Do You Trust Me?

Trust. No team can function without it. As a PM stepping into a new project you'll have to work to earn it.

Where to begin? By setting an early precedent that you are reliable and can keep commitments. Within the first 24 hours you need to be demonstrating that you deliver on promises. This can be as simple as adding people who need to charge time to the project into the billing program, or emailing requested documents. The point is to communicate right away that you follow through on commitments.

Imagine the alternative. Let's say you've made a loan to a friend, where they promise to pay you back in installments on the first of each month. Then the first payment date arrives, and …..nothing. Perhaps they just plain forgot and you get the check a few days later. Even if they make the next few payments on time, in the back of your mind, that first impression of unreliability still lingers. Whenever the first of the month arrives, you will still have some doubts about whether or not the check will show up.

A project manager can cement their trustworthiness by reversing this psychology. Reply immediately to emails and voice mails from your project team members. Jump on any problems and make the team aware that you are escalating them or digging for information. Distribute detailed meeting minutes that show you have invested time to get fully up to speed on the project's technology, issues, and action items. And do everything visibly. The message you are sending to the team is that you care, you are responsive, and you can clear roadblocks.

The ultimate goal is not just an environment where everybody trusts YOU, but a team culture where everyone keeps their commitments to each other. So after you've set this precedent, you need to maintain and expand it. Creating more interim delivery dates (mini-milestones,) for example, provides additional opportunity to demonstrate reliability. And publicly recognizing and reinforcing compliance with these delivery dates communicates the priority you give to them.

Lack of trust on a project can result in team members who won't share information, withdraw effort or just do the minimum, or discount others' contributions. And when a team doesn't trust their project manager, delivering a successful project is nearly impossible. Prove your reliability as quickly and publicly as possible and you are off to a great start. Reinforce the importance of reliability among the entire team and you foster a culture of commitment.