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For remote working to be the rip-roaring success you envision it to be, certain conditions need to be met in order to make the most out of your team members. The first, and arguably the most important, of these is establishing and building trust.
First of all, let’s look at how trust can be damaged in virtual teams. Lots of different factors such as leadership misjudgments, miscommunication, misunderstanding, unclear workflows and processes can all lead to underperforming teams. Lack of communication, too, can cause teams to lose faith and motivation while working remotely.
Trust within an organisation or business is quite complex. There are different levels of trust, too. For example, there’s the trust between a virtual team and the company they work for. Then, there’s the trust between a team and its leader. Finally, there’s the trust between team members. Without one of these levels, the wheels can start to fall off a project very quickly.
Put simply, trust must be present in every relationship from the ground up. Without it, employees cannot fulfil their potential and leaders cannot focus on the bigger picture.
Reliability is a core foundation of trust – and it works both ways too. Both leaders and employees must be the kinds of people who follow through on their end of the bargain and communicate quickly if obstacles get in the way of completing their assignments on time.
As a leader, it is your responsibility to model reliability to team members and make it clear of your expectations in regards to seeing tasks through to the end.
Inconsistent people are unpredictable and therefore hard to trust. Therefore as a leader, you should be consistent in everything you do. For example, if you tell your virtual team that you will be having a meeting with each one of them every Friday to check-in, then make sure you do so. Similarly, ensure that workflows and processes are consistent so everyone has an even footing when they come to do a task.
Confidence is key to effective leadership. When you demonstrate confidence, people trust you and have faith in the decision you make. You should also show confidence in your team, too. This can be achieved through praising and rewarding achievements and investing in the development of your staff.
Nothing breeds mistrust more than secrecy, or even the illusion of it. If people feel like they are being kept in the dark, or that key information isn’t being shared with them, they quite naturally disengage and become demotivated. Therefore, a transparent and open culture is necessary to build trust and help team members to feel part of the bigger picture and overarching goals.
Trust is vital in successful teams. When leaders trust their teams, they can delegate tasks effectively and focus on the bigger picture. When team members trust each other, they can focus on their responsibilities and the task at hand is delivered on time and on brief. When team members trust leaders, they are more committed and determined to do a good job.
If you’re looking for ways to build trust in your virtual team, team building events are a fantastic place to start. These fun-filled virtual team building activities allow for team members to get to know each other in a relaxed and fun environment while promoting better communication and problem-solving skills. To find out more about our team building events, contact our team of experts today. As an award-winning events management company we are experts in creating engaging and fun team building activities that are in line with your business goals. We look forward to hearing from you!
