Trust is like air. Once it’s left the room, it’s all anyone can think about.
A break in trust in a team diminishes morale and can cause decreased productivity and increased turnover.
An executive shared a story with me about a direct report who was reluctant to give feedback to a peer. They worried they’d be called negative and critical, so they kept silent even though their feedback was valid. She said:
“It’s on me to create cohesion, to keep things running smoothly. I feel like I’m failing them, and it bugs me. But I don’t know what to say. And I just don’t have time for this.”
Can you relate?
You’re not alone. Wherever people come together, there’s friction. How you approach that friction can make or break your success.
In this episode, I’ll provide practical ways to cultivate trust within your operations team to create a safe and collaborative environment.
The Connection Between Trust and Psychological Safety
It can be unsettling when your team is not getting along the way they should. It can be a real headache and a drain on everyone.
Let’s get started with some basics.
It’s worth noting that the terms trust and psychological safety, are sometimes used interchangeably. These concepts are related, but they are distinct. They both contribute to your team dynamic.
‘Trust’ is when you believe that someone (or something) is reliable, honest, and competent. You build trust by having good experiences with them.
‘Psychological safety’ is when you feel like you can express yourself without a negative consequence. It’s feeling comfortable sharing ideas without fear of retribution. You need psychological safety to have open collaboration.
Where trust is about reliability that accrues over time, psychological safety is about openness, honesty, and feeling secure in speaking up. These interdependent qualities are crucial for success in operations.
Why Psychological Safety Should Be Prioritized in Operations
Your ops team is the backbone of the organization. They keep processes humming, maintaining infrastructure, and managing people, money, data, and supplies. Everything must flow together. When people trust each other, they can work together better because they feel safe.
Plus, your ops team is the first line of defense cross-functionally. When your team members feel safe, they are more likely to be collaborative and quickly create workable solutions.
This reduces mistakes and saves time and resources. Your team’s dynamics are felt in ripples across the organization, maybe more than any other.
Bottom line: If your team is having trust issues, it likely won’t magically resolve itself. Better to grab the reins and steer your team toward a solution.
4 Steps to Build Psychological Safety and Trust in Your Ops Team
This topic of broken trust in a team is a hot topic for me.
When I’ve had team members who weren’t getting along, it was uncomfortable for me in a very visceral way. Even if it was just between a couple of people, it seemed to squirt out and distract everyone else. It can be discouraging and frustrating, to say the least.
It took me a while to find a balance between my desire to be a hands-off leader and my responsibility to address trust issues head-on.
Here are four practices that helped me:
- Explore how you handle conflict and build up your emotional intelligence. You can only lead your team to the edge of your E.Q.
- Be a role model. Share your vulnerabilities and mistakes with your team, to show that everyone is growing together.
- Offer development opportunities to help people boost their skills and build confidence.
- Create a safe space for your team to express themselves. Ask open-ended questions that draw out their input and feedback. Questions like:
- What’s something you see me do that best sets us up for success?
- What do I do that undermines or distracts from our success?
- What is one thing you need from me that will enable you/us to be successful?
- What are some ways we can foster a sense of trust and openness among the team?
- How can we encourage everyone to share their opinions, even if they are outside the norm?
Continuous Commitment to Your Team’s Culture
These are just four of many practices to help build trust and psychological safety in a team. But like much of what you do in operations, there is no finish line. It requires an ongoing commitment.
The timeline will depend on the size of the team, the existing level of trust, and other unique dynamics. And your approach will need to evolve with the team and the organization. You may explore additional things like:
- establishing new communication channels
- setting clear expectations for behavior
- gathering and responding to feedback regularly
- strengthening your conflict resolution skills
Cultivating a trusting and safe team culture is well worth the effort.
I’ll leave you with this question to consider today: What issue does your team most need you to step up and address?
You can’t stop the chaos, but you can change the game.
