Recently I was talking to a fellow entrepreneur and she said, “I wish I could just find someone I trust to work with me in my business.”
I was all, “Why? I didn’t trust any of my team when I hired them!”
That’s not to say I don’t trust them now. And when I hired them, I didn’t trust them yet, but I was excited and they all seemed like great hires.
But I believe when it comes to team building, trust is a cop out. NO ONE gets automatic trust in our lives, so why should an employee be any different?
Trust is an excuse
Trust is an excuse not to hire. If you wait for the person you just magically trust the moment you meet them, well… You’ll never have to hire anyone!
Instead, you need to identify the parameters of what you want someone to do, and then let them earn your trust. I decide to trust once a team member demonstrates that s/he completes the delegated tasks to my specifications. I trust when communication happens consistently. I trust when there is a track record of success.
How could you possibly trust someone before any of that takes place?
This doesn’t mean you don’t look for good character when you hire someone (of course you do). But relying on a feeling of trust is just going to muck you up when they make a mistake. Trust is an unfair measuring stick in an employee performance discussion. It’s like love at first sight: almost never reliable.
What to look for instead of trust
Trust is not a replacement for patience. Even the best employee is going to make mistakes, be part of miscommunications, and sometimes not live up to your expectations. And guess what? You aren’t perfect either. Most of the time when I find a mistake, I usually also find that I didn’t do a good job of defining expectations, timing, or my standards and preferences. My bad.
In fact, in my experience, when a business owner complains that she can’t find “trustworthy” employees, the fault actually lies with her. Either she, as the boss, hasn’t clearly defined what she wants the employee to do, including clear training and processes on how to do it, or she’s not giving them the chance to do it (and make mistakes, and learn), by jumping in and micromanaging every step because “it’s just easier to do it myself.”
Instead of hoping you find someone who “feels” trustworthy, start by getting organized so you don’t need to trust anyone:
- Identify the most easily delegated processes. You can download the worksheet for that here. These are usually low-risk tasks that take up a portion of time in your day, but are easily systematized and handed off to someone else. Think filing, scheduling social media updates, placing follow-up or reminder calls, etc.
- Create a standard outline for each process that helps you identify the things your team member needs to complete the process for you. The best way to do this is to literally sit down and do it yourself, noting each step of the process. You can do this in writing, or even just record your computer screen to show exactly what you do. Either way, just like a recipe, you want to document each step in detail.
- Add any communication pieces that help you know they are on track — don’t just automatically assume they will follow up the way you want them to. Some bosses want to be updated at every stage of the game; others prefer to be left out of the loop until it’s finished or a problem arises. Which do you prefer? Is it enough for someone to respond to a task request email with a single word, like “done” or do you want a detailed recap? Leader, know thyself; and then communicate it to your employee.
By doing these three steps first, you should have a really good idea of the skills needed and the hours required to perform the delegated items.
That means you can look for a person who will be a good fit — and you won’t have to look for that mythical “trust” feeling. If your person needs to understand how to use Hootsuite to schedule social media, have five hours a week to complete it, and be willing to email you when it’s done, that’s much more concrete than just being “trustworthy.”
Trust is earned. Trust takes time. You have to be willing to give a new team member the time to earn your trust. And being well prepared when they begin is a good step towards earning theirs.
Download your delegation worksheet here and start looking for the right team member (NOT the one you can “trust”) today.