There is one element, where when it is absent, any team cannot reach its full potential. This element is the foundation of all highly functional and high performing teams. What is this element? It’s Trust.
Trust is essential for any team to function effectively. Without trust, it is impossible for teams to work together and achieve their goals. When trust is lacking, team members are less likely to communicate openly and honestly, and conflicts can arise. As author Patrick Lencioni explains in his best-selling book, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, trust is the foundation and must be present for team members to fully commit to an initiative.
The trust we’re talking about here is vulnerability trust. Something that is difficult for insecure members of the team and especially an insecure leader. When others can see the leader as vulnerable, it is seen as the leader is “one of us.”
The reason trust is so critical is that it allows individuals on the team to fully discuss their views and opinions, something Lencioni calls “conflict.” I believe that the word conflict carries baggage because it can be a trigger word. Many think of conflict as actual fighting or a negative thing. In the context of the Five Behaviors, conflict means being able to and feeling safe enough to express your real view and opinion. When a point of view or opinion is debated as a decision is being made, there should be no personal attacks.
Creating a gameplan without trust can almost certainly lead to a lack of cooperation, poor decision-making, and a general lack of motivation. Additionally, without trust, teams are unable to take risks and innovate, which can prevent them from achieving their objectives.
Only after trust has been established and the conflict occurs, with everyone’s point of view and opinion having been expressed, only then can commitment occur. So when the team leaves the meeting everyone is on the same page. I’m sure you’ve experienced a situation that after a decision has been made and the implementation runs into trouble, a member of the team says, “I knew it wouldn’t work.” I am sure you’ll agree when that happens it is extremely frustrating.
The process is: establish trust, have the conflict, make the commitment and then the next step of the Five Behaviors can happen which is accountably and then finally results. When all five of these behaviors are in place and working properly, they become the Five Behaviors of a Highly Cohesive Team. Isn’t that what we all want? A cohesive team? A performing team?
How can you make sure that trust is actually obtained with your team? You’ll be able to tell when the team members play full out and have a vigorous discussion (conflict) about the subject at hand. Time spent developing trust with and among your team is an investment with performance being the end result.
Without This… Your Team Can’t Function To Its Full Potential
