Three Foundations for Building Trust (with Yourself AND Your Team!)

Trust is the antidote to many challenges on the manufacturing floor, from combating team disconnect to improving your own behavior as a leader. Building trust, in both yourself and your team, can be a long journey... and luckily, you don’t have to navigate it alone! To build trust in your organization, one great resource is Your Road to Yes: How to Build Trust in Yourself and With Others by speaker and leadership presence expert Justin Patton. In his book, Justin offers a roadmap for building trust and creating a culture where everyone can show up as their best self.

Justin was also a recent guest on the Mindfulness Manufacturing podcast, where he shared more of the lessons in Your Road to Yes and offered three foundations leaders can use to get started on improving trust in their organization.

Foundation #1: Transparency

When problems occur on the floor, it’s often due to a lack of information. When people don’t have all the information they need, they resort to making up stories or filling the blanks in with fear. This can contribute to an environment of distrust or even hostility, leading to issues like disconnect and toxic relationships.

As a leader, you can create a more transparent environment by speaking your truth. Have the courage to speak to your team about important matters, and don’t shy away from vulnerability. By being open and honest, you’ll build trust and create a greater sense of transparency for your entire team.

Foundation #2: Tact

“I just tell it like it is!” You’ve probably heard a saying like this, or even expressed a similar sentiment yourself. But even though you think you might be practicing transparency, “telling it like is” can make you come across as a downright jerk.

When speaking your truth, you should also employ tact. Think about what you need to say before you say it. Consider the mindset and perspective of the other person to meet them where they are and find the best way to communicate with them. You can still say what you need to say, but remember to take accountability for how you deliver it.

Foundation #3: Togetherness

As a leader, you don’t have to make grand gestures to build trust on your team. Trust happens in small moments. You can build trust with a team member simply by taking the time to say good morning, wishing them a happy birthday, or checking in when they’re having a difficult time.

Small moments like these make others feel seen, which plays a valuable role in building trust. To grow trust, ask yourself: “how can I make others feel seen?” Take the time to connect with others on your team in meaningful ways, and you’ll find small moments can lead to big changes.

Learn More on the Podcast

To learn more about trust with Justin Patton, you can listen to his episode of Mindfulness Manufacturing here. You can also check out my book report of Your Road to Yes and Justin’s recently-released The High-Impact Manager.

Mindfulness Manufacturing

Our show is about providing listeners with real stories that come from a place of experience, transparency, and authenticity. Most importantly it’s about what we learn from these stories and applying Mindfulness in our everyday work and personal lives.
Our intention is to create an environment where people can learn through open honest discussions on how we apply Mindfulness. Although our experiences and stories come from time in a manufacturing environment hence the title “Mindfulness Manufacturing”, we still see our discussions and topics relatable to any organization or profession.

What’s the secret to retaining your team members and creating an organization where people love to work? DigiKey, an electronic component manufacturing organization in Thief River Falls, Minnesota has it all figured out—and Shane Zutz, DigiKey’s vice president of human resources, is here to share the stories and insights behind DigiKey’s success!

In this episode, Shane shares stories highlighting the importance of curiosity, empathy, and leadership presence, and offers simple-yet-powerful strategies manufacturing leaders can put into action to build trust, accountability, and stronger connections at their own plant.

5:12 – Building a better organization starts with being present and making personal connections

8:13 – If your organization is in a small community, making personal connections is extremely important

9:00 – To find curious ways to engage your team, one strategy is to create a list of questions to ask

13:30 – With a strong foundation, you’ll be better equipped to tackle challenges or crises

15:11 – There is a lot of value in simple gestures, like greeting your team in the morning

18:12 – Personalization goes a long way

22:41 Show care and concern for your team members

Connect with Shane Zutz

Learn more about Digikey

Connect with Shane on LinkedIn and reach out to get added to his newsletter

Thanks for Listening!

Thanks for tuning it to another episode of Mindfulness Manufacturing! To learn more about Trevor Blondeel and Manufacturing Greatness, please visit our website or contact Trevor here.