Teams365 #3216: The Triad of Trust, Safety and Connection: Part 1

In the last few weeks we have been exploring the topic of coaching, a modality which is critical for exceptional performance today. Key to supporting individuals, groups and teams to drop into the coaching conversation is that of engaging the Triad of Trust, Safety and Connection.






















Reference: Reconnecting Workspaces, © Jennifer Britton, 2017-2021. All Rights Reserved.

This triad is at the heart of my 2021 TEDx talk, The Virtual, Remote and Hybrid Checklist. 

For individuals, groups and teams to thrive in the evolving workspace, and a place of ongoing change, creating trust, safety and connection in our relationships and organizations is critical.

What can we do to create this? I explored it in my 2017 book, Effective Virtual Conversations, and revisited it in my 2021 book, Reconnecting Workspaces. 

Let’s take a look at what we can practically do to build Trust, Safety and Connection in today’s workspaces – whether we are back to in-person work, or enjoying work that is hybrid or remote. 

Now we’ll explore the first of the three – building trust. Tomorrow we’ll look at Safety and Wednesday at Connection. This triad is at the heart of my 2021 TEDx talk, Virtual, Remote and Hybrid Checklist.

Trust is built through behavior, those things that can be observed. . It’s critical to think about what we are doing to build trust in today’s workspace. 
 
As I shared in an article years ago, building trust can be done these four ways – 
Trust is a foundation for successful teams. In order to trust each other, people need to know each other within a team. Today's article includes four keys to enhancing trust in your team and four quick activities you can use to create connection and trust within your team. You may want to bring one of these into an upcoming team meeting, or use at an annual retreat session.
Four keys to building trust in your team.

Trust doesn’t just happen – it builds with time. Other factors such as connection, clarity, communication as well as knowledge and skills also help facilitate trust within teams. Let’s take a look at each one of these:

1. Connection—We feel supported when we feel valued, known and heard. Connection is a critical factor for high performing teams. Teams who feel connected with each other have often invested time in getting to know one another, and schedule time for regular connections. Perhaps a 2 pm daily meeting is the norm, or a Monday morning huddle kicks off your week. Consider what will boost connection amongst your team members.
   
   2. Clarity—Clarity is key in creating trust. When we know what is expected of us, it is easier to follow-through and know how we are doing. Creating shared, and clear expectations of each other is important, as is having clarity around roles. 
   
   3. Communication—Communication is the foundation of connection and clarity. Consider how the team wants to communicate with each other, and what in fact is most effective.
   
   4. Knowledge/Competence— Many trust models talk about the importance of skills and knowledge, or what they call competence, in building trust. IF we know that others have the skills and knowledge to have our backs, we can rest easier that things will get done.

Enjoy the conversation,
Jennifer

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​Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized |Reconnecting Workspaces | Group Coaching Essentials 
Team and Leadership Development | Coaching | Retreats
Follow us on Instagram @ReconnectingWorkspaces
Phone: (416)996-8326
 
Check out my TEDx talk
 
Looking to bring your workplaces back together, whether you are remote, hybrid, or face-to-face? Pick up a copy of my new book, Reconnecting Workspaces, at Amazon.