Building Relationships and Trust
“Thank you for all the work you’ve put in on this project. I know I can always count on you to get things done!”
Great teams aren’t just efficient or skillful – they get along! They can rely on each other. On a great team, collaboration happens naturally, and meetings are actually productive. Your projects will be more successful when you learn about your team’s strengths and interests. When people get to do what they like, with the people they like, job satisfaction increases for everyone, too!
Trust is built when you come through for others, and you give the opportunity for others to come through for you. Communication, creditability, and celebrations are all vital to building relationships and trust on your team:
- Keep the lines of communication open. Choose your words thoughtfully and set clear expectations with the people you work with. Make sure your team knows when and how they can reach you. Your team should be able to approach you about serious issues, so be sure to listen carefully when they do. Don’t accidentally close a line of communication by reacting too quickly, or too harshly.
- Be a creditable resource. It’s not enough to just tell people about your open-door policy - you have to actually open the door. As a leader, you have a responsibility to earn the trust of your team by backing up your words with action. Reliability, honesty, and consistency in your words and actions are critical.
- Take every chance to celebrate! From grand announcements to simple notes, there are endless ways to recognize the achievements and contributions made by your team. Let your staff know you see their effort, recognize their skills, and give credit where credit is due! We have so much to be proud of at the State of Minnesota, and there is always an excuse to celebrate.
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