Integrity

“I don't assume anything about people, and I sure don't trust 'em. Just when you think you know a guy, he turns out to be a liar, a fraud, or a backstabber.”
~ Jason Brannon

Trust is SO important to building an effective team. We have to be able to trust people’s intentions (e.g., they want good outcomes for us, etc.) and their competence (e.g., they actually know how to use that chainsaw safely).

Consider where you have blind spots in this, because we all have them.

Some of us naturally just want to trust people. We want what they have told us to be true. This is a problem if the other person is a skilled liar and knows what you want to hear.

Others of us have an innate suspicion of people. We don’t trust people who have not proven themselves trustworthy. This is a problem if the other person is offended or feels disrespected by that lack of trust—it’s hard to build a team with someone who feels this way.

Russians have a proverb: “доверяй, но проверяй” (“doveryay, no proveryay”). You’ve probably heard it in English as “trust, but verify.” In my professional experience, this means things like:

• Give your people corporate credit cards for professional travel expenses, but set a spending limit and check the monthly statements.

• Specify what each party is required to do and the consequences for non-compliance when drafting a contract. I like contracts that are so fair to all parties that I would be comfortable signing on either side, but that have serious penalties for any party that does not live up to contractual obligations.

• Be a role model for integrity and competence. Tell the truth; follow through on your commitments; don’t exaggerate your knowledge or experience.

(image source: https://quotestats.com/topic/hes-a-liar-quotes/)