Tenants of Trust: Building Collaborative Work Relationships

Relationships are built and sustained because of trust-building behaviors demonstrated by the leader and the work team. Likewise, many work relationships have been destroyed by trust-eroding behaviors. One of the most important roles of the leader is to build collaborative partnerships in the workplace. Collaborative activities help to engage employees in the decision-making activities that affect how they get their work done as well as build trust between employees and management. By sharing ideas and designing solutions to workplace challenges, employees feel appreciated, respected, and valued. Collaboration—working synergistically together to achieve a common goal—is one of the most essential factors needed to build and sustain business results. At the core of collaboration is trust.