I was teaching how to create a winning culture in a course I had previously made. In that training, I discussed Simon Sinek’s breakdown of the Navy’s SEAL Team 6. I won’t reteach the material in this article, but to familiarize yourself, check out this video I reference in the course.
When you Lose Trust
What you learn is that the Navy SEALs prefer a person who measures high in trust over a person who is a mid to low performer to become a Navy SEAL. No matter how high you perform, if you have mid- to low trust, they see you as a potentially toxic team member. What can you and I learn from one of the most elite teams in the world, and how can that translate to your increase in performance and trust? We must become the kind of person who will create, maintain, and constantly cultivate a high-trust environment. It doesn’t matter how well you perform; if your team doesn’t have high trust, your team has the potential for toxicity. For more on how to shift from a head to a heart leader, click here.
The challenge here is that bottom-line reports don’t measure much for trust. It’s all about productivity. However, consider the thoughts of Steven M. R. Covey, author of The Speed of Trust, concerning trust and productivity in his Forbes magazine interview. Before 9/11, most people trusted flying. But now, it takes longer to get through security, more time is required before the scheduled flight, and the new safety protocols cost more for the airline and the customer. Why? Because the airlines need to address the lack of trust in airport security.
Volkswagen is a car company known for its safety ratings and high-quality engine capabilities. But in 2016, when there was a loss of trust due to an emissions scandal, the company’s revenue dropped 25%! Due to the company’s misleading of its loyal customer base, it lost credibility with its customers and shareholders. They also lost opportunities to work with other organizations that are doing good in the world. A company known for being able to get you from point A to B safely was going nowhere, fast.
Benefits of High Performance with High Trust
A lack of trust in a team and an organization can literally halt you from reaching your destination in life and business. So, creating high trust overall is critical. But if all we ever think about is the bottom line, the status report, the desires of the shareholders, and the money that will come to our bank accounts based solely on how well we perform, we, too, will end up going nowhere, fast. The world’s most efficient, highly skilled team says if I can’t trust you with my wife, I can’t trust you with my life. We’ll never perform at the highest levels if I can’t trust your character.
After all, High Trust organizations report:
- 74% less stress
- 106% more energy at work
- 50% higher productivity,
- 13% fewer sick days
- 76% more engagement
- 29% more satisfaction with their lives
- 40% less burnout
Ways to Yield High-Performing Results
To counteract the effects of high egos and questionable character that will yield high-performing results, engage in these things:
Open the Environment – Lose the “open door” policy. There shouldn’t be a need to enter the door because there shouldn’t be anyone in the room. Get out of the office and be with people. Nothing builds trust more than creating something together. How can you be together if you’re isolated in your office? Get out to open the environment.
Do Hard Stuff – A study found these words to build trust in high-performing teams—risk, disagreement, consequence, rival, and challenge. Prepare to do hard work and handle one more word found in the study: difficult things.
Have Faith – Trust has a two-sided element, the known and unknown. At times, we trust because we know. However, the highest-performing teams apply trust when they don’t know. This kind of trust is called faith. Believe in your teammates.
Exercise Together – Purposefully practice challenges together. The U.S. military is the most powerful in the world due to its willingness to practice war in peacetime. Team building exercises are vital in building trust and high performance.
Rebuild – Inevitably, somebody will make a mistake, or a moment of mistrust will happen. Make pre-decisions and determinations that the road to reestablish trust already exists. This isn’t a license to break trust, but insurance that there’s a way back when it happens.
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