team?

Real teamwork requires people to have faith in one another.  And the only way you can build that kind of belief is by the way you behave.

Can you imagine working closely with a group of people you can't trust?  Would you want to be on the team if you couldn't count on your teammates?

Teamwork always carries an element of risk, even in the best of circumstances.  In a climate of mistrust, the risk factor climbs so high it becomes a barrier to cooperative effort.  Individuals start looking out for themselves, at the team's expense, since they doubt that they will be protected adequately by the group.

Everyone on the team should protect and nurture the trust level.  It's every bit as fragile as it is important.  Even little violations can fracture people's faith in each other.  And if building trust is a slow and difficult process, rebuilding it can be next to impossible.  So don't get careless with the small stuff - use every little chance you get to create a climate of trust.  And act in a trustworthy manner, the greater your opportunity to build the trust level in the team (Pritchett, 1992, pp. 53-54)."

Reference:  Pritchett, P. (1992).  The team member handbook for teamwork.  pps. 53-54.  Dallas:  Pritchett & Associates.

Do your actions show your trust in the team?

* The Team Member Handbook for Teamwork is available on loan at the OSU Leadership Center.  A listing of all the Leadership Center's resources is available on our website www.ag.ohio-state.edu/~leaders

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Created: 2009-01-06, Updated: 2009-01-18