Without trust, you have nothing
The more I learn about management, the more I feel I have to couch any recommendation with a hidden step 0: "Build and maintain trust." It seems like a cliché, but it really is true. Without trust, seemingly innocuous actions can be seen in a nefarious light. With trust, you can be given the benefit of the doubt when you screw up, as all humans do periodically, especially when growing and trying new things. Trust also has the challenge of not being something you can build quickly, but instead it accumulates over time and can take on many different shapes as roles and circumstances on your team change.
To start building trust on a new team or to start repairing it if the team has begun to lose trust with you (and hopefully before it's too far gone to repair), here are some things to keep in mind:
- Humility: Be honest about where you've fallen short and where you still need to learn. Trying to maintain an aura of infallibility will suck up all your energy and your team will see through it.
- Openness to change: Be clear that you welcome and expect feedback, and that your ego is not tied up in the team going with what you want.
- Transparency: Being clear about what you're trying to achieve will ensure that everyone knows if they want to get on board with where you want the team to go, or if they're best suited for another team or organization altogether.
- Integrity: Follow through on your commitments. Sometimes the situation changes and you have to change course, but be open about it and engage with your team on those hopefully rare occasions.
Trust is an essential foundation for building up your team and accomplishing great things, so work at it every day and don't let it wither once you have it.