Trust is at the very essence of team performance and yet in my experience it is not addressed with enough discipline andrigour. To work with your colleagues and for your boss there needs to be complete trust for you to bring out your best. If you are concerned about possible retribution, back stabbing or any other type of character assassination then you will hold back and cannot possibly expect to be at your best. So why don’t we hit this issue head on? Why do we continue to even listen to others when they talk about someone behind their backs? Why do we continue to use “veiled threats” to keep people in their place?
I see too many existing leaders preferring the status quo – because they have everything under control and have created patterns of predictability. This is why when I invite leaders to share their emotions and encourage they ask their colleagues about how they are feeling about things I am met with resistance- because emotions are not predictable, they are not safe and an existing leader cannot possibly be in control of the conversation.
