Trust Issues at Work? Here's What to Say with Rachel Botsman
In this episode of the Money Rehab with Nicole Lapin podcast, the discussion centers on building and maintaining trust in the workplace. Rachel Botsman and guest Minda Harts explore how trust fosters collaboration, risk-taking, and open communication among teams. They examine how factors like leadership, organizational culture, and remote work dynamics impact trust levels within an organization.
The conversation highlights practical strategies leaders can employ to cultivate trust, such as setting clear expectations, modeling vulnerability, and effectively managing conflicts. Botsman delves into the unique challenges of trust-building in remote and hybrid work environments, offering insights on adapting communication styles and leveraging virtual team-bonding activities.
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1-Page Summary
Building and Maintaining Trust In the Workplace
Trust fosters collaboration, risk-taking, and open communication across teams and organizations. Minda Harts and Rachel Botsman assert trust is universally recognized, transcending cultures.
Trust Depends On Environment and Context
Botsman highlights the importance of tailoring trust-building efforts based on team size, work setting, and responsibilities. Leaders shape the environment influencing the level of trust.
Trust vs. Psychological Safety
Psychological safety, per Amy Edmondson, allows people to make mistakes without fear. But personal security is influenced more by one's past experiences than by leaders, says Botsman.
Fostering Trust Through Leadership
Setting Clear Expectations Builds Trust
Botsman emphasizes clearly communicating expectations around work quality, timing, and behaviors. Leaders should explain their intentions transparently.
Modeling Vulnerability Encourages Psychological Safety
By openly admitting mistakes and discussing fears, leaders model vulnerability, fostering psychological safety and trust within teams.
Managing Mistakes and Conflicts Impacts Trust
How leaders handle mistakes and conflicts, while preserving dignity, deeply impacts organizational trust. Crises, if addressed properly, can improve trust.
Impact of Remote/Hybrid Work
Lack of Nonverbal Cues Challenges Trust-Building
Remote work reduces crucial nonverbal signals that subconsciously influence trust. Leaders must adapt communication styles accordingly, says Botsman.
Transparent In-Person Collaboration Maintains Trust
While virtual tools exist, Botsman notes in-person interactions remain valuable for specific outcomes. Unexplained return-to-office mandates can erode trust.
Overcommunication and Bonding Foster Remote Trust
To build remote team trust, leaders should overcommunicate, have regular check-ins, and create virtual bonding opportunities.
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Counterarguments
- Trust may not always transcend cultures as there can be cultural nuances that affect how trust is built and perceived.
- Tailoring trust-building efforts can be complex and may not always account for individual differences within a team or organization.
- Leaders are significant in shaping the environment, but external factors such as market conditions, organizational culture, and team dynamics also play a role.
- Psychological safety is not solely the result of past experiences; the current work environment and leadership can significantly influence it.
- Clear communication of expectations is important, but it must be balanced with flexibility to adapt to unforeseen circumstances.
- Transparency from leaders is crucial, but there may be strategic or privacy reasons that necessitate some level of discretion.
- Modeling vulnerability can foster trust, but it must be genuine and appropriate to the context to avoid appearing manipulative or unprofessional.
- The handling of mistakes and conflicts is important, but the perception of fairness and consistency in these processes also affects trust.
- Crises can sometimes improve trust, but they can also exacerbate existing issues or create new ones if not managed effectively.
- While remote work challenges nonverbal communication, it can also encourage the development of new communication skills and methods.
- In-person interactions are valuable, but not always feasible or preferred by all employees, and remote work can offer benefits such as flexibility and work-life balance.
- Overcommunication can sometimes lead to information overload or be perceived as micromanagement, which can erode trust.
- Virtual bonding opportunities are helpful, but they may not fully replace the depth of connection formed through face-to-face interactions.
Actionables
- You can create a "trust journal" to reflect on daily interactions and identify trust-building or trust-eroding behaviors. By writing down instances where you felt trust was either gained or lost, you can become more aware of the factors that influence trust in your relationships. For example, note when a colleague's transparency made you feel more comfortable sharing ideas, or when a lack of clear communication led to uncertainty.
- Develop a "virtual coffee roulette" program where you're randomly paired with a different team member each week for an informal video chat. This can help overcome the trust barriers posed by remote work by facilitating personal connections and understanding nonverbal cues in a relaxed setting. During these sessions, discuss non-work-related topics to build rapport and learn about each other's communication styles.
- Implement a "mistake amnesty" day where team members can share a mistake they've made without judgment or repercussions. This encourages vulnerability and psychological safety, showing that the team values learning and growth over perfection. Share your own mistakes first to set the tone and demonstrate that it's safe for others to do the same.
