Small Business

How to Boost Team Collaboration and Build Trust

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Trust is one of the key components to a team’s success. If coworkers trust their team leader and each other, they’ll be able to plan and work more efficiently. If, on the other hand, trust is damaged, it can have a negative impact on employee morale, engagement, motivation, and performance. 

In fact, according to an article by Harward Business Review, employees at high-trust companies report 50% higher productivity, nearly 75% less stress, 13% fewer sick days, over 105% more energy at work, 75% more engagement, 40% less burnout, and nearly 30% more satisfaction with their lives!

As a team leader, you can help build trust and boost collaboration. Here’s how:

Coach Your Employees

Employees who lack proper leadership tend to fail when it comes to achieving team or company goals. In contrast, successful coaching guides employees in the right direction while at the same time promoting team collaboration and independent thinking that helps overcome challenges and obstacles. This, in turn, fosters trust and empowers the team to act dynamically.

This fundamental coaching will be the base upon which future processes will be built that will enable your organization to unlock higher degrees of success.

Communicate Openly

Clear and transparent communication is key to building trust. As a leader, you need to ensure that everyone on your team is talking in an open, honest, and meaningful way. 

In order to achieve this, start by defining the purpose of your team, along with each person’s role. Present this at a team meeting, and encourage everyone to discuss their expectations and ask questions. You should also consider organizing regular team-building activities that will encourage team members to start communicating.

Make sure to meet on a regular basis, so that everyone gets an opportunity to discuss any problems or challenges they are experiencing but also to report on their progress. This will not only give your team members a chance to talk but also help each other. 

Give Your Employees Gifts

Trust is not just about the words but also about the actions. It’s what allows people to believe that an organization has their best interests at heart, and is a vital element of retaining employees. Providing a beautiful gifting experience can build trust and lasting loyalty. 

Sending a team member a gift at the right time is an excellent way to make a good impression and establish yourself as someone they want to continue working for. To get inspired, you can take a look at SnackNation’s guide on sending holiday gift boxes to show just how much you appreciate your employees. 

Set Up an Employee Recognition Program

You’d be surprised by how simply thanking your team members fosters an atmosphere of trust. When employees know that their hard work has contributed to achieving important goals and are noticed by their higher-ups, they feel a stronger connection to leadership.

In fact, about 90% of workers who received thanks or recognition from their boss indicated higher levels of trust in that boss. Among workers who did not receive recognition, less than 50% said they trusted their superiors.

Know Each Other Personally

Encourage the members of your team to see their coworkers as people is a great way to build trust and boost collaboration. Therefore, you should focus on creating situations that help your employees bond on a personal level. 

Start by making it a habit to ask everyone about their hobbies and family. Make sure to reciprocate and share some personal information about yourself. Another way to form stronger bonds is to socialize at lunch or after work. 

If you have remote workers, be sure to schedule a virtual “meet and greet” for new teams to help everyone get to know each other. Ask each team member to write or say something about their skills and work experience, but also a word or two about their personal interests and background.  

Make Feedback Part of Company Culture

Feedback between employees and managers is vital when it comes to understanding the effectiveness of their efforts and their impact on others. Feedback also helps leaders to clarify the team’s objectives and gauge employee progress towards achieving goals, whereas, for team members, feedback serves as an assurance that they’re on the right track. 

Feedback sessions don’t have to be in the form of formal meetings or sessions that last for hours; it is their intentional, consistent, and deliberate nature that provides value.

In the beginning, the quantity might outweigh quality but as you earn your employees’ trust, quality will improve. The aim is to reach a point where you can hold complex and tough conversations with ease or where even negative feedback will be accepted without any issues because team members will be aware that it is motivated by good intentions.

However, when giving feedback, leaders, and managers should make sure they don’t always focus on the negatives and use every opportunity to say something positive. Such interactions demonstrate that you care, help establish trust, and build rapport.

Final Thoughts

Regardless of your team’s context, trust is a crucial element to your collective success. Whether you are a remote team, a new team, or any other kind of team, building trust with the leadership and among team members will help you collaborate better and achieve your goals faster.


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