Agile is all about Trust

Since the end of World War Two, increasingly complicated systems have developed to make our lives easier.  Complexity creates many of the biggest challenges we face in the business community.  It creates a cycle of expectations known as the luxury trap when one generation's luxuries become the next generation's essentials.    The rapid technological change makes this trap more dangerous as industries struggle to remain competitive and build increasingly more customer-focused products.  It is challenging to stay on top of these demands.  We need a way to approach rapid change with a healthier perspective.  The good news is that we can create that healthy environment if we develop trust as leaders. 

Yuval Noah Harari points out that a modern economy requires two things for growth.  The first is easy access to credit, and the second is trust that things will improve over time.  The credit will keep flowing while there is confidence in the future.  Trust maintains this cycle.  If you cannot trust others to pay back loans or do good work, then you will not part with your hard-earned money.  When trust breaks down, then economies seize up.  It happened during the 2008 sub-prime loan crisis because the banks were freighted to loan money.  

Simon Sinek has a great video discussing the concept of trust in greater detail.  He talks about how the elite special forces unit SEAL Team Six chooses its members.  To a sailor, the SEAL team member prefers team members they trust over those with an outstanding combat record.  The reason is apparent to me.  When things go wrong, and they go horribly during combat, they want to know that the other members of the team will back them up.  It is a type of trust earned over the years and is why those of us outside the SEAL community see these warriors as clannish and insular.  

In business and life, this is important because people want to work with people they trust, and it is up to business leaders to foster this among their team and others.  You can be the top salesperson in an organization, and if you do not have the trust of others, your sales will eventually evaporate. 

So how do you build trust?  It is not a simple answer because you earn the trust of others over time instead of making significant splashy actions.  It is countless small behaviors that build trust.  It is starting meetings on time.  It is being honest when it is inconvenient and respecting people.  Leaders build trust by doing what they say and saying what they do.  Embracing the grind of the team and acting in good faith with your interactions with others.  Earning trust is the hardest thing a person will do in a leadership role.  

The agile manifesto states that we should value "Individuals and Interactions over processes and tools." This value is central to developing trust— your team and colleagues want to count on you.  In turn, the group wants someone to be their advocate and protect the team from the impersonal forces outside.  It is a problematic task, but if done correctly will pay huge dividends.  We do not talk about trust and leadership often enough, but a business will become more agile if we do it. 

Until next time.