Trust me, I’m your Manager

In the movie, “Friends with Benefits”, Dylan, played by Justin Timberlake, wants his new team to trust him. He admits he lacks the knowledge needed to do the job and asks the team to be patient. He demonstrates that his door is always open by actually taking his office door off its hinges. Of course, all works well in the movies, but in real life building trust takes more than a conversation.  Having a foundation of trust in your new team is critical to your success as a manager –here are 5 tips to building trust that don’t involve renovating your office.

1. Say what you mean and mean what you say: Be clear. Be direct.  Don’t beat around the bush. Tell your team what you expect from them and what they can expect from you.  Sometimes new managers have difficulty communicating directly and are surprised when they’re not understood.  It’s OK to sound like the boss – you are the boss. When you make a request, follow through – it shows your team that your requests are important.

2. R.E.S.P.E.C.T :  What does it mean to you?   Respect is the foundation of trust. You may be surprised to know that respect means different things to different folks so a good first step is defining the word.  Ask your team members what respect means to them and how it can be demonstrated at work; developing a code of behaviour is a great way to get the team to know what to expect from you and from each other

3. I’m OK, you’re OK: Change can provoke fear. Trust is the antidote to fear.  Reassure your team of their success. Let the individual members know what you think of them; let them know you have faith in them and in the organization.  A little praise can go a long way to helping your team members’ feel secure and trust that you have it all under control.

4. Keep me in the loop: Unless you have confidential information that shouldn’t be shared, share as much as you can about you and your organization’s plans and successes. It’s always best when your team hears news (good and bad) directly from you.

5. Be a SME: Become the Subject Matter Expert that your team can count on. Take time everyday to learn something about your business that you can share with your team – your team will see your dedication and feel secure in knowing that you really care about them and your business.