The document outlines 17 behaviors to foster trust within teams, addressing the high rate of team dysfunction. Key actions include sharing responsibilities, leading by example, providing timely feedback, and empowering team members to solve problems and make decisions. By building trust, teams can improve their performance and engagement significantly.

1. 17 behaviours that build trust
with your team

2. 75%
of teams report being dysfunctional.

3. You have a chance to beat
the odds by building trust
with your team.

4. Here are 17 ways to do that.

5. 1. Pick up a few tasks from
the backlog when you have a
quiet week. (Ideally, tasks nobody else wants.)
SHARE THE PAIN

6. 2. Take an on-call rotation
once in a while.
SHARE THE PAIN

7. 3. If your team has daily
checklists, take it on
sometimes.
SHARE THE PAIN

8. 4. Jump into major incidents
and help troubleshoot.
SHARE THE PAIN

9. 5. Set up your desk next to
your team members’ and be
active in day-to-day
conversations.
SHARE THE PAIN

10. 6. When you need to
reschedule a meeting, give
plenty of notice and be open
about why.
LEAD BY EXAMPLE

11. 7. Close your laptop during 1-
on-1s. (And as many other meetings as possible.)
LEAD BY EXAMPLE

12. 8. When you disagree with a
decision, let your team know
why – and that you’ll rally
behind it nonetheless.
LEAD BY EXAMPLE

13. 9. When someone is
interrupted in a meeting,
make sure they get a chance
to finish before moving on.
LEAD BY EXAMPLE

14. 10. Make feedback as specific
and immediate as possible.
(Don’t save it for the annual review!)
GIVE (AND INVITE) FEEDBACK

15. 11. Don’t sugar-coat critical
feedback. Challenge directly,
but speak compassionately.
GIVE (AND INVITE) FEEDBACK

16. 12. Give people problems to
solve instead of tasks to
complete.
GUIDE AND DEVELOP

17. 13. Ask where they’d like to
take their career and their
life. (Again, don’t wait for the annual review!)
GUIDE AND DEVELOP

18. 14. Set goals for the team as a
whole, and let them figure
out how to get there.
GUIDE AND DEVELOP

19. 15. Encourage team members
to ask “why?” and challenge
the status quo.
EMPOWER PEOPLE

20. 16. Delegate decision-making
authority, not just tasks.
EMPOWER PEOPLE

21. 17. Tollerate honest mistakes,
and encourage people to
learn from them.
EMPOWER PEOPLE

22. When your team trusts
you, they bring everything
they’ve got to their work.

23. Trust builds in a virtuous
cycle.

24. Let the cycle start with you.