No Trust, No Results: Here’s How To Fix It

Trust is the foundation that makes every other aspect of teamwork possible.

When trust is low, teams stall. People hesitate to ask for help, avoid hard conversations, or second-guess decisions.

But when trust is present? People speak up. Disagree. Pitch in. Move fast.

As a Five Behaviors facilitator, I have learned to start team engagements by building trust. Because you can’t build accountability, commitment, or results without trust as a fundamental first value.

How we build trust varies based on our style.

Here’s what each style is paying attention to when deciding, Can I trust this person?

• D-style (Dominance): Trusts those who are direct, confident, and focused on results.

• i-style (Influence): Builds trust through openness, friendliness, and personal connection.

• S-style (Steadiness): Looks for consistency, reliability, and patience before trusting.

• C-style (Conscientiousness): Trusts people who are logical, detail-oriented, and follow through.

If there’s someone on your team you’re not quite clicking with or if a working relationship just feels harder than it should, one smart move is to start learning how they build trust.

One of the tools I always come back to is Catalyst. The “Get Advice” feature lets you pick a teammate and get real, practical tips for how to work better with them.

Try it out & let me know how it goes!