Can You Succeed
Where There is No Trust?
By Rick Griffin, PMP

Oh, what a world we live in today. You and your project team have probably been a witness to the dismantling of Trust within your environment. Whether it came through a merger or acquisition, or perhaps it was saying good luck to friends, compatriots, and colleagues as they were the casualties of “rightsizing.” Maybe you observed apathetic leadership as they waited around for their golden parachute, or a a major criminal or ethic scandal placed your company in the headlines. You may have survived a leadership change that made the 100-day march seem like a ride on the lazy river. All of these events have unfortunately created environments that you and your teams work in where the nature, the concept, and even the word “Trust” does not seem to exist.

Trust is central to the experience, morale, and success of your project. Instilling Trust in the team means instilling a confidence and comfortableness with the notion that the team members can be successful under their own terms. Your team can come to work in an environment where they can work on something they feel comfortable with and be a part of a result that matters. It is a Project Manager’s job to create that culture of Trust.

So, what can a Project Manager do when everything points to an environment that doesn’t have Trust? As referenced above, there can be many factors beyond your control that can cause a culture absent of Trust, however there are also many factors under your control, such as your actions, your environment, and even your project team, that can be used to instill trust.

First, let’s start with you. Are you Trustworthy? Do you perform your job responsibilities with the highest professional ethics and standards? Do you play into the “victim disease” of the environment? Do you enjoy the gossip, speculation, or rumor mill game? Are you accountable for your success or is it all up to “them?” Are you a role model for what an employee should be in your world? Do you always seek out the best resources for your project or do you try to only get your friends on the team whether they are the best or not? Do you follow through? Do you expect and trust others to follow through? We all know the correct answers to these questions, and our actions must follow our beliefs. Changing the way you act as a project manager will go a long way to creating Trust.

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