Do you trust your team in the decision-making process? (139-4)

Leaders build trust within their team when they trust their judgment and empower them in the decision-making process. Read Proverbs 20:18.

A team is capable of accomplishing things no individual, no matter how multi-talented, could do alone. To function well, a team must be committed to a common vision and purpose, and must be willing to work as a unit for the improvement of the whole rather than the advancement of any one member.

There is no quicker way to destroy a team’s unity than to demonstrate mistrust for them. What may seem like a no-brainer situation i.e. “My name is on the door and in this case I must make the decision,” sends a signal to the team that they may be needed but they are not trusted. It is true that some decisions are more important than others but by separating decisions into categories of importance and trusting the team with only the little decisions, you have sent the signal that they are not intelligent enough to participate in important decision, only I am smart enough to come to conclusions in this case. That action is a trust buster and a team buster and you will never get the best the team has to offer.

If a team in fact can’t be trusted with decisions that impact your personal reputation, you may have the wrong team. If they have a track record of degrading your name, of continually overspending and hurting your reputation, of consistently paying invoices late when funds are available, or usurping credit, or untrustworthy actions in the community, the bigger question than can I trust them with this “more important” decision is why do you still have them on the team at all. If they are trustworthy and have proven that over time then why are they trustworthy with the “unimportant” decisions and not with the critical decisions?

In Proverbs 20:18 Solomon tells his team that he is willing to seek their advice and guidance to determine if the entire nation should wage war. The decision would mean potential loss of life, putting every family in the nation at risk and potentially putting the nation in a bondage situation should they lose the war. Most of us won’t make decisions with more weight. Solomon’s advice for leaders is to seek the team’s counsel. Even as king, a man directly accountable to God for his actions, Solomon chose to trust his team to improve his decision making.

Do you have decisions that are too important to allow the team to participate in – decisions you alone must make? Has your team proven untrustworthy? Effective leaders seek to understand team dynamics and do what it takes to build a team they can trust in all situations.