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Building and Maintaining Trust In the Workplace
Trust is a cornerstone of strong workplace relationships, critical for effective teams and organizations. It fosters collaboration, risk-taking, and open communication across all levels of an organization.
Trust Is Key for Effective Teams and Organizations, Fostering Collaboration, Risk-Taking, and Open Communication
Trust Transcends Cultures – Universally Recognized Presence or Absence
Minda Harts assertively discusses that trust is a global language, one whose presence or absence is felt universally, whether in the UK, Tokyo, or Los Angeles. This universal nature of trust is reiterated by Rachel Botsman, who, through the teaching experience at Oxford, observes that trust transcends cultures. Regardless of background, nationality, or career stage, people universally recognize and respond to trust.
Trust Depends On Environment, Team Dynamics, and Work Context
Leaders Should Tailor Trust-Building To Team Size, Work Setting, and Responsibilities
Leaders and managers have the ability to control and shape the workplace environment, influencing the level of trust within their teams. Rachel Botsman accentuates the significance of context in trust-building efforts. Factors such as team size, working arrangements—whether remote or in-person—whether the team is new or established, and the nature of the work must be considered when strategizing on building trust.
Trust vs. Psychological Safety and Personal Security
Psychological Safety: An Environment For Risk-Taking, Admitting Mistakes, and Voicing Dissent Without Fear
Rachel Botsman highlights Amy Edmondson's concept of psychological safety, defining it as creating an environment where people can take risks, make mistakes, and show vulnerability without fear of negative ...
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Building and Maintaining Trust In the Workplace
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Clarifications
- Amy Edmondson's concept of psychological safety revolves around creating an environment where individuals feel safe to take risks, make mistakes, and voice their opinions without fear of negative consequences. It is about fostering a culture where team members can be vulnerable and open without the worry of being punished or humiliated. Psychological safety is crucial for promoting innovation, learning, and effective teamwork within organizations. It is distinct from personal security, which is more influenced by individual experiences and traits rather than the work environment.
- Psychological safety relates to creating an environment where individuals feel safe to take risks, make mistakes, and express themselves without fear of negative consequences. Personal security, on the other hand, is more about an individual's internal sense of safety influenced by past experiences and personal tendencies. While leaders can foster psychological safety in the workplace, personal security is deeply rooted in an individual's history and perceptions.
- Personal security, i ...
Counterarguments
- While trust is important, overemphasis on trust can potentially overlook the need for accountability and clear performance metrics, which are also essential for team effectiveness.
- Trust may be universally recognized, but the ways in which it is built and maintained can vary significantly across cultures, which may require more nuanced approaches than suggested.
- Tailoring trust-building efforts is important, but leaders must also be cautious not to stereotype or make assumptions based on team size or work settings, as individual needs for trust can vary widely.
- Psychological safety is critical, but there can be a fine line between creating a safe space and fostering an environment where lack ...
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Fostering Trust Through Leadership Practices
Rachel Botsman emphasizes the importance of specific actions and attitudes leaders should adopt to build and maintain trust with their teams.
Important Trust-Building Practice: Setting Clear Expectations With Teams
Botsman champions the critical practice of setting clear expectations, which she says applies universally across different team sizes and work contexts. She encourages leaders to hone their skills in clearly communicating their expectations around the quality and timing of work, as well as expected behaviors in the workplace.
Leaders should deliberately formulate and transmit their intentions, be it elucidating the purpose of a meeting or articulating the reasoning behind a particular decision.
Model Vulnerability and Humility to Foster Psychological Safety
Leaders play a crucial role in encouraging psychological safety; by showing that they can make mistakes, deal with intentions openly, and make responsible decisions, leaders display vulnerability which in turn fosters trust. Botsman suggests that leaders should engage in social mimicry to form cultures of trust by demonstrating vulnerability themselves. Leaders need to track or receive feedback on how often they admit ignorance, express humility, or discuss their fears and concerns openly.
How Leaders Manage Mistakes and Conflicts Is Key To Maintaining Trust
Effective management of mistakes and conflicts, in a manner that respects dignity and humanity, is paramount to upholding trust within a team. Misconceptions about trust, such as the false belief that increased workplace transparency automatically fosters trust, are addressed by Botsman, who clarifies that understanding the context of decisions is more critical than full visibility.
She describes trust as a confident relationship with the unknown, arguing that a need for constant visibility and tracking is indicative of distrust. Trustworthy relationships don ...
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Fostering Trust Through Leadership Practices
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Counterarguments
- Setting clear expectations can sometimes lead to rigidity, reducing a team's ability to adapt to changing circumstances or to innovate.
- Overemphasis on vulnerability and humility might undermine a leader's perceived authority or decisiveness in situations that require strong leadership.
