Laura Martina

The Surprising Sign Your Team Has a Lack of Trust

One of the clearest signs of low trust on a team is not conflict.

It’s avoidance.

  • Avoiding updates.
  • Avoiding hard conversations.
  • Avoiding transparency.
  • And often, it has nothing to do with laziness or lack of care.

Sometimes people avoid accountability because they feel judged.

A leader in our Thriving Teams cohort recently asked a team member to document what they completed before leaving each day. I'm sure you've done this from time to time as you analyze the best use of your time.

Seems like a simple request, right?

But the team member resisted because they worried the list would become evidence they “weren’t doing enough.” They essentially said: I just need to avoid it because I don’t trust that my leader will use the information for good.

That's a clear sign of a lack of trust

Lack of trust can show up as:
  1. Poor handoffs
  2. Incomplete communication
  3. Defensiveness
  4. Silence
  5. People protecting themselves instead of collaborating openly
 

Many teams believe they have strong trust because people are polite and conflict is minimal.

But real trust is measured differently

Real trust exists when people feel safe being honest, especially when the truth is uncomfortable.

The strongest leaders understand this distinction.

They create environments where transparency and accountability can be shared without fear of judgement.

Where communication is used to support the team, never to place blame.

In this case, the breakthrough came from changing the approach.

Instead of focusing on written proof of productivity, the team shifted toward collaborative handoff conversations:

  • “What got done?”
  • “What still needs attention?”
  • “What should the next person know?”

Simple. Clear. Effective.

The goal isn’t perfection. The goal is transparency without fear.

As a leader, it’s worth asking:

Where on your team are people avoiding communication because they're afraid of being judged?

The answer will reveal more about your culture than almost any survey ever could.

Ready to take your team from barely surving to thriving? Take the first step today with the first Module, Reading the Room, free.