What is the one thing that all good leaders have in common? Although you can name many things, one of them is trust. Specifically, the trust of the people they lead. But trust does not come automatically. You have to work for the trust of those you lead. So how do you build trust? You can build trust in these seven ways.

• Chemistry
• Character
• Competence 
• Commitment
• Consistency
• Camaraderie
• Community

Let’s break each of these down so that you can begin to incorporate them in building trust with your team.

Chemistry

What is chemistry? Chemistry is creating a connection with team members in building common ground for the team. It’s creating rapport so that the members of the group understand one another’s feelings. It’s that vibe that many people cite when they feel comfortable with others. Chemistry is all about building connections with one another, which helps to build trust. When you have chemistry, you have part of the foundation for building trust.

So how do you build trust and chemistry in your group?

1. Sharpen your listening skills. When you listen to someone you’re truly listening to what they have to say, and not just when they have an issue. Often, when we speak with other people, we can get caught up in our own thoughts. We’re trying to think of the next thing to say or of a story to relate to them. Or, if they’re complaining, we go into defensive mode thinking of what to say to dispute what they’re telling us. This isn’t listening. This is reacting. When you truly listen to other people you listen to the words they use, the tone they’re using,
2. Validate what they’re saying. Let them know that you’ve heard what they’re saying and that you understand. This is also an opportunity to clarify what they’re telling you. You can say something like, ” What I’m hearing you say is…” This gives you an opportunity to repeat what they’ve told you and make sure that you understood it. Since misunderstandings are the basis for miscommunication, this step ensures that you’re both on the same page. Even if there isn’t a dispute, validating what they’re saying and looking for clarity can help to ensure that you’re all on the same page. 
3. Thank them for sharing. Whatever they share, be appreciative and celebrate it where it’s appropriate. It’s always important to give your team credit for their ideas or their work. We’ve all had those bosses or people that we’ve worked with who have tried to take credit for our ideas or for the work that we’ve contributed to a project. Nobody likes this, especially from a leader. So be sure to properly attribute ideas etc.
4. Be encouraging. Encourage the positive behaviors and attitudes that are essential for success. When you see this in action, be sure to praise the individual.

Character

Characters when you demonstrate how much you care for your team. It’s something you do, not something you have. This is a popular misconception. We all think that if somebody has character, it’s what they have, who they are. Well, there might be some truth in this, in reality, character is something that you demonstrate every day. Your team needs to know that when they have a need or concern, you are there for them. You want to help them succeed, which you can do through support and encouragement. How can you do this?

• Celebrate team wins on social media
• Write hand-written personal notes
• Have office hours where your team can meet with you
• Create a leaderboard

Competence

Competence is when you demonstrate that you’re good at what you do and that you’re a leader. We want to be sure that they know what they’re doing. We trust those who are competent and knowledgeable. So, how do you show that your competent?

1. Provide accountability. The more you build accountability into your leadership the more successful your team will be. We have the Teamzy Team Report to help your team become more accountable. You’ll always know when they are working on their businesses. You can also consider matching team members up to be one another’s accountability partners. By creating accountability partners for your team, you can help them achieve their goals for their business.
2. Coach them to be successful. Once they’re able to be more accountable, coach them to become more successful. You can leverage the team report to give them the next steps to help them on their path to success. When they encounter challenges, you can provide guidance to them and offer solutions to help them get through. 
3. Provide mentorship. Mentor your team to become leaders themselves. You’ll do this by helping them replicate your systems, sharing your wisdom, and helping them avoid the same mistakes that you may have made in your business.

Commitment

Commitment is dedicating yourself to your vision which includes your team, your business, and yourself. It’s is asking yourself are you a hobbyist or a business owner? Many people make the mistake of thinking that to be fully committed they have to commit 100% of their time to it. This is not true. However, they do have to commit 100% of themselves. You don’t need to work on your business full time in order to fully commit to it. You can work part-time on it and still be fully committed to it.

Consistency

Consistency is when you are dependable, durable, and one who stands firm. People who are consistent make promises that they know they can keep. They don’t promise the world, they promise what they know they can achieve and what they know they can follow through with. To encourage your team to become more consistent, model what you want them to do. That means doing your Power Hour every day, posting on social media, especially those celebratory posts, and committing to professional development, which includes attending live events. Your team will see that you are consistent in your actions.

Camaraderie

Camaraderie is mutual trust and friendship among people who invest a lot of time together. Put another way, you like to spend time together. Encourage your team to spend time together by building systems that build camaraderie. For example, you can go to events together. These can be events that the company sets up or it could be events outside of your company that you feel your team could benefit from. Or, you could host a retreat for your top leaders. This involves going somewhere to work on the business and also have fun. Additionally, you could have coordinated local activities where local groups get together on the same date to do something. It doesn’t matter what you do, the point is to do something together to help get to know each other and build trust.

Community 

A community is a group of people who feel a sense of belonging and fellowship with others as a result of sharing their common attitudes, interests, and goals. When you build your team, you want to ensure that you focus on building a sense of community. This means you have loyal members, people who are loyal not just to you but to the team. They not only can count on you, but they can also count on each other. The more loyal your team is to one another, the more growth you will see in your business and the more your team will want to continue to work with you. When you have a sense of community, new members trust you and trust each other much faster and are more likely to succeed at a faster rate. In fact, the stronger your sense of community on the team the more likely you are to attract new team members. Plus, the best part is, the stronger your community the more fun it will be to work on and grow your business.

Teamzy can help you build trust with your team

We have the tools you need to develop the seven C’s and build trust. Between the team report and the online learning tools, we’ve made it easier to build your team. If you’re not using Teamzy, what are you waiting for? Click here to learn more.