On Trust Published March 17, 2021 By SMSgt Elise Phillips, First Sergeant, AF Life Cycle Management Center Trust is the foundation of any relationship whether that is with a significant other, friends, or within the work place. A lack of trust leads to an eroded mission while members struggle to find where they belong or who they can turn to for various items they may be experiencing. Trust is earned through actions more so than by words. Leaders are viewed in a fishbowl and expected to hold the highest standards of behavior and reliability in their words. Leaders set standards and enforce discipline by communicating their expectations. It is imperative that leaders practice what they preach to their teammates because if they fail to uphold the set standard then their team will ultimately lose trust in their word and abilities. Trust is gained by creating an inclusive environment with each teammate. A way to create an inclusive environment is to make an effort to get to know each of the members in the work center and identify their personal and professional goals. Teammates create a conducive work environment when they take a genuine interest in taking care of one another. Candid feedback that is geared to improve one’s performance generates a trusting relationship. Sharing knowledge in the work place and committing time to train members in their job will increase trust as members feel they are included in the environment. There are other ways that a leader can improve the trust among their team such as empowering each individual to have a voice and to solicit input on ways that the mission can be done in a more efficient way. Leaders who have the ability to be open-minded to their teams input will have greater opportunities to establish trust. Transparency in decisions creates open communication and allows the team to gain a better understanding as to why a decision was made. Trust is a critical component to the military mission in that all parties need to know that they can trust their teammate’s judgment, actions and decision making. Lastly, it is important that negative behaviors such as gossiping is stopped if it is occurring in the work place. Gossiping is a surefire way to degrade trust and cohesion while initiating anxiety amongst the targeted individual. The author Brené Brown describes gossip as a betrayer of trust and creates a toxic work environment. Ultimately, trust needs to be built from all parties in a work center by promoting open-mindedness to new ideas, solicit input, welcome feedback, create an inclusive environment of all members, and refrain from negative behaviors such as gossiping. The AFMC Connect article on Trust encourages each team to share a note or text of gratitude to another person in the work center. This is a great idea for each person to feel valued and to build trust among their peers.