Practice 52 was magic. The magic was that we built something very few teams even taste. We built some trust with a team of twenty six. We read page 40 in the 8 Playbook about the etymology of the word trust. We wrote our answers to the trust questions. We spoke and listened to each other. We learned.
I then asked the team if they were crystal clear about everything regarding their company. I asked them if there were any policies they were confused by or any decisions they didn’t fully comprehend. Not surprisingly, nobody had perfect clarity. Nobody ever does.
Nobody.
Next I asked the team to write a question to Churp, their leader, that would address their confusion. I challenged them to come see me if they couldn’t come up with a question. Everybody wrote. Nobody came to see me.
Nobody.
Once they had authored their questions I asked them to speak and listen around their teams of 4, ask curious questions to further clarify, and then answer the questions if they knew the answer.
We discovered that many of our questions were answered by finding the right teammate, a few needed to go higher. I asked the team to write out the unanswered questions and prepare to take them to Churp. Once ready, one by one, I asked them to get out of their seat and approach King Churp. I wanted them to physically leave the comfort of their teammates and approach the throne. Churp didn’t like my language. He’s not comfortable being called the King. He is the head of this system, however, and like it or not, most humans see their leader as if he or she is King or Queen.
Some went forward with their knees trembling, some turned bright red, some tried to use humor to lessen their FEAR, some looked away to lessen theirs. Some went forward and addressed the King while pointing back to the seated subjects. Some curtsied. Some kinda kneeled. One crazy called bullshit on the King and the collective kingdom gasped and waited to see if she was going to die. Churp smiled, answered the questions, took the hits, and calmly brought clarity to his kingdom.
Trust was built. Nobody died. Nobody was bound and gagged. Nobody was taken away by the Kings men. Nobody was made to feel small and insignificant.
Nobody.
Questions were posed. CCD answers were given. FEAR took a hit. Clarity came. Trust was built. Practice 52. A team of 26 learned a bit about the origin of the word trust. And, they learned a ton about their FEAR and the power of walking into it. Trust was built.
Churp is one of the most approachable leaders on the planet. Churp begs his team to bring him their questions. Churp asks and asks and asks for feedback. Churp has a clear vision and a company that is performing at a historical high. And, Churp has trust issues with his team. Every leader does. Every leader has teammates with questions that they are too afraid to ask. Every leader has to go first. Yesterday, Churp led. He trusted, first.
What are you doing to build trust with your team? And, what are you doing to deepen the trust you’ve already built? What, my friend, are you doing to deepen your trust of Y.O.U.? Remember, your biggest trust issue is not with another, is it…
BUILT TO LEAD 