The Fastest Way to Build Trust at Work

I just found out I’ve been working wrong for years.

As a freelance digital product designer, I jump around from team to team every few months. I’ve experienced many different leadership styles and team dynamics. Up until last month, I strongly believed that the way to build trust among a creative team at work is to be really good at executing.

Whatever your job may be, “executing” means doing the verb (design, produce, write, make, manage, film, edit). I’m good at coming up with ideas. explaining them, and bringing them to life visually.

And I hide by creating a big presentation to show my work. I think about it like a magician pulling off the velvet sheet to reveal something amazing. Except when I do it, I’ve withheld ideas and designs in order to get a more dramatic reaction. I hide in my presentations because it allows the conversation to be about the presentation more than the work.

That hiding is because I have a fear of getting feedback. It makes me feel like my work isn’t good enough, which makes me feel that I am not good enough.

It can be scary to get feedback that I don’t want. It might also mean more work or a feeling of guilt or shame. So I avoid getting feedback on my work and definitely would never ask for unscheduled feedback from a boss or teammate.

I believed that I could build trust by consistently performing at a high level on a consistent basis. But what I learned in the last two weeks is actually the opposite is true.

I don’t need to be an elite designer.

I can perform at an average level, but if I’m open to asking for feedback and help, I can build trust faster.

Not a paid endorsement, I just really liked the book

Researcher and author Brené Brown in her research and latest book “Dare to Lead” establishes that managers are more likely to give challenging and exciting projects to people they know will ask for feedback and help. That teams grow stronger when there’s a culture of asking questions, being generous with feedback, and being open to improving.

(There’s more to trust–read the book–but that’s a good start.)

So I’m learning to ask for feedback more.

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