How to Build Trust With Your Team: 8 Habits of Trusted Leaders

0:02Welcome to Leadership DNA, a podcast for those who aspire to be a better leader. Alongside Arturo Gomez, I'm Rob Cressy. Today's topic, how to build trust with your team. Arturo, just because you have a title, it doesn't make you a leader. Let's talk about why trust is the real cornerstone of leadership. Yeah, I mean, you know, I'm going to touch on why I think it's insanely important and kind of address some of the things that I think kind of lead to developing that. But, I mean, listen, when you're trying to convince people or move people or motivate people or educate or train people, I think it's impossible to do that without a high level of trust. I mean, that to me is one of the first and foremost things that needs to be established when you're trying to lead people.

0:54And so, I think all of us, I think that, you know, the kind of quintessential example is like, you know, when you first are introduced to a new group and you're introduced as, you know, as their leader, as their, you know, quote unquote boss or however you want to, you know, paraphrase that. But, you know, the first thing, the first steps for me are really before we even dive into agenda in terms of kind of what, you know, what's the punch list and establishing goals.

1:22It's first and foremost, can I establish trust with these guys? Because the goals and the objectives are really never, they're going to be much more difficult to achieve if you don't have an established level of trust. And so, for me, it's, it revolves around honesty. You know, you got to be, you know, extremely honest with yourself and also with the team.

1:43I think full transparency, you know, so no gimmicks, you're not hiding anything, you're telling people, you know, as, you know, as it is, and you're speaking, you know, speaking from the heart. I think you got to be available. You got to be really available. Absent leaders don't exist. I mean, you're not a leader if you're absent. And so you have to be able to make time, special moments to be, to be available for your team. You have to be consistent.

2:10So you're not going to build trust with people if you're erratic or one day you're on or the next day you're off or you're hot, you're cold. It's like you, there's an incredible requirement to be consistent in your personality and your delivery. You have to be really focused and committed to teaching and coaching. I think that that's also tremendous when people actually see that there's a willingness, a desire, and an actually a knowledge level from an individual to deliver some, you know, some goodness.

2:39I think that there's a real, that the trust gap narrows really quickly. I think you have to be, you know, you have to be, you know, ready and open to the feedback loop. You know, you have to be a great listener. And, you know, I think that that's critical in terms of building trust. You have to be really willing and able to correct action. So people will not trust you if they see you allowing certain things to exist, you know, when they, you know, verifiably are things that should not be occurring. And so you have to be able to take action really quickly. And I think acknowledgement, you know, I think when you're seeing things that are, that are, you know, positive, that are progressing, I think you have to be very quick to acknowledge those individuals. And sometimes there's a really great platform to do it in a, in a group setting so that that individual knows and feels that you're, you know, that you're doing this at a higher level with their peers surrounding them. And then I think there's a million opportunities that we get to acknowledge successes with our team, you know, one-to-one, you know?

3:49So to me, these are some of the real critical parts of, you know, moving the ball down the field, so to speak, but it really revolves around establishing trust. And those things are really critical in doing that. And Arturo, as you're saying all of those, and I love it so much because of how you said it, because they're all so true. To me, this is literally the epitome of our podcast leadership DNA, because we've actually done episodes on so many of those individual nuggets that all together help you be a better leader in trust is one of them. And all of those things together also help you create the trust in your team. And one of the things that you said that I would move to a high level is the way that you communicate.

4:37And for me, one of my core values is candor. I want you to talk to me the same way that I want to talk to you. So if I have something in my teeth, boom, tell me I have something in my teeth. And doing so, certainly when it comes to leadership, it's very important because we're results oriented in so much of what we do.

4:56So our ability to also be empathetic and candid and do things the right way and be there for the team and be accountable. All of those things start with communication and the honesty and everything that you're talking about there. Arturo, let's go to the next level of this and talk about empowerment. So there's the us building trust as leaders in who we are.

5:22And then there's the empowering our team and trusting in them to do something. And I know we've even had episodes where we talk about helping people level up and putting them into positions where they might not be ready yet, but you're going to give them that opportunity. Let's talk about empowerment as it relates to trust in your team.

