The T in team.

 

I know this has been done before. -Many have used the word TEAM as an acronym and assign a concept or principal to each letter. Here is my version at this point in time:

Over years I've seen that one of the most important, if not the most crucial ingredient in the mix of team dynamics, is trust. For me the T in team thus needs to be a upper case big fat letter T, standing for TRUST.

Without a reasonably high level of trust friendships suffer, marriages falter and teams are bogged down in the trenches of hidden agendas and suspicion.

Where does trust come from? Is it just something you do when someone say:

"Trust me." ?  Is it something that is expected from you, or that you expect from others? Can you train team members to trust one another?

Some people are more trusting than others. They seem to trust others easily and sometimes without any apparent reason. This type of trust many a time is thwarted and I've heard how people painfully resolved "never to trust anybody again."

In essence trust cannot be learned or expected.
Trust is earned.
You can built trust.
You can only trust what or who you know.
Trust can be destroyed and in some cases it is very difficult and even impossible to restore.

How do you built and earn trust in a team?

-Built authentic and caring relationships.
-Be there for one another.
-Be consistent and truthful.
-Show that you as team member or -leader is not only looking out for yourself,
  but for the growth, benefit and happiness of each team member.
-Value the contribution and view point of each team member.
-Spend time together: Talking, eating, planning and having fun.

The most important factor in all of the above, is time. Trust cannot be microwaved.
At the end of each of the above sentences, add the words "over time."

It takes time to built trust, but it can be destroyed in an instant.
-Guard it! 
This is the responsibility of each team member, but especially that of the leader.