Building Trust with Colleagues

Whenever you join a new organization you feel a range of emotions from excitement, to anticipation, to concern. Often the concerns focus not on your ability to do the job but, rather, whether you will like the people you will work with. Most of us want, even crave, co-workers that we like to work with.

The ability to trust others and be trustworthy ourselves is the most important element in building positive work relationships. In many cases, those positive work relationships result in "liking the people I work with." Building those relationships requires effort.

In his book, "The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People," Steven Covey frames relationships in terms of "Emotional Bank Accounts." When we act positively toward others we are adding "deposits" to the account. When we act negatively toward others we are making "withdrawals" from the account. The higher the positive balance, the higher the level of trust and the more likely the relationship is healthy and productive. Negative balances reflect low or no levels of trust and the relationship is unhealthy or unproductive.

In the work context, you can build a strong, positive balance in your emotional bank account with your colleagues through various behaviors. Here is a sample:

• Be honest
• Keep your word/Deliver on promises/Follow-through/Don't make excuses
• Meet deadlines, even less important ones
• Come prepared and participate appropriately in meetings
• Conduct active communication
• Take interest in others' needs/Take interest in others' interests
• Practice courtesy and kindness
• Do the "little things": Return phone calls and emails, be on time, etc.

Not acting in these ways are withdrawals in the emotional bank account and lessen or destroy trust and threaten the relationship itself.

Here are some questions about building trust at work:

Questions for Young Professionals about Building Trust

• What issues or obstacles hinder me from building trust with my manager, team members, other colleagues or clients/customers?
• What benefits would result from developing a stronger foundation of trust with these people?
• What actions have I taken to address and reduce the obstacles?
• Have those actions been effective? What could I do differently to improve the results?
• What can I do to increase the emotional bank accounts for my most important work relationships?

Every month check out this series of articles aimed at improving the work lives of young professionals