Nine Foundations of Trust

1. Care: Team members feel you care about them individually and as a group.

• Digs for others’ underlying interests and concerns. (SLI 2.3)

• Empathizes with others and notices people’s emotions. (SLI 2.5)

• Listens in a way that people feel heard. (SLI 2.6)

• Stays present and avoids cell phone and computer distractions. (SLI 4.2)

• Coaches, challenges and supports people to develop their skills and careers. (SLI 7.5)

• Does not talk negatively behind people’s backs (no triangulation). When they have an issue, they speak directly to the person. (SLI 7.7)

2. Affiliation: Team members feel connected to you as a leader and feel like they are on your team.

• Approachable and open to critical feedback on their ideas, decisions and leadership style. Willing to learn from mistakes. (SLI 2.2)

• Draws the quiet people out. (SLI 4.4)

• Brainstorms with others to generate creative solutions. (SLI 4.5)

• Motivates people to bring their best and strive for excellence. (SLI 7.1)

• When people are failing, offers support and resources (instead of beating them up). (SLI 7.3)

3. Appreciation: Team members feel their contribution is understood and valued. 

• Communicates and breaks down the vision so that people see how they fit in. (SLI 1.2)

• When tasks are completed, gives helpful feedback (both positive and negative). (SLI 6.7)

• Offers frequent and genuine appreciation for people’s contributions. (SLI 7.2)

• Debriefs issues. Assumes positive intent and helps others learn from mistakes. (SLI 7.4)

4. Autonomy: Team members have the freedom to express opinions, make decisions and work without being micromanaged.

• Renegotiates priorities with others when things change. Does not pile on new objectives without reprioritizing old olds. (SLI 1.5)

• Embraces creative conflict. Does not shy away from passionate debate. (SLI 4.3)

• Includes the right people in decision-making. (SLI 5.1)

• Proactively informs people who are impacted by decisions. (SLI 5.7)

• Allows people to fulfill their roles and make decisions without micromanaging them. (SLI 6.5)

5. Sincerity: Team members believe you are transparent and honest

• Clearly expresses where they stand on issues. (SLI 3.1)

• Shares their opinions and concerns, even if unpopular or lacking certainty. (SLI 3.2)

• Addresses challenging issues promptly. Names the elephant in the room. (SLI 3.4)

• Gives honest feedback. Shares their perspective when they are dissatisfied with people’s work. (SLI 3.5)

• Cleans up issues with others. Does not harbor resentment. (SLI 3.6)

6. Fairness: Team members feel equitably treated and that you make fair decisions.

• Brings curiosity and willingness to be influenced. (SLI 2.1)

• Listens to ideas fairly, regardless of who is presenting them. (SLI 2.4)

• Owns their opinions as opinions. Does not position their opinions as facts to prove their point. (SLI 3.3)

• Has sufficient understanding of an issue and others’ opinions before advocating for a specific solution. (SLI 4.6)

• Considers others’ opinions and concerns before deciding. Respects people’s roles and expertise. (SLI 5.2)

• Makes good and timely decisions. Takes appropriate risks even if all the information is not available. (SLI 5.4)

7. Reliability (Yours): Team members believe you will honor the commitments you make.

• Is clear when a decision is made and ensures full group alignment. Even if some people would have made a different decision, they “disagree and commit.” (SLI 5.5)

• Ensures commitments are clear, realistic, and agreed upon (who is doing what by when). (SLI 6.1)

• Does what they say they will do. Follows up. (SLI 6.2)

• Renegotiates when commitments are in jeopardy. Avoids surprising others with bad news or last-minute delays. (SLI 6.4)

8. Team Reliability (Through Managing Others): Team members believe your team will fulfill their commitments on time.

• Establishes clear next steps. (SLI 5.6)

• Tracks progress on commitments and ensures completion. (SLI 6.3)

• Holds people accountable. When commitments are missed, discusses what went wrong and gets a new commitment. (SLI 6.6)

• Ensures the right person is in the role, moving or letting people go when it’s the wrong fit. (SLI 6.8)

9. Capability: Team members believe you have the skills, decision-making capabilities and resources to fulfill your role.

• Embodies and shares a compelling vision of the future. (SLI 1.1)

• Establishes clear roadmaps that define the milestones & short-term future. (SLI 1.3)

• Establishes clear priorities so that people know what to work on. (SLI 1.4)

• Establishes key metrics and indicators to stay on track. (SLI 1.6)

• Leads effective meetings. Clarifies the objectives and avoids unnecessary rabbit holes. (SLI 4.1)

• Has a bias for action. Willing to try out ideas and see what is learned, eg. rapid prototyping. (SLI 5.3)

• Leads effective 1-on-1’s. (SLI 7.6)