- Social mimicry, if perceived as inauthentic, can backfire and reduce trust rather than build it.
- There is a risk that encouraging leaders to admit ignorance too frequently could inadvertently lead to a perception of incompetence.
- While understanding the context of decisions is important, some level of transparency is also necessary to prevent speculation and misinformation, which can harm trust.
- Trust as a "confident relationship with the unknown" may not always be practical in environments that require high levels of accountability and predictability.
- The balance between discretion and transparency in conflict management is complex, and leaders may struggle to fi ...
Actionables
- You can create a "Trust Journal" to document and reflect on daily leadership interactions, focusing on how you set expectations, handle mistakes, and manage conflicts. By writing down specific instances where you communicated expectations, admitted ignorance, or dealt with a team issue, you'll have a personal record to review and improve upon. For example, note a situation where you had to address a team member's error, how you approached it, and the outcome. Reflect on whether the approach fostered trust and what could be done differently next time.
- Develop a "Feedback Loop" with your team where you actively seek out and provide feedback on trust-related behaviors. This could be a simple weekly check-in where team members can share their thoughts on how well expectations are being communicated and how safe they feel to express vulnerabilities. For instance, after a project completion, ask the team to share their views on the transparency of decision-making and how mistakes were handled throughout the project.
- Implement a "Mistake of the Month" session where ...
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Impact of Remote and Hybrid Work on Trust
Rachel Botsman addresses the challenges remote and hybrid work models pose to building and maintaining trust within teams.
Remote and Hybrid Work Reduces Nonverbal Cues and Spontaneous Interactions Building Trust
The shift to remote and hybrid work has led to the loss of nonverbal signals, such as the energy felt in the room or body language. Botsman points out that, whether consciously or unconsciously, these cues play a crucial role in the decision of whether or not to trust someone.
Leaders Must Adapt Communication to Offset Loss of In-person Signals
Botsman emphasizes that while teams have access to tools for remote communication, many have not been trained to adapt their communication styles to accommodate the lack of nonverbal cues. Teams must learn how to effectively message and check in on intentions or feelings in a way that isn’t perceived as surveillance or micromanagement.
Effective Remote/Hybrid Teams Need Clear Processes For In-person Collaboration
The necessity for in-person interaction is not obsolete in remote work environments. Botsman notes the importance of meeting in person for specific outcomes, underscoring the irreplicable aspect of "human chemistry."
Vague Return-To-office Mandates Erode Trust, Transparent Leaders Explaining In-person Value Build It
Botsman criticizes initiatives mandating a return to the office without clear communication regarding the reasons behind such decisions. She argues that trust can be eroded when directives are not acc ...
Here’s what you’ll find in our full summary
Impact of Remote and Hybrid Work on Trust
Additional Materials
Clarifications
- Nonverbal cues in building trust within teams encompass signals like body language, facial expressions, and tone of voice that convey emotions and intentions. These cues are vital in forming connections and understanding others' feelings, contributing significantly to trust development. In remote or hybrid work settings, the absence of these nonverbal signals can make it challenging to interpret colleagues' emotions and intentions accurately, potentially impacting trust levels. Adapting communication styles to address this lack of in-person cues is crucial for maintaining trust and fostering strong team relationships.
- "Human chemistry" in in-person collaboration refers to the intangible connection and synergy that can occur between individuals when they interact face-to-face. It encompasses the emotional rapport, shared understanding, and spontaneous creativity that can arise in physical meetings, contributing to a deeper level of trust and collaboration within a team. This term highlights the unique dynamics and interpersonal dynamics that can be fostered through direct, in-person interactions, which may not always be fully replicated in remote or hybrid work settings. The concept underscores the value of personal connections and the nuanced communication that can occur naturally when people are physically present together.
- Vague return-to-office mandates can erode trust within teams as they create uncertainty and ambiguity regarding the reasons and expectations behind the decision. Without clear communication on the value and purpose of returning to the office, employees may feel disconnected and distrustful of leadership's intentions. Transparent explanations from leaders about the benefits of in-person collaboration are crucial to maintaining trust and understanding ...
Counterarguments
- Remote and hybrid work can enhance trust by demonstrating that leaders have confidence in their employees to work independently.
- Nonverbal cues are not the only indicators of trustworthiness; consistent work output and reliability can also build trust in remote settings.
- Some leaders may find that remote communication tools enhance their ability to connect with team members through frequent, targeted, and documented interactions.
- Clear processes for collaboration can be established and maintained through digital means, sometimes even more efficiently than in-person.
- Return-to-office mandates, when communicated with a clear understanding of roles and expectations, can reinforce trust by aligning with organizational culture a ...
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