How to Build Trust on Your Team

Trust is often discussed yet rarely understood. We tend to think of it as reliability or honesty, but in the context of team dynamics, trust has a more powerful definition: the willingness to be vulnerable with one another. When people feel safe enough to be open about mistakes, uncertainties, and weaknesses, collaboration becomes easier, conflict becomes more productive, and results become far more achievable.

“Trust is the foundation of real teamwork.” — Patrick Lencioni

So how do we actually build that kind of trust?

Below are three core practices that strengthen trust on any team, along with practical insights to help you begin.

1. Trust Begins With Self-Reflection

Before we talk about team dynamics, it’s worth pausing to consider your own experiences with trust — both giving and receiving it.

How did it feel when someone broke your trust?
How did it feel when you broke someone else’s?
What happened to the relationship afterward?
Was repair possible? And if so, what made repair work?

Reflection gives us context for how trust shows up in our own behavior.
And whether you lead a team, collaborate across departments, or influence from the middle, one thing is true:

You cannot cultivate trust externally if you haven’t examined it internally.

Strong working relationships are built, not assumed — and trust is the foundation every other skill sits on.

2. Vulnerability Builds Connection (and It’s Not What You Think)

Most people don’t show up to work thinking, “Let’s be vulnerable today!” (For good reason.)

But in the workplace, vulnerability isn’t about oversharing — it’s about being authentic enough that others can understand you. When you’re willing to share context about:

what motivates you
what stresses you out
how you prefer to communicate
where you struggle

…you give others a framework for interacting with you more effectively. That transparency builds psychological safety — the first ingredient of trust.

Vulnerability isn’t softness. It’s clarity. And clarity is a form of strength.

3. Personality Shapes Trust — Learn How Your Style Impacts Others

A significant part of trust-building lies in understanding the different ways people naturally show up.

Using a framework like Everything DiSC™ can help teams learn about motivators, priorities, and stress behaviors. Not to box people in, but to create shared language around how different styles collaborate.

Here’s a simple way to think about the four DiSC styles:

Dominance (D): Results-focused, decisive, fast-moving. May appear blunt or impatient under stress.
Influence (i): Social, enthusiastic, expressive. May overlook details or commitments when overloaded.
Steadiness (S): Supportive, calm, relationship-driven. May resist change or avoid conflict.
Conscientiousness (C): Analytical, detail-oriented, thorough. May seem skeptical or slow to commit without data.

Understanding these differences helps us see behavior not as personal, but contextual. And contextual understanding is what allows trust to grow.

4. Get to Know Your Team as Humans, Not Just Roles

Trust doesn’t develop through job titles or skill sets — it develops through connection.

People want to be seen, known, and valued.
That doesn’t require deep personal disclosures; it requires human curiosity:

Where did they grow up?
What brings them energy?
What are their career goals?
What pressures or realities shape their day-to-day?

When you understand who people are — not just what they do — you gain insight into how to support them, motivate them, and collaborate with them.

And trust grows naturally from there.

Putting It All Together

Building trust isn’t a single action; it’s a series of small, consistent choices.
When you practice self-reflection, show authentic vulnerability, stay aware of personality differences, and get to know the people behind the roles, trust becomes a natural outcome rather than a forced initiative.

Each of us is responsible for creating trust on our teams. Start small — choose one practice to focus on each week, and let it become part of your rhythm. Over time, those habits compound. And if you want a team that communicates openly, collaborates honestly, and solves problems effectively, trust isn’t optional.

It’s the work.