Strong organizations — and relationships — thrive best with a foundation of trust, which is an important component of teamwork in our ITEACH values.
We also know trust can wobble, even break.
A culture of trust is central to building teamwork across and within an organization, said Sheritta Strong, MD, assistant vice chancellor of inclusion, noting that "giving your undivided attention makes a huge difference."
During Thursday’s "Conversations for Inclusive Excellence," attendees heard from Harvard Business School professor Frances Frei, PhD, who discussed how trust can be rebuilt — and strengthened — through empathy, logic and authenticity.
"If we can learn to trust one another more, we can have unprecedented human progress," Dr. Frei said. "My favorite trait is redemption. I believe there is a better version of us around every corner."
Watch Dr. Frei’s TED presentation titled "How to build (and rebuld) trust."
Dr. Frei, who worked on trust issues during a recent stint at Uber, addressed the three areas necessary to build, keep and maintain trust:
- Empathy: Individuals need to know they — and their success — are cared about within an organization. It’s easy, Dr. Frei said, to crowd out time and space that empathy requires, but without it everything is harder. She encourages individuals to identify where, when and to who you are likely to offer your distraction. That, she said, traces closely to when, where and to whom you are likely to withhold empathy. "If you do nothing else, put away the cell phone," she said. "It is the largest distraction magnet yet to be made and it is super difficult to create empathy and trust in its presence."
- Logic: When your logic is sound, an inability to communicate that logic can damage trust. Unless you’re a skilled storyteller, Dr. Frei encourages individuals to get to the point quickly and then provide supportive evidence.
- Authenticity: Be you, she said, which is easy when around people like yourself. "If you represent any sort of difference, the prescription to be you can be challenging," she said, urging leaders to create safe and welcoming conditions for all employees to be their authentic self.
When all three areas exist, there is great trust, Dr. Frei said; if one area is shaky, trust is threatened.
And, Dr. Strong said, it is through trust and inclusive teams that organizations are best able to fully share knowledge and thrive.