5:42Yeah, I mean, you know, I think, you know, whether it's a fault or whether it's an advantage, you know, I develop trust very quickly in terms of my trust in individuals, because I think that it gets me it gets me to the point that I need to be a lot quicker. And that's where we can start engaging in training and coaching. And so the training and the coaching, you know, starts from day one.

6:10But it but it gets really, I think, granular when you start seeing successes and failures. And for me, it's, you know, making sure that, you know, the individual is or the team has a sufficient amount of tools beyond sufficient. Like it's got to be it's got to be you know, they are very well supported right out of the gate. There's a strategy, there's goals, there's a vision. But after that, it's, you know, kick them out of the nest. You know, you got to kick them out of the nest.

6:37And I think that that that is that empowerment piece where I think a lot of the trust comes in, because when they when an individual feels that you are essentially releasing the reins, and that they can go and do, you know, basically what they've been brought to do. I think there's a tremendous amount of power in that. And so I think that gets you to a to a trust level very quickly. And and I think it's vice versa.

7:02I think leaders are are they have to learn how to trust individuals, too, or it's never you know, you're never going to be able to complete the task. And so you have to be able to allow people to do their job without fear. And Arturo, I'm with you. I'm someone who trusts very quickly because it's part of my personality. I'm a very loving, energetic person. I see you as the best version of yourself when I meet you. And I want to root for you and I want you to win.

7:32And I'm going to do everything that I can for this as part of why I'm a coach and why I help so many other people. And I'm curious your thoughts you mentioned. Is this a good or a bad thing for me? I believe it's a good thing because we are willing to lead by example and show them the type of support that we are willing to give them. And I think there's one important part of this as it relates to us as leaders.

7:59It is trusting our intuition or our gut that in the name of trusting or empowering someone or a new relationship comes on board that I've learned so many times just year after year to if I'm feeling some butterflies or some incongruency or my spider senses are going off about something, I've learned to trust that intuition in myself that it's happening for a reason.

8:28So as someone who's a very trusting person who wants to see the best outcome in things and as an entrepreneur, I get a lot of deals put my way or a lot of new relationships or a lot of new projects that we're working on. And sometimes you really want them to work out. You're like, man, this is such a big opportunity or we can make so much money from this. But then your spider sense goes off and you're like, you know what, man? There's something that's not right or there's something in their language or we all know what a non-ideal or diamond client or team member looks like. And sometimes we want something so bad, but I've learned to trust my gut and trust my intuition. How about you? Yeah, same. You know, I think it's, I mean, that's one of the reasons that I think that, you know, you've been successful in leading teams. I think it's, I think that's a critical part of it.

9:22And I think some people have, you know, better intuition than others. But even the people that, you know, maybe struggle with that trust factor, I think the critical thing is there has to be safety right out of the gate. You have to be, you have to have some type of system in place that allows you to pull things back or to correct action very quickly if for some reason that trust has been broken.

9:52And it could be as simple as like, hey, I trusted that you could execute this without my help. You've shown that you still need my help and that's fine. Let's have a conversation about it. But rather than allow that person to continue down that path towards failure, you've got to be able to pull that back. And it's okay. It's a readjustment of everybody's understanding of kind of where they sit. But, you know, maybe that individual needs a little bit more TLC in coaching, you know, to get to the next level.

10:21But I think, yeah, for me, it's, that's a critical piece. All right. And then let's end on this. And you sort of were, as a great segue to this, what to do when someone breaks your trust. And one of the simple things that I've learned that has really helped me in dealing with my teams is a three strikes policy. So often as leaders, we can get very emotional about things, especially if we like people, but if they're not delivering the results or they're not doing the things that they say that they should do, or they're, they're not showing up consistently, or there's some incongruency, the way to create a system for, uh, when someone is no longer in the zone of trust is being like, listen, we have a three strikes policy. This is your first one, um, two more, and, uh, you're not going to be with us any longer. Then you get to the second one and the third one. So it is no surprise to them if you have to let them go, because each step of the way there's been a process.

