Effective Teams, and Trust

“That won’t work because …”
 — #CowboyDeveloper response to any new idea that he didn’t come up with

Look at the way your interact with others on your team.

1. 1. What happens when you don’t know something — do you ever google it first to make sure that it isn’t a “stupid” question? If the answer on StackOverflow doesn’t make sense to you, are you hesitant to bring this up?
2. 2. What happens when you make a mistake — are you reluctant to admit it? Do you hope that it won’t be noticed, or — gods forbid — see if you can cover it up?
3. 3. What happens when you have a suggestion — do you keep it to yourself? Are you worried about getting smacked down by the resident #TechBro?

Each of the above situations involves taking a risk, by opening yourself to possible embarrassment or worse. The worst part is that it is so easy for it to be “Yes”, and every single “Yes” is an immediate hit to productivity, as tasks take longer to complete, mistakes are hidden, and innovation is stifled. Lack of trust is a killer.

The way you build trust is by promoting Psychological Safety, where you are confident that you will not be punished for taking those risks, that asking questions is not an admission of failure, that mistakes happen, that ideas are not belittled. The behaviors that help build psychological safety are, quite literally, the same ones that we us when we build friendships away from work. As a baseline, aim for the following

1. 1. Be sensitive to how your colleagues feel, empathize with them, their ideas, and their perspectives
2. 2. Listen to them and understand what they are saying, and this is key, don’t judge. Show — meaningfully — that you value them, their perspectives, and their experience.
3. 3. Strive for consistency between your principles and actions. Yes, we’re human, and may not always get there, but strive.

If you have agency, work on getting everybody on your team doing the above. If you don’t, and you can’t effect the above then (if at all possible) find a new gig where you can — the stress-relief alone will be worth it!