2 Minute ReadBuilding a team can be one of the most challenging responsibilities of someone who leads. Building a team is the task of organizing a group of people to work well together, accomplish goals, and have a positive impact on the company. When a group of people are assigned to work together but don’t get along, it can be an incredibly frustrating experience for everyone involved. Productivity decreases. Turnover increases. Quality can be affected. Communication with the customer is jeopardized. Deadlines are missed. Stress is constant.Think about how much time managers spend trying to get people to work together…Think about the time spent by employees dealing with the frustration! Many companies spend money on “team building” exercises or having a trainer come in and conduct a “team building” workshop. That’s all fine and dandy, but does it really fix the problem? These one-time meetings usually don’t work because we haven’t addressed the core issue of why the team is not getting along. Most teams don’t get along because they don’t trust each other.

Trust is key to positive relationships.

Each interaction between two people either strengthens or weakens the relationship. Most people intend to act in a trusting manner. But people around them may not view their behavior as trustworthy. Body language may not be supportive. Individuals may be inconsistent with communication. Or they may have a tendency not to follow through on what they promised.

Untrustworthy behavior is usually not a conscious decision.

Think about people that you don’t particularly enjoy working with. How do you view them? When you talk about them, do you see them as an opponent? We become defensive rather than viewing them as allies working toward the same goals.When we work with someone that we typically disagree with or someone that we perceive as “bad,” we tend to act badly in return. Instead of approaching the other, talking about it, and working toward a mutually positive agreement, we tend to keep score and withhold information. We may communicate in a passive-aggressive way. This is collusion. It’s very destructive.

Can you build a team that trusts?

The short answer is yes. But it won’t be easy. The people on the team have to want to work in a trusting environment. And they have to change their behavior in the process. Help people understand what trusting and untrusting behaviors are. Trusting thoughts and untrusting thoughts. Hold people accountable to demonstrate trusting actions and activities. It will take time. Call out untrusting actions. Reward positive behaviors.Building a fresh new team when the current team is not working well together may sound like an easier approach and for some, it may be the way to go. However, that’s not usually the reality. Don’t be afraid to try working with your existing team. Understanding the elements of building trust may make it easier to build a solid, well-trained team. Do you have a collaborative team? Find out here!Start building a team by building relationships. Find out how here.