11:19And as leaders, we have the ability to coach and train them every step of the way. And they are ultimately going to choose their path themselves. We can do everything ourselves. I'm curious what you do when someone falls out of your trust and you start to see the trust lacking. Yeah. I mean, I think it just depends on what it is, right? Um, you know, there's certain things that there is no three strikes. It's, it's, you're gone, you know? Um, and listen, you know, I've, I've learned, you know, I think my career in management when I was early, really was kind of like rule by the iron fist. And it was, um, you know, I think it worked in some capacities and in other capacities, I really struggled because I wasn't getting what I wanted out of people. And I, you know, began to understand, um, you know, that it was certain aspects of my personality and of, you know, kind of the leisure leadership DNA, so to speak that, um, you know, that I really needed to work on it.

12:14And I really needed to evolve, but, um, there's, um, you know, and then, and then with others, yeah, there's a, there's coaching moments, there's coaching moments and opportunities to continue to evolve them, to continue to establish that trust and that connection that you have with a team. And I'm a very, I'm a very coaching first individual, especially now. Um, you know, but I think that people that are in leadership positions, you know, have to have a strong backbone and you have to react and you have to be able to be there to be, to bring corrective action, uh, quickly. And, you know, the corrective action can be a number of things could be documented conversation. It can be a, you know, a parable, it can be an email, a text, a phone call, you know, a video call, whatever it is. Um, but I think not managing culture disruptors or not managing people that, um, are not following process or not being around coach because oftentimes people that are, um, you know, you know, veering off path, they're not necessarily doing it intentionally. Maybe you hired the wrong person. Maybe they haven't been trained enough. Maybe they're not ready to fly solo. But I think if you are not there and prepared to bring some corrective action very quickly, that the way that other people are viewing it is that you're rewarding toxic people or that you're rewarding the underperformers or that you're turning a blind eye. And, um, and it really, that's one of the things that will degrade the trust amongst the team. And so, you know, sometimes people just kind of throw their hands up and like, well, you know, little Susie or little Jimmy can do whatever they want. They're not, no one's going to ever say anything to them. And so, um, I think that's, I think it's really important in this whole process of trust and action and discipline. And, and, and, you know, um, I think it's, yeah, I think those are, those are real critical parts. Yeah. And go re-listen or re-watch the episode we did about culture, because if you have that cancer in your culture, especially if that person is a high performer and it's such a double-edged sword, because as leaders, you're like, look at this person rain making over here, but they're a cancer to your culture, man, you want no part of that. So Arturo, let's get to our action item or takeaway. And for me, it's a takeaway and it's something that you said at the very end, but it resonated so much with me.

14:28And you said, being a coaching first individual in as leaders, many of us may not see ourselves as coaches. I know for myself that I lived as a coach for a decade before I was ever hired to be a coach and I had to do some, um, internal work on my identity is seeing myself as a coach and actually speaking out loud that I am a coach.

14:55And now that I have over the last several years, I love it, but I would encourage you to take on the identity of being a coach and drop that you think you, uh, need to be a certain level or have to have a certain training on that coaching is really about serving and being there for other people. And I love that element of leadership because imagine if the world was filled with more leaders who are coaching more people to be better versions of themselves. Arturo, what about you?

15:24What's your action item or takeaway? Yeah. I mean, I think if there's, if there's somebody on your team that, um, or, you know, you have, perhaps you have a mentor or somebody that, you know, that knows you really well, I think, um, you know, asking them and diving into the, you know, the core of this trust factor and asking them if, if they feel, you know, your personality is honest and authentic and transparent. And, um, I think you're going to learn a lot.

15:53And, you know, and another question to ask is if, you know, that individual feels that you're consistent with your, with your actions and your personality. And I think these are, these are questions that, you know, some people may not feel comfortable asking somebody they manage, ask your best friend, ask your wife, ask your girlfriend, ask your boyfriend. It's, it's, um, I think you'll learn a lot by the people that are hanging around you quite a bit.

16:19They may have some opinion to, you know, to maybe some challenges that you're experiencing and, you know, it's, um, it's a little feedback and a little input towards corrective action. And we would love to hear from you. Do you have a story or lesson from your journey in which the power of trust really got magnified?

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0:00Welcome to Leadership DNA, a podcast for those who aspire to be a better leader. Alongside Arturo Gomez, I'm Rob Cressy. Today's topic, how to build a culture of trust and transparency. In Arturo, honesty and candor are two of my core values and are foundational to how I build trust and transparency. How about you? Well, let me start by saying that this is a topic that is extremely relevant right now.

