• Home
  • About Us
  • Our Team
  • Contact Us
  • Login

Join In!

  • facebook
  • pinterest
  • twitter

Progressive Women's Leadership

Empowering. Supportive. Bold

EMPOWERING. SUPPORTIVE. BOLD.
  • Training
    • Career Development
    • Communication
    • Leadership
  • All-Access
  • Custom
    • Virtual Instructor-led Group Training Solutions
    • On-Site Instructor-led Group Training Solutions
    • Consulting & Training Services
    • Leadership Consulting Services
  • eGuides
  • Blog
    • Leadership
    • Communication
    • Community
    • Life Balance
    • Gender Partnerships
    • Women in the World
  • Resources
    • Podcasts
    • New Member OnBoarding
  • FAQ
You are here: Home / Leadership / Does your team really trust you? Ask yourself these 3 questions

Does your team really trust you? Ask yourself these 3 questions

October 10, 2022 By Lynn Varacalli Cavanaugh

A lot of things go into a successful team, but one of the biggest factors is trust. Having trust means you have the four C’s: Commitment, Competence, Communication, and Collaboration. Your team is comfortable opening up, taking risks, and even exposing their vulnerabilities. 

So where do you stand with your team?  Ask yourself these three questions to find out if trust is present within your group: 

  1. Do people own up to their mistakes? 

How often does a vendor, another department, leaders, or co-workers get blamed for something? This is a sure sign of a lack of trust. When people don’t have trust in their leader, each other, or even in their job security, they are quick to blame others. 

But when employees hold themselves accountable, it shows they feel safe. They trust that you, their leader, will believe they did their best, even if the result wasn’t ideal. 

People who own up to their mistakes also tend to take bigger, more creative risks. Since they’re confident their team has their back, they are more likely to speak up to better a process or approach problems with unique solutions. 

Don’t have the feeling of accountability in your office? Implement a “no blame” policy. You can set the tone by admitting to and communicating your mistakes, and what you learned. It’ll show there aren’t big consequences to small mistakes – just lessons. 

  1. Do people speak up about their challenges? 

When there’s no trust, employees don’t feel comfortable enough to speak up about the challenges they’re facing in the workplace. Rather, they keep quiet and try to hide their stress. 

This can be bad news because they’re more likely to leave for a new job or simply quit. 

Transparency can go a long way when it comes to trust. Be as honest as possible when your employees ask questions, be ready to actively listen, and be straightforward – ask them what their concerns and challenges are. 

  1. Do they celebrate taking new initiatives? 

When a team has a high level of trust in management, they get excited about updated goals and initiatives. Because they feel connected to the company, they understand their contribution to these goals matters. 

Even when the company has a bad quarter or a project didn’t go quite as planned, employees with trust are still on-board with making things right. 

Again, transparency can be your friend here. Because your team doesn’t always get to hear from your peers or executives, they don’t get to hear it straight from the horse’s mouth. Be open about the meetings you attend with executives, so you can give them the right information (when appropriate, of course.) 

You’ll instill a sense of trust while keeping them informed about viewpoints, beliefs, and future moves. 

Filed Under: Leadership, Featured Home

About Lynn Varacalli Cavanaugh

“An important attribute of success is to be yourself. Never hide what makes you, you." -- Indra Nooyi, Chairman and CEO, PepsiCo

As editor-in-chief of Woman’s Own and American Woman magazines, I have championed the personal and professional development of women for years. I started my career unsure of my own path and abilities, but I always had a natural curiosity and an interest in words and writing. When selected to launch American Woman as editor-in-chief, after a string of editorial jobs, I was thrilled—and terrified at being responsible for a brand new venture. All I could do was my best, based on my instincts and years of experience. American Woman was a success, offering me things I hadn’t achieved before—the confidence to do public speaking and a journalism award (Exceptional Merit Media award from the National Women’s Political Caucus & Radcliffe College). I hope my insights, now as an editor for Progressive Women’s Leadership, will help you on your own journey to career success.

Looking to Make a Difference?

Join thousands of other leading women who have made the commitment to change.

GET MORE INFORMATION

KEEP UP WITH THE LATEST

Updates, discounts, and content from Progressive Women’s Leadership. Your information will never be sold or distributed.
  • Hidden
  • Hidden
  • Hidden
  • Hidden
  • Hidden
  • Hidden
  • Hidden
  • Hidden
  • Hidden
  • Hidden
  • Hidden
  • Hidden
  • Hidden
  • Hidden
  • Hidden
  • Hidden
  • Hidden
  • Hidden
  • Hidden
  • Hidden
  • Hidden
  • Hidden
  • Hidden
  • Hidden
  • Hidden
  • Hidden
  • Hidden
  • Hidden
  • Hidden
  • Hidden
  • Hidden
  • Hidden
  • Hidden
  • Hidden
  • Hidden
  • Hidden
  • Hidden
  • Hidden
  • Hidden
  • Hidden
  • Hidden
  • Hidden
  • Hidden
  • Hidden
  • Hidden
  • Hidden
  • Hidden
  • Hidden
  • Hidden
  • Hidden
  • Hidden
  • Hidden
  • Hidden
  • Hidden
  • Hidden
  • Hidden
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Negotiating Skills: How to Ask for – and Get – What You Want | Course | Starts November 2nd

Popular Posts

  • Why It Pays to Praise: 40 Ways to Say ‘Good Job’
  • Employees complaining about pay? How to respond – and keep morale high
  • Book Review: “Lead from the Outside” by Stacey Abrams
  • 6 Tools for Handling Difficult Conversations
  • Improving Employee Mental Health: Impacts of Nutrition & Exercise
Progressive Women's Leadership

Training

  • Live Training
  • On-Demand Webinars
  • Custom Training

Blog Topics

  • Leadership
  • Communication
  • Community
  • Life Balance
  • Gender Partnerships
  • Women in the World

Leadership E-Guides

 

Free Resources

  • Free Leadership E-Guides
  • Podcasts
  • Linkedin

Copyright © 2023 · Progressive Women's Leadership · Privacy Policy

WELCOME BACK!

Enter your username and password below to log in

Forget Your Username or Password?

Reset Password

Lost your password? Please enter your username or email address. You will receive a link to create a new password via email.

Log In