Build an unshakeable foundation by nurturing trust first

Trust is the emotional bedrock that determines whether teams spring into action or freeze at indecision. In one study of hundreds of manufacturing plants, facilities with higher managerial trust outperformed peers by up to 10 percent in productivity and quality. It’s no accident that elite sports teams and world-class bands cultivate trust long before they confront high-stakes moments together.

Imagine a new manager inheriting a team rife with guarded emails and closed-door jabber. Instead of charging straight into workflow fixes, she draws up a simple map of relationships—highlighting which pairs never make eye contact or revert to silence when a thorny topic arises. Over the next two weeks, she blocks short weekly calls with each direct report, not to drill KPIs but to ask what they care about outside work. Bit by bit, silence gives way to off-mic humor, small asides about weekend hikes, and candid admissions of past missteps.

Meanwhile, she spots minor email misunderstandings—one peer complaining to her about another’s missed bug fix—and calls both parties, not to rebuke but to clarify intentions. By naming the miscommunication (“I hear frustration about the bug’s impact”) and inviting their views, she transforms an under-the-radar tension into a collaborative mini-session on better testing protocols.

This pattern—mapping trust deficits, enacting quick human-first check-ins, addressing glitches with radical candor, and keeping every promise—mirrors the practices of the most successful organizations. Each action builds a layer of predictability and mutual respect, enabling teams to take real risks, share dissenting opinions, and innovate without fear of fallout. In short, they convert private goodwill into public performance.

Start this week by drawing a simple chart of your closest ten work relationships and flagging where you sense hesitation or silence. Next, schedule five brief catch-ups—just 15 minutes each—to ask about what matters to them outside the office. Then, when you notice a small miscommunication, pick up the phone within 24 hours and say, “I’d love to check in on something I noticed.” Close each week by reviewing every commitment you made; if you missed one, own it quickly and reset expectations. Give it a try today.