0:31I've been in three interviews probably the last week and every one of the people that I interviewed, towards the end of that interview, every one of them asked me very specific questions about our culture and asked me to describe what it would feel like if they actually came to work for us. This is the first time in probably 25 years that I'm having these type of questions that are related to the culture of a company.

1:01Very, very targeted and very specific. I think it's obviously this conversation is really timely. I think it's really important right now. People care. It's the dollar associated with this new role, this new opportunity. I think that's something that people are paying attention to, but I think that the idea of whether culture exists in an organization and what that looks and feels like is extremely important to people right now.

1:36Creating this culture of trust and transparency, it's a lot of work. It's a lot of work. There's a maintenance associated with it. I think in order for it to actually really flourish and be evident or be prevalent throughout the organization, it starts with some of the basics and the fundamentals and making sure that the organization has these values that are important to the company, to the culture, that they're clearly stated, that the top leadership of the organization actually lives and breathes them.

2:17Having a vision statement of where the company wants to go, what it intends to do. I know these aren't new things that we're talking about. These are things that organizations have had for many years. I think now it's becoming something where it's coming off the wall, off that plaque, off that piece of paper that no one ever sees.

2:39People are really asking questions to really flush out whether or not those commitments and those values are actually real and they're honest. Open communication, I think, is an absolute must. This is from top to bottom. There's so many different ways to be able to create that environment. We use, obviously, person-to-person communication. We have sit downs. We have open dialogue with people when there's questions about certain actions or certain decisions that are made in the company, corrective actions, check ins.

3:22We check in with our people all the time. Slack is a great tool when you're talking about digital resources. We use Slack really just to broadly keep people up to date. It's rare that there's not a company update that we don't post on there universally. My whole emphasis with the team is that I just want everybody to know whether it directly impacts them or whether it's something they should ultimately care about or do anything with.

3:58I want people in the organization to feel like they are part of this decision-making group and that they're being well-informed in terms of the decisions that we are making. I think in terms of the open communication, you got to have real safe space for dialogue. OK, you got to make sure that any and all feedback is welcome.

4:23So, sometimes leaders have an issue with getting, quote unquote, constructive feedback. The second you start doing that is the second you start tearing down that culture and that idea that there's safe space and that safe space exists to be able to give comments and feedback. So, I think those are critical. I think clear and direct lines to HR is something that we've been doing for many years.

4:51We, for a long time, had HR within the company. We've decided to take that department and that entity and be it's a third party now. And it's not the economies of scale as we grow will ultimately favor us bringing it internally. But we won't do that. And the reason we won't do that is because we want some impartial entity to be able to be there to openly discuss anything that should arise that our teammates want to chat about. So, I do think that there's some very basic bullet points that people can focus in on, hone in on, to have a much more successful culture that provides an open and transparent dialogue.

5:41Yeah. And when I hear you saying this, the name of the show is Leadership DNA. And I'm seeing the way almost in a beautiful mind that this comes together. And I wrote down two words, ethos plus formulaic, because this is one part who you are and who we are. In one part, you can actually design each of these things because you are talking about the systems and processes.

6:06So, if we're talking about building a culture, you can build a culture by design where trust and transparency is part of this. And part of that is leading by example. And there's some things that you said that are so foundational and obvious. Yet if you've ever experienced whether it's in an organization, you're a part of or you've seen somebody do this who don't do it.

6:30It is just like it is the the scarlet letter of the organization. So you said, number one, it starts at the top of the organization. Well, have you ever worked with a client or been a part of a team where the top, the leader does not live what they are preaching and therefore everything else within the organization does not follow.

6:50So open communication. Well, if the leader is not opening, if the leader is not communicating openly and clearly, those are for me two of the biggest things. If I look at my career of when things have gone wrong, number one, I always look at the communication and number two, I go to the top of the leader because I've seen whatever the leader does or how they lead.

7:15That's how the rest of the organization runs. And from that, you then said a safe space. Well, if the leader doesn't have all of this structure in place to where we as a team feel like we can bring things to the table for me, thankfully, I've got a background in improv. So yes, and is foundational to how I do everything.

