Building Trust
An excerpt from DYER STRAIGHTS by Sue Dyer A Syndicated Column for the Construction Industry
BUILDING TRUST ON THE PROJECT
Dear Sue: I’m working on a job where there is very little trust. When I say something, the project manager won’t believe me and says he has to go check it out. This is causing me a lot of delay, and making this job unbearable. I often feel angry. I just want to get this job done. What can I do?
~Treated like a crook
Dear Treated: The first step is to try to understand why your PM distrusts you. Did you do something to make him react this way, or is it how he approaches all jobs? If it is because of some incident, you need to sit down and talk it out, clear the air, and make plans to be more open in dealing with problems.
If it is his MO to distrust, you might try discussing how important trust is to a successful job. It is not only common sense to develop trust on construction projects, it also makes economic sense.
The dictionary defines trust as “reliance on the integrity, strength, ability of a person or thing: confidence.” Your project manager must rely on you (as you must rely on him) in order to get the job done. Trust is an essential part of success for both of you. How can you possibly build your project without some level of trust? It’s like having your foot on the gas and brake at the same time.
Perhaps you can share the results of research done by the Construction Industry Institute. There is empirical proof of a cost/trust relationship on construction projects. The research showed that a definite correlation between the level of trust and the cost of a project. In other words, the higher the level of trust, the lower the cost of the project.
It behooves you and your PM to improve the level of trust on your project. Maybe the two of you can sit down and discuss ways to improve trust. You should also make sure that you are being wholly trustworthy. Let your word be your bond. If you say you will be doing work at 7:00 am on Wednesday, then be there.
What we expect tends to happen, and so it is with trust. Try to expect to be trusted. This may be difficult presently, but keep the expectation when you communicate with your PM. Eventually you will see him/her responding in kind. Game theory tells us that the first interaction in a relationship sets the tone for the response that follows. If your first action is one of cooperation and trust, there is a high probability that you will get a similar response. If your first action is one of suspicion and defense, you will likely receive the same. You need to break the current “distrust” cycle and develop a new response. It may take several interactions before you begin to see a more trusting interaction so keep trying – it’s worth the effort.
Another idea is to arrange a social gathering. This can go a long way in breaking down barriers between people. Often we only see project team members as the jobs they perform; it is equally important to see them as people. Get together to play golf, go to dinner or have breakfast together – just do something social and don’t talk solely about the job. The object is to get to know each other as people.
You should try all of these things before you go over your PM’s head for relief. Going over the PM’s head can make the whole problem worse; you don’t want to take that risk until you have tried everything possible.
