Suppliers who promise impressive results but fail to deliver erode trust when they are viewed as strong performers unable to fulfil their commitments. Similarly, within teams, a high-performing individual who lacks trustworthiness can create a toxic environment, while a trustworthy colleague with moderate performance can foster greater collaboration and a more harmonious environment. So when forced to choose, should organisations prioritise trust or performance?
Simon Sinek, a renowned leadership thinker, has highlighted the significance of trust over performance in his work with the Navy SEALs, one of the world’s most elite teams. Their selection process for SEAL Team Six - a unit considered the best of the best - provides an interesting perspective.
The SEALs evaluate candidates using a two-axis matrix. The vertical axis measures performance - technical skill and execution - while the horizontal axis measures trust, which encompasses character, reliability, and integrity. Surprisingly, the SEALs prefer someone with moderate performance and high trust over someone who is a top performer but untrustworthy. The rationale is that in high-stakes situations, trust is the glue that holds teams together and ensures survival.
However, this approach contrasts sharply with many corporate environments in which performance often takes precedence. Organisations frequently focus on measurable metrics like key performance indicators (KPIs) while sidelining trustworthiness as something intangible and harder to evaluate. This imbalance may provide short-term results but risks long-term dissatisfaction.
So what makes a high-performing team? Initially, it might seem that skills, expertise, and output are the primary drivers of success, but actually, trust is the foundation on which successful teams are built.
Trust enables open communication, support and wellbeing, and genuine collaboration. In high-trust teams, individuals assume good intent, share information openly, and support one another, strengthening morale and helping teams address issues quickly and effectively.
Conversely, a lack of trust breeds suspicion, blame, and a culture of individualism. Even the most skilled teams can struggle in a distrustful environment.
Leaders play a crucial role in cultivating a culture of trust. It begins with their own actions demonstrating reliability, transparency, and respect. Leaders who prioritise trust create environments where employees feel valued, safe, and empowered and they build trust by focusing on a few key principles.
They assume good intent. Encouraging a mindset of understanding and empathy can transform workplace interactions. When issues arise, seeking to understand the context instead of reacting negatively fosters psychological safety and openness.
They demonstrate care for colleagues’ success and support them - even in situations that fall outside their formal responsibilities - reinforcing trust and camaraderie.
They evaluate how employees contribute to a healthy and productive work environment besides evaluating their output. High competence paired with low trust can be as damaging as poor performance.
However, the debate between trust and performance shouldn’t be a conflict. It should be more about recognising the vital role each plays in building strong teams with trust as the foundation. Skills can be taught, performance can be improved, but trustworthiness is deeply rooted in character and values making it harder to instil.
Incorporating trust-based metrics into evaluations - such as peer feedback on integrity, collaboration, and reliability - can lead to more balanced and effective decision-making as leaders acknowledge the long-term benefits of investing in trust-building practices, even if the outcomes are less immediately measurable than performance metrics.
Trust binds teams together and drives them towards lasting success - and while performance may deliver short-term wins, trust ensures enduring collaboration, innovation, and growth. Leaders and organisations that prioritise trust alongside performance will help to create cultures that not only achieve great results, but also build strong, resilient, happier teams.
In many teams and organisations, the debate around whether trust or performance is more important can be a recurring theme for suppliers, employees, and colleagues.
Suppliers who promise impressive results but fail to deliver erode trust when they are viewed as strong performers unable to fulfil their commitments. Similarly, within teams, a high-performing individual who lacks trustworthiness can create a toxic environment, while a trustworthy colleague with moderate performance can foster greater collaboration and a more harmonious environment. So when forced to choose, should organisations prioritise trust or performance?
Simon Sinek, a renowned leadership thinker, has highlighted the significance of trust over performance in his work with the Navy SEALs, one of the world’s most elite teams. Their selection process for SEAL Team Six - a unit considered the best of the best - provides an interesting perspective.
The SEALs evaluate candidates using a two-axis matrix. The vertical axis measures performance - technical skill and execution - while the horizontal axis measures trust, which encompasses character, reliability, and integrity. Surprisingly, the SEALs prefer someone with moderate performance and high trust over someone who is a top performer but untrustworthy. The rationale is that in high-stakes situations, trust is the glue that holds teams together and ensures survival.
However, this approach contrasts sharply with many corporate environments in which performance often takes precedence. Organisations frequently focus on measurable metrics like key performance indicators (KPIs) while sidelining trustworthiness as something intangible and harder to evaluate. This imbalance may provide short-term results but risks long-term dissatisfaction.
So what makes a high-performing team? Initially, it might seem that skills, expertise, and output are the primary drivers of success, but actually, trust is the foundation on which successful teams are built.
Trust enables open communication, support and wellbeing, and genuine collaboration. In high-trust teams, individuals assume good intent, share information openly, and support one another, strengthening morale and helping teams address issues quickly and effectively.
Conversely, a lack of trust breeds suspicion, blame, and a culture of individualism. Even the most skilled teams can struggle in a distrustful environment.
Leaders play a crucial role in cultivating a culture of trust. It begins with their own actions demonstrating reliability, transparency, and respect. Leaders who prioritise trust create environments where employees feel valued, safe, and empowered and they build trust by focusing on a few key principles.
They assume good intent. Encouraging a mindset of understanding and empathy can transform workplace interactions. When issues arise, seeking to understand the context instead of reacting negatively fosters psychological safety and openness.
They demonstrate care for colleagues’ success and support them - even in situations that fall outside their formal responsibilities - reinforcing trust and camaraderie.
They evaluate how employees contribute to a healthy and productive work environment besides evaluating their output. High competence paired with low trust can be as damaging as poor performance.
However, the debate between trust and performance shouldn’t be a conflict. It should be more about recognising the vital role each plays in building strong teams with trust as the foundation. Skills can be taught, performance can be improved, but trustworthiness is deeply rooted in character and values making it harder to instil.
Incorporating trust-based metrics into evaluations - such as peer feedback on integrity, collaboration, and reliability - can lead to more balanced and effective decision-making as leaders acknowledge the long-term benefits of investing in trust-building practices, even if the outcomes are less immediately measurable than performance metrics.
Trust binds teams together and drives them towards lasting success - and while performance may deliver short-term wins, trust ensures enduring collaboration, innovation, and growth. Leaders and organisations that prioritise trust alongside performance will help to create cultures that not only achieve great results, but also build strong, resilient, happier teams.
