Team Building Skills

Are You a Trusted Leader?

Look at the feedback below to detemine how trusted you may be as a leader.

I communicate frequently and early. Are you in regular communication with your team members? That does not mean just looking for problems. Do you regularly communicate just to check in? Also, if you have information to share with your team, do you communicate it early. Consider how your team will they feel if you withhold important information.
The people on my team are smarter and more talented than I am. Do you value your team members as individuals with strengths, knowledge, and skills? On the other hand, if you feel that you are better than the others, how are they likely to feel about you? Remember that the best teams have a diverse set of people with different strengths and varying knowledge and skill levels.
I actively work to encourage and support the people on my team. Do you compliment your team members on things they do well? Do you offer advise when needed? If you want your team to be supportive of you, you need to be supportive of them. Otherwise you may be seen to be more of a competitor than a team player.
Someone regards me as a positive mentor. Seriously, you are probably a postive mentor or role model for at least one other person. Your abilities are unique, and someone is probably envious of how you interact with others or endure stressful situations. Look for your positive qualities and share your insights with others.
I give my teammates considerable margin for error. Everyone has a first time to do something. Do you have patience to allow others to make mistakes and learn from them? Consider how much leeway you would like to be allowed and how you can extend that to others on your team.
The people on my team have a clear understanding of our team's purpose and goals. If everyone is not on the same page by understanding the group's aims, how can they be expected to effectively contribute. Never assume that everyone sees and hears everything the same way that you do. Check in with your team to assess their thoughts.
I openly praise those on my team often. Do you thank your team members for things they do well or their contributions? Do you give praise in front of others and distribute the praise fairly thoughout the group? You do not want to be seen as playing favorites or never seeing value in your team members. A positive, supportive attitude is contagious.
People on my team feel comfortable disagreeing with me. Remember that things and processes change. If the people are your team are intimidated or threatened by you, they will not disagree with you. Try to see disagreement as an insight into making improvements. Do not make each disagreement a conflict--use it as a way to open discussions about the topic.
I am considered trustworthy by my teammates. While you cannot know for sure, what do you think? Do you feel that you are worthy of their trust? If you are trustworthy and treat your team members fairly, then they are likely to see you as trustworthy. If you have doubts about your worthiness, try to identify where this comes from and resolve it.
We openly discuss the importance of trust on my team. If you cannot discuss trust, what does that say to your team members? Remember that trust may not be defined by each person in the same manner. Therefore, it is important to talk about trust and how it is important to your team in order for your team to meet its goals. Trust cannot be implied, so discuss it.
Conflicts on my team are resolved in a healthy manner. Conflicts never just disappear, and there are no omnipotent managers that intuitively handle conflict. You must work through any conflict on your team. Handling conflict earlier is better than waiting for it to erupt. By setting clear guidelines of expectations and having good communication, you can often more effectively deal with conflict at the onset.

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Velda Arnaud, Ph.D.
Executive Director
Lead, Educate, Serve Society
leadeducateserve@gmail.com