You’re having trouble building trust with team members and colleagues. What’s the best way to fix it?

Trust is essential for successful collaboration, communication, and performance in any team or workplace. But what if you’re having trouble building trust with your team members and colleagues? How can you overcome the barriers and challenges that prevent you from establishing and maintaining positive and productive relationships? Here are some tips to help you fix your trust issues and improve your relationship building skills.

1 Identify the root causes

The first step to fixing your trust issues is to understand the root causes of why you’re having difficulty trusting or being trusted by others. Common factors that can affect trust include past experiences of betrayal, lack of transparency, honesty, or feedback, cultural or communication differences, misaligned expectations, goals, or values, and fear of vulnerability, rejection, or failure. Once you recognize what’s preventing you from trusting or being trusted by others, you can start to work on addressing those issues and finding solutions.

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James ( Rock) Harrison

Desktop Support at Sonoco
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Trust is giving and trust is earned. It begins with you. Be a good example of a trust worthy worker regardless of who else is not trust worthy.

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Cesar Alfredo Puntriano Rosas

Socio Principal en Estudio Muñiz. Experto en Derecho Laboral.
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Es fundamental identificar las causas del problema y afrontarlas directamente. Comunicar lo que viene ocurriendo a los miembros del equipo y buscar una solución en conjunto sin imponerla. Un líder no impone, motiva. Ser empáticos, predicar con el ejemplo, recibir críticas constructivas y estar siempre abierto a mejorar.

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2 Communicate openly and effectively

The second step to fixing your trust issues is to communicate openly and effectively with your team members and colleagues. Communication is essential for developing and preserving trust, as it gives you the opportunity to express your thoughts, feelings, and needs, as well as listen to and understand others’ perspectives and concerns. Additionally, you can use communication to share information, feedback, and ideas, resolve conflicts and misunderstandings, and build rapport. To communicate effectively, you need to be clear, respectful, and empathetic, while also using the appropriate channels, modes, and tones for different situations and audiences.

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Michael Jovian

Get your fully customized menu from Singapore's premier multi-vendor and hawker catering solution. | Let's connect! ✨
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If trust is lacking among team members, take proactive steps to address it. Acknowledge past misunderstandings, commit to rebuilding trust through transparent actions, and actively listen to others' concerns. Prioritize open communication and accountability to gradually mend relationships and strengthen team unity.

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3 Demonstrate reliability and consistency

The third step to fixing your trust issues is to demonstrate reliability and consistency in your actions and behaviors. This is essential for building and maintaining trust, as it shows that you follow through on your commitments, deliver quality work, meet deadlines, adhere to standards and policies, and support and cooperate with others. To do this effectively, you need to be organized, accountable, and proactive. Additionally, it is important to communicate your progress, challenges, and achievements regularly.

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4 Show respect and appreciation

The fourth step to fixing your trust issues is to demonstrate respect and appreciation for your team members and colleagues. Respect and appreciation are essential for constructing and sustaining trust, as they demonstrate that you value and acknowledge others' contributions, recognize their strengths, empower their growth, give constructive feedback, and empathize with their feelings. To show respect and appreciation, you must be courteous, supportive, and positive in your gestures, words, and actions. Expressing gratitude and recognition in this way will help you build strong relationships with your team.

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5 Seek feedback and improvement

The fifth step to fixing your trust issues is to seek feedback and improvement for your own performance and behavior. Feedback and improvement are essential for building and maintaining trust, as they demonstrate openness to learning and growing, willingness to admit and correct mistakes, humility in considering others’ opinions, proactivity in enhancing skills and abilities, and resilience in facing challenges and changes. To effectively seek feedback and improvement, you must be curious, receptive, and adaptable. Additionally, you should use various sources, methods, and tools to assess and improve your performance and behavior.

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6 Build trust gradually and authentically

The sixth and final step to fixing your trust issues is to build trust gradually and authentically with your team members and colleagues. Trust is not something that can be easily achieved; it takes time, effort, and sincerity to establish and maintain it. To do this, start with small and simple actions and interactions, be consistent and reliable in your words and deeds, honest and transparent in your intentions, respectful and appreciative of others’ differences, and vulnerable and genuine in your emotions. By following these steps, you can overcome your trust issues and improve your relationship building skills. Trust is the foundation of any successful team or workplace, so make it stronger and more durable with your actions and attitudes.

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Michael Jovian

Get your fully customized menu from Singapore's premier multi-vendor and hawker catering solution. | Let's connect! ✨
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If you're struggling to build trust with team members and colleagues, remember that trust isn't built overnight—it takes time. If progress feels slow but steady, there might not be anything wrong. However, if you sense stagnation or discomfort, start small. Focus on consistent interaction, being true to yourself, and genuine in your intentions. Over time, these small steps can lead to stronger bonds and greater trust within the team.

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7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?

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You’re having trouble building trust with team members and colleagues. What’s the best way to fix it?

1

2

3

4

5

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1 Identify the root causes

2 Communicate openly and effectively

3 Demonstrate reliability and consistency

4 Show respect and appreciation

5 Seek feedback and improvement

6 Build trust gradually and authentically

7 Here’s what else to consider

Relationship Building

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You’re having trouble building trust with team members and colleagues. What’s the best way to fix it?

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

1 Identify the root causes

2 Communicate openly and effectively

3 Demonstrate reliability and consistency

4 Show respect and appreciation

5 Seek feedback and improvement

6 Build trust gradually and authentically

7 Here’s what else to consider

Relationship Building

Rate this article

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