7:36We're building up on others ideas, not tearing them down. So by design, when I'm in a group setting, when I'm in a team setting, it's like, listen, guys, yes. And is one of my core values. So we will create safe spaces for us to communicate effectively, which then comes to you being like, and one of the ways we're going to do that is we have slack, so we have open communication and you can see the direct thing where you can literally teach trust and transparency within your organization because you've got the systems and processes for it.

8:09And then I, as a leader, sit here and I say, well, I'm going to lead by example because being at the top, this is who we are, which goes back to you said, written core values. And for a lot of people, it's like, yeah, I get it. But there's in your mind, there's written down and then there's living and having it visible.

8:31So for me immediately on my website, it's like, who's Rob Cressy? Here's my core values. And then, of course, you'd be in one conversation with me. This person lives what they're doing. And this is where the ethos of all of this comes in and why I like to say ethos plus formulaic, because you can design this as an organization.

8:51But at the same time, you also need to lead it. Yeah, it's it's not easy. It's it's really not easy. And I think that, you know, the. You have to have strength and courage at the top to really be able to push this this agenda, because because it's not easy. You know, I think it's having a tremendous culture in an organization is requires a lot of repetition.

9:21It requires honesty. It requires, you know, this this idea of honoring your commitments. And so if you're not if you're not, you know, adhering or you're not present or connected to the values of the organization on a daily basis and your actions at the top are not representative of those things, you're going to have a real challenge building a culture that that people actually believe is honest and that's that's truthful.

9:53And so. Get it takes it takes a lot of work, just a repetition type thing, but you have to believe it. And so, you know, again, it's it's it's one of these things that starts at the very top. Leaders have to be able to be evangelic about it in terms of getting that message out and just making sure that they're honoring those things.

10:16I've seen so many times where you have examples of, you know, there's there's a certain list of core values that are sitting on the wall or wherever they're placed. And you have, you know, people at the top, like you said, that are that are totally not honoring those things. And so you you quickly erode any work or any progress that's ever been made towards establishing that culture.

10:41Yeah, I've got a question for you. When to be transparent as a leader. So trust and transparency. But when you're sitting there at the top and I think about transparency is something where when do you do it? Because your team doesn't need to know every single thing possible. But at the same time, you want to have open lines of communication.

11:03So this is a very nuanced thing as a leader and say, who needs to know what this is? How do you think about transparency at the top? Because there might be challenging days, weeks or months in a business where you don't need to say to your team, hey, things are really challenging for me right now or us.

11:22But at the same time, there will be times when you can say, hey, listen, guys. What's that balance or dynamic look like for you from a transparency side of things? Yeah, I am now I come from a place now where I share everything. The only thing I don't share are personnel files. So so anybody any information that belongs to a person, whether it's their salary, whether it's any, you know, behavioral documentation or anything related to a person and their their their individual relationship with HR or myself.

11:56That is off limits. That's nobody else's business. Everything else, I think, is, you know, I think about it as a family, right? And so families that work really well together and that that are that are, you know, high performing. I kind of associate the relationship I have with my wife and my children as this this almost like this corporate construct.

12:21It's like if we're not being honest with each other and we're not talking about the things that are that are, you know, stressful or that are, you know, fantastic or whatever, just open dialogue, then we're not really truly a connected family. And I find that same opportunity to exist now in in the corporate structure. And so I also think I'm constantly trying to find ways where I can increase the efficiencies of the organization.

12:52And so I don't find any benefit by holding things back. You know, I find real comfort in allowing other people to feel my pain. I mean, you know, and so and so I also I'm very receptive and aware that there's other pain that's existing in the organization and also on the flip side of that, very receptive to taking that onto my onto my plate or putting that on my shoulders or whatever.

13:25And so for me, it's it's, you know, the stand by me, you know, lean on me. This is the whole this is the whole construct of a, I think, a beautiful culture in an organization is share it all and share it often. There's nothing that they should not see or understand about the company because there's a lot of learning and teaching moments associated with it.

13:47You know, the only thing, like I said, that I that is not for everybody's, you know, for everybody's eyes would be individual personnel files. All right. So yes, and this. And my question for you would be when to have open communication on feedback. So I'll give an example. My wife and I both work from home and I run a business.

