It All Starts With Trust      Trust is a critical concept in the workplace. If you want to build an effective team you have to start there.      There a thing in the workplace called The Trust Balance ©. At work, when trust is low, people do not look at each other, they do not return phone calls, and they do not share information. Then, they often begin to backstab, tell stories and start rumors.      When trust is low, what happens to the invisible walls? You know those invisible walls. They are around us all the time. When we work with other people in person, on the telephone, in writing, giving a presentation, we have walls around us.      Depending on the situation or the person we are interacting with, those walls move. It's us vs. them. Those walls go up and down. They get thicker or thinner...depending on the situation.      What happens to those walls when there is not a lot of trust? Are the walls up or down? They are up and usually way up. When trust is low, the walls go up and workplace relationships suffer. People don't look at each other, they backstab, and they exhibit behaviors that are detrimental to workplace productivity.      When trust increases, what happens to the invisible walls? They go down. So now you have the secret...everybody should just start trusting each other and all the workplace relationship issues will be solved!      That's not the way it works. Trust is something that is earned one moment, one person, and one project at a time. The Trust Bucket ©      We enhance relationships through honest and sincere interactions with other people. Imagine everyone in the workplace is carrying a bucket with them. They can't see it but you know it is there. They are carrying a bucket with them and it is gold plated and the front of the bucket says "TRUST". It's my goal and responsibility to make a deposit in that bucket. When I make a sincere deposit, I build trust. When the bucket increases, the walls go down.      How do you make a deposit? When somebody asks you for a report and you get it to the, you build trust. When you roll up your sleeves to provide extra assistance in a pinch, you just built trust. When you show up to a meeting on time, you build trust. It's that little things you do that build trust and open the floodgates to improved workplace relationships.      You can't touch it or put it in your pocket, but you know when it is there...and when it's not there as well.      Find out how Michael can improve workplace relationships in your organization. Call (847) 433-0908. Home | Contact Us | Free Lead On! | Meet Michael | Management | Team Productivity | Workplace Relationships | Leadership Potential | Attitude | Results Focused Programs | Clients & Feedback | Meeting Planners | Resource Center | Hear Michael Poll Management Consultants | 564 Broadview Ave | Highland Park, IL 60035 USA Phone: 847-433-0908 | Fax: 847-433-0908 | michael@michaelpoll.com © 2001-2003 - Poll Management Consultants - All Rights Reserved