It’s easy enough to get tied up and busy with one’s day-to-day work responsibilities and forget to build and nurture key relationships. One way to remind ourselves is to reflect on who and what really matters and then to plan trust boosting activities. Put these activities on your calendar. Blocking off time can help you make sure you do them.
Now, whether you plan to have coffee, lunch or other shared activity, here are some trust boosting things you may want to consider.
Get to know the person on a more personal level. Learn more about the person’s career aspirations, work-related concerns, family, and hobbies, and share similar information about yourself.
Show sincere interest by listening well and continuing the flow of the conversation based on what the other is saying. Try listening more than talking.
Take note of things done well by the person, or effort made, and give recognition in public. Give credit where credit is due. A short praise and pat on the back in front of the team can go a long way to boost the person’s confidence and nurture trust.
Show appreciation when the person may have done more. Often, a simple “Thank you” or acknowledgment like, “I appreciate (and then mention what you appreciate)” communicates that you don’t take the person for granted.
If you notice that the person seems to be feeling stressed or you sense that something may be amiss, take time to inquire and offer help, if that makes sense, or just be the listening ear.
Get ideas and inputs of the person on pertinent matters such as a challenging issue or problem that she can contribute to solving. This communicates that you care about and value her ideas.
Last but not least, follow through on what you say you will do. And, in case you forget, apologizing and making up for it can help you recover a bit of possible loss in trust.
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