To build the team, build the trust, with these 8 tips

Great bosses know it’s important to build trust in organizations. But managers can’t simply mandate it. It must be their own choice.

But leaders can create an atmosphere where the choosing comes easily.

That’s important work with a great payoff.

So here are eight tips for building trust among a group of people, whether they’re in a workplace or a workshop:

1. Know each other as people, not just professionals. We’re all so much more than our job titles; we have stories that connect us.

2. Talk about values early and often, but don’t lecture from on high. Just share yours, listen to others, and walk your talk.

3. When you create rules, connect them to values. When guidelines support beliefs that people share, they’re more likely to respect them.

4. Respond to disappointments, misunderstandings and honest mistakes constructively, not vindictively. Start with an assumption that the other person has positive intentions.

5. Recognize that teams are stronger when people bring diverse skills, experiences and viewpoints. A team of clones is a closed club with limited potential.

6. Respect and encourage thoughtful, civil debate. Give greater credence to those who “show their math” rather than just shooting off their mouths.

7. Provide ongoing and useful feedback so people never wonder where they stand with you or their co-workers. Uncertainty feeds fear. Fear erodes trust.

8. Work — and PLAY — well together. Play is an antidote to tension, a vitamin for creativity, and an opportunity to make a memory.