‘Trust’ – why it really matters for your teams during lockdown

We want to encourage you to really consider ‘Trust’ at the moment. Many teams are working remotely and that can feel like there is a lack of control over what people are doing, when in reality the only person we ever can control is ourself! So more than ever we need to trust and enable people to do that. Ensuring people are working when they can work, on what they can manage to focus on at that point and recognising they may need to work at different times to others, dependent on the responsibilities they have: home schooling; caring for others; shopping for essentials or taking their daily exercise.

We all need to trust ourselves to know what we need at this current time. If that is to, for example:

• stop working
• sit quietly
• open the window
• get outside
• get some exercise
• do a quick piece of work rather than something that needs lots of concentration

then we need to trust that we do have the ability / option to choose to do just that. To use this opportunity to learn to increase our awareness, to notice what we need and what we can do for ourselves.

How do you manage this?

For managers, it is also about creating a space where people feel they can trust them – so they can be open and ask for what they need. We encourage organisations to support their managers in this and to also ensure that the managers themselves have someone they can go to, who they trust, to share with. We all need that now more than ever. That goes for HR people too – we know they have been under immense pressure to get things sorted, to have all the answers and to support others. We recognise their need is of equal importance for a healthy organisation going forward.

As Brene Brown says in her book ‘The power of vulnerability’: “Vulnerability is not winning or losing; it’s having the courage to show up and be seen when we have no control over the outcome. Vulnerability is not weakness; it’s our greatest measure of courage”.

How do you cultivate trust for yourself?

Use our tools on breathing and being present to help tune into yourself to grow your awareness. Becoming more self-aware can be uncomfortable but, identifying whatever you’re thinking or feeling that impacts your ability to be the person you wish to be in the world, allows you to release those constraints. This will help you not only gain what you need but will enhance your ability to listen, trust and so give your people what they need too.