Creating a Culture of Openness and Honesty
Building Your Team's Brooklyn Bridge From Skepticism to Solid Support
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Trust is the invisible infrastructure that supports every successful team. Without it, even the most talented groups will struggle to achieve their potential. With it, teams can overcome seemingly insurmountable challenges. As a leader, your ability to build and maintain trust isn't just a nice-to-have skill—it's fundamental to your success and the success of your organization.
I've seen firsthand how trust transforms teams. In manufacturing environments where precision matters, in high-stakes negotiations where relationships are tested, and in program management where complex interdependencies require seamless coordination—trust has always been the differentiator between teams that excel and those that merely survive.
Why Trust Matters
Trust isn't just a feel-good concept; it's a business imperative with measurable impacts on performance. Teams with high trust experience:
Faster decision-making: When team members trust each other, they spend less time second-guessing motives and more time focusing on solutions.
Greater innovation: In environments where people trust they won't be criticized for taking risks, creativity flourishes.
Improved retention: People stay in environments where they feel valued and trusted.
Higher productivity: When micromanagement is replaced with trust, efficiency naturally increases.
As Patrick Lencioni notes in The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, the absence of trust is the foundation of team dysfunction. When trust is lacking, team members invest energy in self-protection rather than collective success.
The Bridge of Trust: A Lesson from History
The concept of trust in leadership can be illustrated through the story of the Brooklyn Bridge's construction. In 1869, John Roebling, the chief engineer, died in an accident during the early phases of the project. His son, Washington Roebling, took over but soon became bedridden from decompression sickness while working in the caissons underwater.
Rather than abandoning the project, Washington continued to lead from his bedroom with the help of his wife, Emily. For over a decade, Emily served as the liaison between Washington and the construction team, relaying instructions and bringing back questions. The workers never saw their chief engineer, yet they trusted his direction completely.
This arrangement required extraordinary trust—trust that Washington knew what he was doing despite his inability to be physically present, trust from Washington that his workers would execute his vision correctly, and trust from everyone that Emily was accurately communicating information in both directions.
When the Brooklyn Bridge was completed in 1883, it stood as both an engineering marvel and a testament to what can be achieved when trust binds a team together, even in the most challenging circumstances. The bridge has now stood for over 140 years—a lasting monument to the power of trust.
The Foundations of Trust
Trust isn't built overnight. It's constructed methodically through consistent actions and behaviors:
1. Transparency as a Core Value
Open communication is the cornerstone of trust. Leaders who share information freely—about successes and failures alike—create an environment where transparency is valued. This doesn't mean sharing everything indiscriminately, but rather ensuring that team members have the context they need to understand decisions and feel included in the organization's journey.
In my experience, transparency is particularly crucial during challenging times. I once led a team through a significant production setback. Rather than hiding the severity of the issue, I shared the full scope of the problem, our constraints, and the potential impacts on timelines. This honesty, though initially uncomfortable, allowed the team to rally around solutions rather than waste energy speculating about what was really happening.
2. Vulnerability as Strength
Many leaders mistakenly believe that admitting weakness undermines their authority. The opposite is true. When leaders demonstrate vulnerability—acknowledging when they don't have all the answers or have made mistakes—they create space for others to do the same.
As I discussed in my post on keeping a 'failure log', documenting and reflecting on failures is a powerful tool for growth. By openly sharing these reflections with your team, you normalize vulnerability and transform it from a perceived weakness into a genuine strength.
3. Reliability Through Consistency
Trust requires reliability. When leaders follow through on commitments, they build credibility. Even small inconsistencies between words and actions can erode trust significantly. This means being mindful of the promises you make and ensuring you can deliver on them.
This extends to how you respond to challenges as well. As I’ve written about before, your team takes cues from your behavior under pressure. Consistent, measured responses to stress demonstrate reliability that builds trust over time.
4. Empowerment Through Delegation
True empowerment comes from delegation coupled with trust. This isn't about assigning tasks and then micromanaging their execution. It's about providing clear objectives, necessary resources, and then trusting your team to find the best path forward.
