Your skills determine how you work, but the bonds you form with your new teammates will determine how well you work together. That’s why establishing trust is one of the most important things you can do to ensure success in your new role. In this article, you’ll discover why trust matters and learn easy, evidence-based ways to build it-without doing that thing where you fall backwards.
Make It Personal
As long as you keep everything work-appropriate, share your background, your interests, and even your personal history with your team
- Getting to know each other will help you connect with your coworkers on a personal level so they can see the human behind the job title
Trust That You’re Trustworthy
When it comes to trust, your first few weeks matter-after all, it’s much easier to build trust than to repair it.
- By starting your job with building trust, you are taking the opportunity to build strong relationships that will pay off throughout your time in your new role.
Treat Everyone Equally
Playing favorites or talking about coworkers behind their backs is one of the fastest ways to erode trust
Find Common Ground
Find things you have in common with your coworkers and find ways to connect with them
- For example, if many people on the team tend to go for lunch together, your first few weeks are a good time to join them.
- Feel connected to your teammates as individuals to feel more like a team
Ask for Feedback
Show that you trust their expertise and don’t feel threatened by them.
Trust Matters On Teams (Trust Us)
Trust is so important for teams because it boils down to psychological safety.
- To do good work, you need to know that if you make a mistake or ask a silly question, it’s okay-that you won’t see repercussions for showing vulnerability.
Evaluate Existing Team Trust
Paying attention to how everyone works together will help you evaluate how trusting your workplace is already, and how you can expect to fit in
- All workplaces are different
- Keep the particulars of your industry and culture in mind when you’re evaluating trust
The Trust Equation: Warmth and Strength
Trustworthiness is a combination of warmth and competence
- It’s also described as the combination of authenticity, vulnerability, and credibility
- When you are first starting a new job, it is best to focus on warmth
- Start things off on the right foot by showing a smile and compassion to your new team
Show Competence With Confidence
Competence is based on your performance, so this is the area of building trust that we all tend to focus on when we’re starting a new job.
- While you should start by conveying warmth, competence is, of course, equally important-it shows that you actually have the skills that you say you do.
Be Transparent And Honest
Don’t dance around bad news
- Be honest when you disagree with a coworker
- Speaking up can be scary, but the strong foundation of trust you built up when you started your job makes difficult conversations easier and less terrifying.
Be Conscious Of Body Language And Tone Of Voice
Emphasize warmth nonverbally
- Speak at a low, calm volume
- Smile, but don’t fake it
- Avoid smiling with raised eyebrows, as it communicates anxiety
- Stand up straight and move deliberately; avoid fidgeting
Ask For Help
Speak up with questions and ask for help if you need it.
Be Reliable
Follow through on your word so your coworkers learn that when you promise something, they can trust you to deliver
Accept Mistakes (Sometimes)
Failure and human error are inevitable. Never attack or blame your coworkers if one of their ideas doesn’t work out, or if their mistake takes time and energy to correct.
- If people fear being punished for failure, they won’t trust you and they surely won’t feel comfortable bringing new ideas to the table.
The Importance Of Building Trust Early
How much you trust someone influences how you read their behavior
- If you think someone is trustworthy, you believe they mean well and trust that they want the best for you and the team, then you are more likely to see all their words and actions as coming from a well-intentioned place
