In any team, trust is the foundation that supports everything else. When trust is absent, performance inevitably suffers. CEOs, leaders, managers, supervisors, and small business owners often face a similar challenge: identifying why their team isn’t reaching its potential. The common mistake they make is looking in the wrong place for answers.
They see the warning signs—missed deadlines, low morale, high turnover, and profits that don’t meet expectations—but often misdiagnose the problem. Their conclusions might sound something like this:
- “The team isn’t clear on their goals—it’s a leadership issue.”
- “They just need to work harder!”
- “If only they followed instructions, this wouldn’t happen.”
- “No one seems committed anymore. Everyone’s in it for themselves.”
While these observations may hold some truth, they often overlook the deeper issue at hand: a lack of trust. According to Patrick Lencioni’s The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, many issues stem from this fundamental problem, but leaders often avoid addressing it. They find it easier to blame the team’s lack of commitment or accountability rather than to start with the basics: trust.
The Foundation of Dysfunction: Absence of Trust
From my experience as a leadership and team dynamics facilitator and executive leadership coach over the last 20 years, nearly every failing team suffers from one major dysfunction—an absence of trust. Unfortunately, instead of building from the ground up, leaders frequently begin their problem-solving efforts by blaming their teams for poor results. This approach overlooks the core issue that often leads to failure: mistrust.
When trust is missing, other dysfunctions follow. As written by Patrick Lencioni in his wonderful book ‘The Five Dysfunctions of a Team’, fear of conflict, lack of commitment, avoidance of accountability, and inattention to results all follow on from an absence of trust. These symptoms can usually be traced back to leadership style and the environment leaders create.
What Does Lack of Trust Look Like?
An absence of trust doesn’t start with dramatic statements like “I wouldn’t trust this person with my life” or “I wouldn’t let them handle an important project.” Instead, it starts with much smaller, seemingly insignificant behaviors:
- Failing to complete tasks on time or to the expected standard
- Making excuses instead of taking responsibility
- Repeating mistakes without learning from them
- Taking credit for someone else’s work
- Talking about team members behind their back rather than addressing issues directly
- Refusing to admit mistakes
- Blaming others for personal failings
- Taking frustrations out on others
- Engaging in dishonesty, even in minor ways
These behaviors, though subtle at first, gradually erode trust within a team. If left unresolved, they create a toxic atmosphere where collaboration deteriorates, communication falters, and performance declines.
Why Leaders Must Address Trust First
It’s tempting for leaders to focus on high-level goals and blame team members for a lack of commitment when things go wrong. But overlooking the small, day-to-day breaches of trust leads to deeper issues that are harder to fix.
The absence of trust is not just about major betrayals; it’s the accumulation of small acts of deception or irresponsibility that go unchecked. When leaders don’t address these behaviors, they send a message that this conduct is acceptable, and mistrust becomes the norm.
If leaders truly want to fix underperformance, they need to start with trust. Building a culture of trust means addressing issues openly, holding everyone accountable, and setting an example of honesty and transparency. Only then can teams work together with confidence, engage in healthy conflict, and commit fully to their goals.
Trust Is the Key to Unlocking Team Performance
If you’re noticing that your team isn’t performing as expected, look deeper. Consider whether there’s an underlying lack of trust—and if there is, start addressing it now. You can fix task-related issues, tweak strategies, and ask for more effort, but without trust, none of these fixes will lead to sustainable improvement.
Building trust isn’t a quick fix, but it’s the foundation upon which all high-performing teams are built. Once trust is established, your team will be better equipped to handle challenges, communicate openly, and ultimately achieve the results you’re looking for.