Building Trust: The Foundation of High-Performing Teams
Do you remember the last time you felt completely safe sharing a half-baked idea at work? Or admitting a mistake without fear of judgment? If you're drawing a blank, you're not alone.
Harvard professor Amy Edmondson defines psychological safety as "a belief that one will not be punished or humiliated for speaking up with ideas, questions, concerns, or mistakes." While this concept has gained traction in management circles and HR communities, many leaders struggle to translate it into everyday practice.
Enter trust - psychological safety's more approachable cousin.
"Know the science of psychological safety, develop the skills to leverage it with your team, and use the language of trust,” advises Dr. Vijay Pendakur on our recent EZRA Asks podcast.
While psychological safety describes the team climate, trust represents the behavioural foundation that makes such safety possible. Research from organizational psychology shows that trust works on two levels - how we think and how we feel - which directly affects team performance and innovation.
Pendakur underscores the value of trust in a workplace setting, suggesting that “we have to find the language that sits very close to the sense of urgency and the use case for your context." He adds, "I find that right now trust does that work in ways that psychological safety doesn't."
Why Trust Matters Now More Than Ever
In today's rapidly changing workplace, teams need to innovate, adapt, and sometimes fail fast to succeed. However, people will likely avoid taking risks or sharing novel ideas if they don't trust their environment.
The cost of low trust is steep. Teams where trust is absent often experience:
Reduced creativity and innovation
Increased stress and burnout
Higher turnover
Lower productivity
Missed opportunities for learning from mistakes
Building Trust: Where to Start
The good news? Trust can be actively cultivated. Here are practical strategies leaders can implement today:
Model Vulnerability: Start by sharing your own challenges and learnings. When leaders admit mistakes or uncertainties, it signals that it's safe for others to do the same.
Listen Actively: Show genuine curiosity about your team's ideas and concerns. As Pendakur notes, "Active listening isn't just about hearing words - it's about creating space for authentic dialogue."
Follow Through: Trust builds when words match actions. If you say you'll do something, do it. If plans change, explain why.
Celebrate Learning from Failure: Rather than focusing solely on successes, acknowledge the valuable insights that come from setbacks. Ask: "What did we learn? How can we grow from this?"
Beyond Trust: The Bigger Picture
While trust is fundamental, it's just one piece of the high-performing team puzzle. Other key elements include:
Clear shared purpose
Healthy conflict norms
Accountability frameworks
Recognition of diverse perspectives
"Trust creates the foundation," Pendakur explains, "but teams need multiple pillars to reach their full potential."
“Transparency precedes trust is a three-word phrase,” Pendakur explains, “that you can hang on to as a leader even when you're living through the slow motion earthquake.”
Making It Practical
Consider this scenario: Your team member misses an important deadline. In a low-trust environment, the response might be punishment or public criticism. In a high-trust environment, it becomes an opportunity for open dialogue:
What obstacles did they face?
What support do they need?
How can the team learn from this?
This approach doesn't ignore accountability - instead, it reframes challenges as opportunities for growth and improvement.
The Path Forward
Building trust isn't a one-time exercise - it's an ongoing practice that requires intention and attention. Start small, be consistent, and watch how small changes in your leadership approach can transform team dynamics.
Ready to dive deeper into building high-performing teams? Listen to our full conversation with Dr. Vijay Pendakur on EZRA Asks. For more insights, check out his book The Alchemy of Talent: Mastering the Five Elements of High-Performing Teams.
Remember: Creating an environment of trust isn't just good for people - it's good for business. When team members feel safe to bring their full selves to work, innovation flourishes, engagement soars, and results follow.
References
"A belief that one will not be punished..." - Edmondson, A. C. (1999). Psychological safety and learning behavior in work teams. Administrative Science Quarterly, 44(2), 350-383. [https://web.mit.edu/curhan/www/docs/Articles/15341_Readings/Group_Performance/Edmondson%20Psychological%20safety.pdf]
"Neuroscience of Trust" section - Zak, P. J. (2017). The neuroscience of trust. Harvard Business Review, 95(1), 84-90. [https://hbr.org/2017/01/the-neuroscience-of-trust]
Mirror neurons and leadership - Boyatzis, R. E., & Jack, A. I. (2018). The neuroscience of coaching. Consulting Psychology Journal: Practice and Research, 70(1), 11-27.
Growth mindset research - Dweck, C. S. (2008). Mindset: The new psychology of success. Random House Digital, Inc.
Psychological safety and team performance - Frazier, M. L., Fainshmidt, S., Klinger, R. L., Pezeshkan, A., & Vracheva, V. (2017). Psychological safety: A meta‐analytic review and extension. Personnel Psychology, 70(1), 113-165.
Team effectiveness research - Salas, E., Reyes, D. L., & McDaniel, S. H. (2018). The science of teamwork: Progress, reflections, and the road ahead. American Psychologist, 73(4), 593.
Trust and organizational performance - De Jong, B. A., Dirks, K. T., & Gillespie, N. (2016). Trust and team performance: A meta-analysis of main effects, moderators, and covariates. Journal of Applied Psychology, 101(8), 1134.
Active listening and brain activity - Kawasaki, M., Yamada, Y., Ushiku, Y., Miyauchi, E., & Yamaguchi, Y. (2013). Inter-brain synchronization during coordination of speech rhythm in human-to-human social interaction. Scientific Reports, 3(1), 1-8.
System thinking approach - Senge, P. M. (2006). The fifth discipline: The art and practice of the learning organization. Currency.
For any statistics mentioned, we should cite relevant Gallup or Deloitte Human Capital Trends reports from the most recent year available.