Congratulations on starting a new job! Everything is going well until you get a sense that your new coworkers don’t trust you to do your job. They’ll never come out and say, “I don’t trust you…” It’ll show up in their actions.
Does this sound familiar?
- Asking you questions every 5-minutes to make sure you understand the scope of problem you need to solve.
- Telling you, “That was good, but you really should’ve done it like this…”
- Asking for your opinion, then doing something else instead, without an explanation.
It can be very frustrating.
When you’re starting a new job, it’ll take a while for your co-workers to trust you. In the meantime, how can you get your coworkers to trust your work?
There are several ways to build trust in the workplace.
Hold yourself accountable. If you’re going to be late with the assignment communicate this with your coworkers as soon as possible. For example, did you promise to complete that design project in 2 weeks and it took you 3 weeks instead? Never make excuses for not completing in work on time. This builds trust because they’ll see that you are serious about keeping your commitments.
Seek knowledge. Psychology tells us that people want to help and love to feel needed. Don’t be afraid to reach out to people if you truly need help. When starting a new job, ask questions, read company policies/procedures as it pertains to your work and be open to new ideas.
Be Transparent. One of the quickest ways to build trust is to be transparent. For example, while having a conversation with a teammate, organically share a small detail about your personal life with them. As the new person, some of your coworkers will be nosy and look you up on Google/ LinkedIn. They’ll want to know a bit more about your interests. Keep it light. Share something small like, “I love hiking near Anaverde Hills on the weekends.”
Seek Feedback. Seeking feedback shows that you care about the quality of your work and you want to “pull your weight”. Coworkers respect and love this! As the new person on the team you won’t always get it right. And that’s OK.
Have a positive attitude. Having a positive attitude in everything you do will not only increase the level of trust your coworkers will have for you, but it’ll make you likable. Remember, the goal here is not be liked, but trustworthy. Often times, these two traits go hand in hand. People love being about people who have a positive outlook on the work and life.
Trust others. In order to be trusted, you have to trust. You can’t micromanage people and projects and expect for your coworkers to trust you. This is especially true if you’re a manager (or in a formal leadership role) of a new team.
When you micromanage, you communicate, “I don’t trust you to get your work done.” Instead, hold people accountable and give them the benefit of the doubt until you’re shown otherwise.
Like any relationship, trust is built over time. You were selected from many candidates for the job. You’re capable of doing the job. And YES, it’ll be annoying when people question your work and your abilities. (I deal with this at least 2x per week.)
Just relax and understand that they will come around eventually as long as you are performing to the best of you ability and open to learning.
How can you build trust within a team? How did you get your new coworkers to trust you? How long did it take? What actions can take to be more trustworthy?
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