14:10She's working for another company based out of Chicago. And at times she'll come in and we'll have dialogue about something. But it doesn't mean that there's almost like an open door policy just to say, here's the thing that's going on right now that might be challenging or for feedback, because for you as a leader, you can't just have people popcorning into your life being like, hey, Arturo, I got this, I got that this.

14:34I got this. You've got the slack. You've got the open feedback culture. But how do you create boundaries around it to where people know when is a time that I can do it so that it's not just a constant we understand constant feedback loop. But when does the constant feedback loop work? I mean, this is this is I'm also looking for recommendations on this one because I think, you know, one of the things that I that I tell my people and it's you know, I've gone through phases and cycles in my in my life, in my in my career, where the organization has been very big, where you're talking to a thousand plus employees.

15:17And I've gone to very small in every instance. I've told people that I'm a text away. And so, you know, I don't I try to figure now it's it's once that text comes in, I feel obligated and committed to to respond. And everybody knows that they're no one's going to ever really have to wait longer than a few hours, if not a few minutes for a response.

15:42I think until I find somebody who's willing to bear the burden that I feel like I bear. That my commitment to my people will continue to strengthen and I'll continue to be there for guidance if they need it. Now, what I what I do try to to create are platforms where people understand these are the moments and these are the times where we should all be dedicated to sharing information.

16:10And so whether that's in a you know, I have weekly set meetings on Monday with one team. I have a Tuesday meeting with one team. I have a Wednesday meeting with another team. And on Mondays, I try to keep the entire day clear, except for that specific meeting. Friday is the same thing. I try to keep Friday completely free and clear for me to work across these different businesses that I'm involved with.

16:31But trying to, you know, coach people and let them know, hey, gather your thoughts, gather your information. I'm going to create a platform where we can all sit, we can all discuss. Now, if we need to talk about something that's urgent, that's a one off completely available. But yes, trying to trying to find ways to continue to create boundaries.

16:54And listen, there's a lot of there's a lot of bosses, leaders that do it. I think, you know, I've I've heard where people just like, hey, I won't respond. I need 24 hours to respond. And they're very structured to the way that they they do things. If my if one of my teammates needs me, I'm not waiting.

17:16They're going to have my attention immediately, because if it's something related to my business or even their personal life, then I'm there. I'm there. I'm not committed. So, you know, it's hard. It's just the type of person that I am and it's type of organization that I want to run. And I think that's one of the reasons that people want to work, want to work with us.

17:36All right. So now let's get to the action item or takeaway in Arturo. There's two things that you said for me that were so important that I want to re highlight them. Number one, you said commitment to my people. When I look at success or failure, always look at commitment, because if you're looking at trust and transparency, the top, the culture, the ethos, the systems and processes, this is all around commitment, because a lack of commitment is where all the cracks will start to come in.

18:07But when you are truly committed as you're speaking, because I can hear you and feel you in your commitment to your people. So that's number one. And then number two, I love the word that you used. Evangelic. Be evangelical about your culture, your mission, your people, what you are creating. And this is more than just being passive, like you said, putting core values on the wall.

18:32This is about living it, preaching it and being it. What about you? What's your action item or takeaway for today? I think people should just understand that, you know, they did asking questions. You know, there's a couple of things. One, if you're if you're looking for new opportunities out there in the marketplace and in your job searching, I think it's healthy to ask, interview, you know, the people that are interviewing you what the culture looks and feels like, force them to describe it, because I think that they're either going to they're either going to nail it because they live it, they believe it or they're not.

19:05And I think these are really important questions that people should be asking. I'm seeing a huge uptick in people asking them. I think for anybody else that is in love with or committed to the organization that they're a part of or leading, I think there's always room to enhance culture and to enhance communication and to enhance transparency.

19:27All those things, every one of those boxes getting checked really kind of ultimately equals trust. Once trust is established, you can there's really very few things that you can't accomplish because you have commitment. And once you have commitment, the power of committed staff and a committed team becomes something just extraordinary. So, you know, to me, auditing those things and being honest with yourself, if you're a leader and if you're, you know, a part of a successful team, making sure that you're pushing on your leaders and bringing constructive, you know, conversation to the table to enhance and better the culture for the organization.

20:11And we would love to hear from you. How are you building and instilling and living trust and transparency into the culture of your organization?

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