Remember that effective delegation is about building leaders, not just distributing work. When you trust team members with meaningful responsibilities, you communicate confidence in their abilities and create opportunities for growth.
Creating a Culture of Constructive Feedback
A trusting environment allows for honest, direct feedback without fear of reprisal. This bidirectional feedback—both giving and receiving—is essential for growth and continuous improvement.
Giving Feedback
When giving feedback, focus on being specific, timely, and constructive. Frame feedback as an opportunity for growth rather than criticism. Use concrete examples and focus on behaviors rather than character.
For example, instead of saying, "You're not detail-oriented," try, "I noticed three calculation errors in the last report. What systems could we put in place to catch these before submission?"
Receiving Feedback
How leaders receive feedback sets the tone for the entire organization. When team members see that you welcome and act on feedback, they're more likely to do the same. This means actively soliciting input, listening without defensiveness, and demonstrating that you value the perspectives shared.
As I experienced first-hand, poor communication can lead to cascading failures. Encouraging your team to speak up when they see issues—and genuinely welcoming that input—prevents small problems from becoming major disasters.
Rebuilding Broken Trust
Despite our best intentions, trust can be damaged. The key is addressing breaches of trust quickly and directly:
Acknowledge the breach - Recognize what happened without minimizing or making excuses.
Take responsibility - Own your part in the situation, even if others were also involved.
Make amends - Take concrete actions to address the harm caused.
Commit to change - Outline specific steps you'll take to prevent similar issues in the future.
Be patient - Understand that rebuilding trust takes time and consistent effort.
Trust in Remote and Hybrid Teams
A couple months ago I moved into a new role where I no longer see my boss or my peers regularly. I’m learning that building trust in a distribute team presents unique challenges. Without regular face-to-face interaction, misinterpretations are more common, and relationships can be harder to establish.
These are some of the things I’ve found important to build trust in remote settings:
Increase communication frequency - Regular check-ins help maintain connection.
Be intentional about relationship-building - Create space for non-work conversations.
Default to trust - Avoid monitoring software or excessive check-ins that signal distrust.
Clarify expectations - Be explicit about deliverables, timelines, and availability.
The Ripple Effect of Trust
When you successfully build trust within your team, the effects extend far beyond day-to-day operations. A high-trust environment enables faster responses to market changes, more innovative problem-solving, and greater resilience during challenges.
Trust is the foundation that allows a team to unite around common goals. When team members trust their leader and each other, they're more willing to collaborate toward collective success rather than focusing solely on individual achievements.
From Theory to Practice
Here are some steps you can take to build trust within your own team:
Conduct a trust audit - Anonymously survey your team about current trust levels. Ask about transparency, reliability, and psychological safety to identify specific areas for improvement.
Implement "no-surprise" meetings - Before performance reviews or important discussions, share the agenda and key points in advance. This transparency reduces anxiety and builds trust.
Create a "mistake of the week" ritual - During team meetings, start by sharing a mistake you made and what you learned from it. This normalizes vulnerability and creates space for others to do the same.
Delegate a stretch assignment - Identify a high-potential team member and entrust them with a project slightly beyond their current capabilities. Provide support, but avoid micromanaging. This demonstrates your confidence in their abilities.
Practice "clean escalations" - Encourage team members to bring problems to you with potential solutions already identified. This builds problem-solving skills while ensuring issues aren't hidden.
Establish feedback norms - Create clear guidelines for how feedback should be given and received within your team. Practice these norms consistently to build comfort with direct communication.
Honor confidentiality rigorously - When team members share sensitive information, protect it scrupulously. Nothing destroys trust faster than broken confidences.
Schedule regular one-on-ones - Use these meetings not just for status updates, but to understand team members' perspectives, challenges, and aspirations. This demonstrates that you value them beyond their immediate contributions.
Building trust is the most valuable investment you can make as a leader. It doesn't happen overnight, but through consistent, intentional actions that demonstrate your commitment to creating an environment of openness and honesty. The returns—in performance, innovation, and satisfaction—are immeasurable.
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