10 days ago I wrote about how many teams have been lucky to have experienced new levels of autonomy and trust during lockdown. In some cases this was 'enforced' in that their leaders had no choice but to 'let go' and allow their staff more freedom to plan their day and manage by outcomes rather than micro-manage. In other cases, like with many NHS colleagues, the sheer workload and necessity to come together and truly work as a team meant that much of the red-tape and hierarchy was put to one side in favour of working innovatively and quickly to find solutions that work.
You could argue, that in both these cases what teams experienced was not actually new levels of trust, but simply the fact that managers' hands were tied and they were not able to manage their teams any other way due to Covid-19. Nevertheless, the new found levels of autonomy will have given teams a renewed sense of engagement and satisfaction. So giving this up again when things return to 'the new normal' at work will be increasingly hard. Especially as it is likely, that many managers and leaders will return to their comfort zone in terms of how they manage, and with that to old habits, too.
So, is now not a great opportunity then, to find ways to not only continue to work more remotely with increased levels of autonomy but also allow on-site teams more freedom to make decisions and cut red tape? And with that to build long-term trust in our teams? If so, how do we do this? Below are 5 ideas to try with your teams - taken from real businesses where these ideas have led to high trust cultures with open, honest, 2-way communication.
Idea #1:
Introduce a 'show and tell' - to share what went well. Teams that do this get together once a week or run a virtual Townhall call to share what they have accomplished. The get together is short and focused (no more than 30 minutes in total) and the objective is to be open and share achievements as well as lessons learnt. Anyone can present and they have 5 minutes (or less) to talk about a project or idea that matters to them. Employees end up being more open and honest and share not only the good, but also the bad. Everyone gets to learn from these experiences but the team also shares (and cheers) successes, making them an all the more powerful experience. This improves innovation and recognition, as well as open communication and trust.
Idea #2:
Creating a 'Get to Know Me' guide for each employee. Everyone in the organisation - from the frontline all the way to the top - write a quick introduction about themselves. But rather than talk about their achievements or career, they share information about how they like to work, what makes them tick and how others can work with them successfully. This is then shared on a communal document sharing space. It could include things like MBTI, or Belbin, or simply a summary of what helps them when they are stressed, what motivates them, how detailed they are, what preference they have in terms of working in large teams or not and so on. It encourages not only an honest look at yourself, but also encourages everyone to open up about their strengths and quirks. And this increases trust, improves teamwork and collaboration.
Idea #3:
Introducing 'Listening meetings'. In these meetings managers are tasked with just listening. The time is given to employees to talk about whatever it is that is on their minds - whether this is a new product, what sandwiches are on offer in the company coffee shop or a team specific issue. There is no set schedule and the meetings are not enforced but owned by teams locally. The format they take are very much of an open conversation, without a set agenda. It encourages teams to speak up, express their views and this information is then shared from the bottom to the top. These types of meetings help create a culture where speaking up and having not only open peer to peer discussions but also upwards conversations becomes the norm. Trust and engagement is increased as individuals feel valued and heard.
Overall, what stands out when looking at how to build Trust, is that transparency should be seen as the default. Whether this is about sharing difficult news, or organisation wide salaries or profit margins. The more open and honest we can be with our teams, the more honest they will be with us, creating a stronger bond and culture. And this will be paramount in difficult times and mean a far better chance of recovery when things start to improve, too. Break the mould - we are so used to 'pretending' and portraying to the world (and our organisations) a version of us that we strive to be like - from interview skills to saying 'what is acceptable' rather than what we really mean. We a so used to worrying about fitting in, and being 'perfect' rather than learning and adopting a growth mindset - not only as individuals but also as an organisation as a whole.
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