“Whether you’re on a sports team, in an office or a member of a family, if you can’t trust one another there’s going to be trouble.”
― Stephen M.R. Covey, The SPEED of Trust: The One Thing that Changes Everything
We spent all day hiking through the bamboo forests on the north coast of Maui. My wife and I are on vacation in Maui and here I am writing a blog to the sounds of ocean waves crashing right outside my balcony. Yes, I know, I should unplug. If that’s not bad enough, as soon as I finish this, I’m going to dabble with a few logos that need to be worked on for clients that can’t wait until I get back. On the plane ride I worked on some design ideas and wrote a proposal. Being an entrepreneur means you’re always “on”. It means that you are maintaining relationships and always delivering more than expected. Most of all, my clients TRUST me. If they need something done before I get back, they know it will get taken care of. They know I travel with my MacBook Pro. I open up virtual PD offices all over the world: France, San Francisco, DR, PR, now Hawaii – yes, if I’m working from my hotel room then that is now an official PD satellite office. The main HQ back home is always in full swing. I trust that my team back home is holding down the fort. My clients trust my team. Fostering trust amongst your team and your clients is vital. Its vital to all relationships.
Flashback earlier today and we’re driving along the north coast of Maui on the twisty, amazingly beautiful, treacherous and infamous Road to Hana. I was behind the wheel zooming along in a rented red (branding) Camaro convertible hugging the curves while my wife calmly co-piloted, checking the tourist map and her iPhone simultaneously. She knew I wasn’t going to go too fast or swerve to hard to put us in any danger. I trusted that she knew which road we should be on. Later on as we hiked through the dense bamboo forest in search of a series of waterfalls and waterholes that became increasingly difficult to access, I had even more time to ponder this idea of trust and how vital it is to teamwork.
Trust in Families:
We worked as a team all day, for example, to access one of the waterfalls, there was a rope that had been left to help climbers up the rocky terrain. I went up first and kept the rope taut so that it would be easier for her to climb. On another incline, there was a man-made ladder that was precariously perched against the face of the cliff. I went up first then waited for her at the top, and made sure the ladder was stable and made sure she was OK. If I ever went too far ahead, she trusted that I would wait for her. On our way back towards the car, she pointed to an “X” she had made with sticks and motioned to me that I was going the wrong way. I didn’t question her – I auto-corrected my steps and followed her lead. I trusted that she knew where she was going. We bonded. Our relationship got stronger through teamwork.
“The first job of a leader—at work or at home—is to inspire trust. It’s to bring out the best in people by entrusting them with meaningful stewardships, and to create an environment in which high-trust interaction inspires creativity and possibility.”
― Stephen M.R. Covey, The SPEED of Trust: The One Thing that Changes Everything
We left our two adult kids at home (we did feel guilty for a split second) even though they would’ve loved to come along with us. We have to trust that they will do the right thing, even when we’re not home. We have to trust that they’ll turn lights out when they leave the house, that they won’t have raging parties, that they will take care of the dog and that they won’t come home too late. We have to trust that they will do the things they need to do. We give them responsibility and we give them the benefit of the doubt. We empower them and then we TRUST them.
Trust at Work:
When you make the leap from a one-man shop that hires freelancers to becoming the founder of a company that has an in-house team of full-time employees you have to trust the people that you hire. They become an extension of you and as a result, as you grow your team, your clients will trust them by default – because they trust you. You foster a culture of teamwork and you don’t micromanage. You set expectations and you lead by example. The beauty of building a team and running a business is that even when you are not there, the business can still run. Your clients can still be serviced and deliverables will remain on track. Spending the day hiking made me think how great it would be if I could organize an activity with my team where we could do some team-building. Not the cliché corporate team building where a co-worker falls backwards and he/she is caught by another co-worker, but perhaps doing something a bit more exhilarating like zip-lining or perhaps doing a hike or trying out one of those outdoor obstacle course places. I’m inspired to go back to the office and plan some fun trust-building, team-building offsite activity.
“Without trust there’s less innovation, collaboration, creative thinking, and productivity, and people spend their time protecting themselves and their interests – this is time that should be spent helping the group attain its goals.” –MindTools
At the office, I know that when I’m away, the work will still get done, but I believe that we could all benefit from getting out of the office for some team-building (No, the next company field trip won’t be to Maui). Trust is the glue that fosters creativity and safety within the company so that people aren’t operating on fear. Trust your team, at work and at home, and you will do great things together.
Resources:
Building Trust Inside Your Team
https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/building-trust-team.htm
15 Quotes to Inspire Great Teamwork
https://www.inc.com/dave-kerpen/15-quotes-to-inspire-great-team-work.html
Team Building Activities
https://www.huddle.com/blog/team-building-activities/
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Ramon has over 20 years of experience in award-winning, market-proven, print collateral, marketing material, iphone/ipad app and website design specializing in corporate identity and branding. Ramon’s passion for entrepreneurial design was borne out of 10 years as Creative Director for Jay Walker at Walker Digital, the Stamford based idea laboratory and business incubator holding over 300 US Patents. Ramon served as Senior Art Director on the start-up launch team behind Priceline.com, a Walker company and invention. Most recently, Ramon’s logo and identity work was selected to be published in “Typography and Enclosures” the fourth book in the Master Library series by LogoLounge.
Need help with your brand identity or want to overhaul your existing brand? Need a responsive cutting edge web development project completed? Contact: ramon@server.peraltadev.com/peraltadesign