Leaders run the gamut of comfort level when it comes to building trust with their teams. During this sheltering in place with many working from home, those who are intentionally reaching out to their team members, truly paying attention to verbal and non-verbal responses — and being transparent about themselves — are building camaraderie, experiencing breakthroughs.
“Bonnie” is asking her team different questions. We talked about questions to generate different conversations to learn more about her people. They’ve become more cohesive as they’re getting to know each other better. She had a real awakening. As she’s talked more freely about team members’ strengths and possibilities, she also opened up about herself. This changed how she was perceived. They now view her as having a heart compared to how she was “back at the office.” She’s thrilled with this breakthrough and committed to being more of her true self going forward.
“Andrea” doesn’t want to bother her peopleby calling them. She cares about them as individuals, but she knows they’re swamped dealing with home life on top of work demands. She believes some would welcome her call but dreads calling those who are private about their personal life. At the office, she’d easily stop at their cubicle to ask how they’re doing. She reads body language to know whether to keep it brief. She’s decided she’ll call the easy ones first and work up to the others. We talked about how trust grows from more than one experience.
“Donna” doesn’t turn on her video because she’s uncomfortable being that visible. She and her husband are juggling workspace, quiet time for conference calls, and caring for their little ones who need a lot of attention. Her home is always a mess and she doesn’t want that to be seen. Plus, she can move around easily with just a headset. What impact do you think not being on video may have on her team and in larger group meetings?
Connecting virtually with your people may be easy for you or it may bring a set of challenges. Where are you on the spectrum?
