Lead Smart

CHAPTER 9Create a contract of trust

Trust is a keystone for any productive relationship between a leader and their team, and between each of the team members. It's a bit of a platitude, and I know you have heard this a thousand times, but without trust, productivity suffers as we seek to blame others and to protect our interests at all costs. Without trust, others-centredness cannot exist. And without trust, team agreements will not have any impact in the long run.

Two ingredients need to be in place for team trust to exist: Reliability and accountability. One is the responsibility of the leader, and the other the responsibility of the team. The team needs reliability from their leader, and needs to be able to trust that their leader will be clear and predictable. In turn, the leader needs their team to be accountable, and to take ownership of their work and results.

Two ingredients need to be in place for trust to exist: Reliability and accountability. One is the responsibility of the leader, and the other the responsibility of the team.

 

My partner, Vera, is a senior finance executive and has managed teams across the world. When I shared my thinking on this with her, she said, ‘I call this my contract with my team.’ I pushed her to explain, and she told me that one of the tools she uses with every team member is to sit down with them and discuss the contract they need to create to work effectively together. It basically says that you can rely on me and I can rely on you if ...