Tool: Trust Builders

EOS Trust Builders

Purpose: To provide an overview of the EOS Trust Builders tool and its application for improving team health and trust within an organization.

Key Themes and Ideas:

• Goal: The primary objective of the Trust Builders tool is to enhance vulnerability-based trust and overall team health within a leadership team and subsequently throughout the organization. As stated in the video source, the goal is "to keep building trust and team health by doing at least one trust builder every quarter forever from here on out."
• Implementation: Trust Builders are implemented through regular activities and facilitated sessions, typically driven by the Integrator within the EOS framework. These activities should be incorporated into the team's routine, with a commitment to performing at least one Trust Builder activity per quarter. The guide suggests, "Ask them to commit to 1 trust Builder every quarter forever."
• Foundation: The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: The foundation for the entire Trust Builders approach is Patrick Lencioni's book, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team. The documents emphasize that reading this book is the first step in building trust.
• Meeting Pulse: Maintaining a consistent "meeting pulse" is crucial for building and sustaining trust. This involves holding regular 2-day annual meetings, 1-day quarterly meetings, and weekly Level 10 Meetings. These meetings should follow a consistent schedule ("same day, same time, same agenda, start on time, end on time") to create predictability and foster open communication.
• Ten Trust Builders: The guide outlines a list of ten specific Trust Builders designed to improve team dynamics. These are described in more detail below.
• Personal Connection: Several Trust Builders focus on fostering personal connections among team members. This includes the "Personal Histories exercise," "One Thing" exercise (done annually), and "Social Fun" activities.
• Self-Awareness and Understanding: A significant component of the Trust Builders revolves around using profiling tools to increase self-awareness and understanding of team members' strengths, weaknesses, and working styles. Examples include:
• Kolbe A™ profiles (kolbe.com)
• Myers-Briggs® (discoveryourpersonality.com)
• DiSC® profiles (various sources)
• CliftonStrengths® (formerly StrengthsFinder) (strengthsfinder.com)
• Working Genius (www.workinggenius.com) The video source clarifies that the profiling tools aren't necessarily meant to be done every quarter, but should be considered as options for the quarterly Trust Builder.
• Conflict Resolution: The Trust Builders tool also addresses conflict resolution through activities like the "Personal Issues Solving Session" and the "Clear the Air" meeting.
• "Personal Issues Solving Session" is used when two team members are in conflict. This involves each person sharing the three greatest strengths and weaknesses of the other, building an issues list, and creating an action plan to repair the relationship. It also acknowledges that sometimes, despite best efforts, resolution is not possible, and a personnel change may be necessary: "95% of the time that is going to resolve the problem. 5% of the time it doesn't and you find you got to prune the branch and one of them has to go."
• "Clear the Air" meeting is used when the entire team is experiencing a "funk." This involves identifying what is "ticking you off" or holding the team back, creating an issues list, and working to resolve those issues.
• Rollout: Once the leadership team has successfully implemented Trust Builders, they are encouraged to roll out the tools to their respective teams throughout the organization.
• Integrator Role: The Integrator has the responsibility to ensure that the team engages in at least one Trust Builder activity per quarter.

List of Ten Trust Builders:

1. Read The Five Dysfunctions of a Team
2. The Meeting Pulse®: Regular, structured meetings.
3. Personal Histories Exercise: Sharing personal backgrounds.
4. One Thing (Recommended Annually): Sharing a most admirable trait, or what to start or stop doing.
5. Social Fun: Team-building activities outside of work.
6. Kolbe Profiles: Understanding individual action modes.
7. Profiling Tools: Myers-Briggs, DiSC, StrengthsFinder, Working Genius
8. Personal Issues Solving Session: Addressing conflicts between two team members.
9. "Clear the Air" Meeting: Addressing team-wide issues and frustrations.

Important Quotes:

• "Your job coming out of your annual is to keep building trust and team health by doing at least one trust builder every quarter forever from here on out."
• "Ask them to commit to 1 trust Builder every quarter forever."
• "95% of the time that [personal issues solving] is going to resolve the problem. 5% of the time it doesn't and you find you got to prune the branch and one of them has to go."

Conclusion:

The EOS Trust Builders tool provides a structured approach to enhancing team health and trust. By consistently implementing these activities and using profiling tools, teams can foster a more collaborative and productive environment, ultimately leading to better organizational performance.

RYT Podcast is a passion product of Tyler Smith, an EOS Implementer (more at IssueSolving.com). All Podcasts are derivative works created by AI from publicly available sources. Copyright 2025 All Rights Reserved.