[VIDEO]: How to Build Trust in Your Team: Assume Competence
In today’s video, we are looking at how to build trust in your team by assuming they are competent.
Welcome to my short form leadership training series, designed to evolve your leadership – one strategy at a time. No theory overload, just tools you can use immediately in your leadership and with your team today.
Watch the video (12 minutes) or read on if you prefer.
How to Build Trust in Your Team By Assuming Competence
Today we are looking at how to build trust in your team by assuming their competence.
What that means is, as leader, you’re making a conscious decision:
- To look first for individuals’ strengths – rather than weaknesses.
- To believe that individuals in your team can absolutely, successfully achieve an outcome – rather than doubting them.
Assuming competence is such a powerful leadership technique, it can completely transform how your team performs.
Hi there – I’m Rebecca Allen, CEO of Illuminate Leadership Growth, where we build confident leaders and cohesive teams.
How Do You Lead?
Your team isn’t looking at you as their leader to fix them – they need you to trust them.
As human-centred leaders we want to assume people are already capable.
So rather than assuming a person can’t do something – or will make a mess of it – you assume the opposite.
To get clarity, a good starting point is to ask yourself,
“What’s my default position on this?”
Is it to look for weakness? If so, you might say or think things like this:
- Do I doubt people will cope, or be able to solve a problem?
- Do I worry that people in my team will perform a task ‘the wrong’ way?
- Do I instinctively assume individuals will underperform?
- Do I tell myself they need me – because I am the only person who can solve the problem?
Or – do you assume competence…
Which means:
- Trusting people can do this – and do it well.
- Recognising that there is more than one way to accomplish anything successfully.
- Believing that everyone has strengths – that are often untapped – and that releasing them can help people exceed all expectations.
There is plenty of evidence based research that entrusting people boosts motivation and performance.
One of the most consistent findings is that trust creates psychological safety – the feeling that you can speak up, take initiative, ask questions, and make mistakes without facing penalty.
A trusted team is able to focus fully on their tasks.
While a team that does not feel trusted wastes untold energy second guessing themselves, procrastinating, talking about their challenges, and feeling disempowered.
As a team leader, it’s one of your primary roles to look for that competence.
One of my favourite questions from Liz Wiseman is in her book, Multipliers:
Liz suggests leaders ask themselves the question:
“How is this person smart?
This question presumes competence is innate.
Note, the question is not, ‘Is this person smart?’ – it’s, “HOW is this person smart?”
By asking yourself this question, you are seeking out all the specific ways is which an individual on your team is already capable.
In my work, as a strengths based leadership coach, I work both with leaders and their teams to help them build trust.
Because there are plenty of behaviours that erode trust, such as:
- A leader making all the decisions
- Not delegating
- Not delegating the bigger, stretching opportunities / unfair distribution
- Giving negative feedback publicly
- Telling people how to do their jobs
In my leadership coaching and facilitation I help leaders build trust.
So when there’s trust…. you don’t just delegate tasks. You assign ownership.
Your job as leader is to answer these two questions:
1. How is this individual smart? i.e where are they really strong?
2. How can I give them ownership i.e. autonomy to play to that strength?
Sometimes to help someone see their capability you have to see it in them first.
And you need to give them the specific opportunity and platform to share that capability with the world.
Rebecca Allen is a leadership coach who helps build confident leaders and cohesive teams. If your organisation need to prioritise leadership development – get in touch.
