Collaboration is fun! I would also say that collaboration is key to accomplishing goals. Today, teamwork is the engine of nearly every enterprise. As a result, working effectively with team members is vitally important. We all want to team up with people who are talented, competent, and trustworthy. Working with coworkers like these feels a lot like working with your friends. Hopefully, you have that. But what do you do when you have to work with someone you don’t trust? It can be difficult. Before we get into how to fix it, let’s talk about how trust can be lost. Here are a few examples.
- Trust is lost when a person puts their reputation above the reputation of others, no matter the cost.
- Trust is lost when someone exaggerates the truth to save face.
- Trust is lost when someone is more concerned with promoting themselves than they are with promoting the team.
- Accept that you can’t choose someone else’s values. You know what you believe is true and right, but other people have a different lens through which they see the world. One of the keys to working with someone you don’t trust is to accept the fact that they don’t think the way that you do. You can’t force someone to live out your core values. Don’t let the job you have to do get lost in the frustration of trying to make someone think like you.
- Be a great listener. Remember they may see the world differently. Don’t be quick to conclude what your teammate may mean by their statements. Life Coaches are trained to spend 80% of their time on input skills and 20% on output. In other words, listen more and talk less. The more understanding you have, the better your relationship will be.
- When things are said or done that you don’t agree with, clarify the standard of measurement. What you are interpreting as an exaggeration may just be a misunderstanding. Make sure you both have the same definition of success before drawing a conclusion. This also provides healthy means of confrontation that results in clarity instead of hostility.
- Maintain open and honest communication. If you have questions or concerns, don’t be afraid to voice them. Be careful not to compromise your honesty and integrity just because it isn’t being reciprocated. Share your concerns kindly and be professional. Be positive!
- Be as public as possible. Make your roles in the joint project as visible and defined as possible. You will protect yourself from losing credibility if others are able to see that your responsibilities have been executed with excellence.
- Do your part when you work together. Let your work speak for itself. As I have previously stated, your credibility and reputation will be guarded by the excellence of your work. Work hard and be sure to do your part.
- Live your core values. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, you handle you! Be true to your core values and let those guide you. Don’t allow the shortcomings of someone else change the culture of your team or workplace.
