Empowering Executives: Building a Cohesive Team

Lesson 1: No Trust, No Unity, No Progress

Living the Law of Solid Ground: John Maxwell’s 21 Laws of Irrefutable Leadership

We build trust by consistently exemplifying competence, connection and character.

Character makes __________ possible and trust makes ______________ possible.

That is the Law of Solid Ground.

Character communicates the following:

_____________ – followers need to know what they can count on.

_____________ – You can never go beyond the limit of your character for very long.

______________ – This is putting what’s best for the organization ahead of personal gain and admitting when
you’ve made a mistake.

You may have a trust issue if you are thinking or say out loud:

- My team seems to hold back.

- I have a difficult time creating buy-in or rallying my team.

Trust is the _____________ _________________ that holds together leaders and followers.

A relationship can also be described as being like a painting. Trust is like the frame that surrounds it – and holds
it together. It provides a context in which to view the work of art. Trust defines its boundaries. And trust secures
it to the wall so that it can be enjoyed. Trust provides emotional structure. – John Maxwell, Winning with
People
Steps to Building a Cohesive Team
Step 1: Build

Step 2: Create

Step 3: Cascade

Step 4: Achieve

Step 5: Embrace

Step 6: Focus on

Step 7: Equip your

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 Some Initial Signs Employees Do Not Feel Trusted

You do __________________ the talking in meetings: I have found that

don’t contribute, it’s usually one of these things:

1. _____________________________________ sometimes a combination of both!

2. Members of the meeting believe their ideas or thoughts
_______________________________________________________.

When you ask for feedback, _______ __________ __________________:

Employees need to feel _______ _____ _____________ ____________ as well as genuine and constructive
criticism.

Employees ________ _______ _______________________ when they don’t need it.

You only hear _____________ _______________.

Trust is like change in a leader’s pocket. Each time you make good decisions, you earn more change. Each time
you make poor decisions you pay out some of your change to people.

Consider the consequences that come from these two different types of organizational cultures:

______________________: Employees who trust their leadership are twice as likely to say they will be with
their company one year from now.

______________________: When people don't trust leadership, they're already planning their exit and have no
interest in making a new strategy work or creating new customer initiatives. There's nothing in it for them;
they've already mentally checked out.

Trust is an ______________________________________that allows people to…

(1) ___________ __________

(2) _________ ______________ ________
(3) __________ ___________ __________

My Call to Action:
_________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________

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 Reflection: How will you know that you have established trust with your team?

Relying implies a _____________ _____________to commit oneself to another person.

Risking implies the __________________________to suffer loss in case things go wrong in a relationship.

Sharing implies that people give something of ______________________________(energy, money, time,

affection, or whatever) to other people and receive something in exchange that promises a mutually desirable
outcome

Four Levels of Trust

1. __________________________ When this level of trust exists in relationships, people need formal
agreements. Trust exists only to the extent that things are explicitly agreed upon. You only trust what
people state in formal agreements.

2. _________________________ This trust exists when people are willing to give each other the benefit
of the doubt but reserve full judgment until they see how everyone behaves.

3. _________________________ At this level of trust, people have expectations of each other, but failing
to meet these expectations does not automatically erode the level of trust.

4. ________________________This trust exists when people rely on the word of each other without
questioning it. It is trust unaffected by individual weaknesses.

*Trust does not exist unless it exists in __________________!

Trust Busters vs Trust Builders

Trust Busters

1.
_________________________________________________________________________________________.
“Never promise more than you can perform.” — Publilus Syrus

2.
_________________________________________________________________________________________.
“Whoever gossips to you will be a gossip of you.”

3.
_________________________________________________________________________________________.
“You have to be little to belittle.” — John Murphy

4. _______________________________________________________________________________________.
“If you once forfeit the confidence of your fellow citizens, you can never regain their respect and
esteem.” — Abraham Lincoln

5. Taking care of personal needs and wants at the ________________ _____ ____________.
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 Leadership Landmine Note: This might be the greatest violation of trust.

Stay in this order when making

decisions:

1. _____________________
2. _____________________
3. _____________________

My Call to Action: _________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

Trust Builders

1. __________________ ___________________ __________________.

Words to Remember in Keeping Your Word

___________________________: Acting in a forthright and truthful manner. “We mean what we say.”

___________________________: Making words and actions compatible. “We do what we say.”

___________________________: Keeping promises. “You can count on what we do and say.”

___________________________: Establishing a relationship. “We are all in this together.”

2. ___________________ __________________ _____________ _______________

3. ______________________ _______________________________

“What you do speaks so loudly in my ears that I can’t hear a word you are saying.” —Ralph Waldo Emerson

4. ____________________ ___________ _________________ _________ ____________

5. ____________ _________ _____________________ ___________________

“Few delights can equal the mere presence of one whom we trust, utterly.” — George MacDonald, Author

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 How to Rebuild a Relationship When Trust is Gone

If you violate trust in a relationship, there is no relationship.

1. _____________ ______________ _____________

2. __________________ ___________ ____________________

Three Roads to Travel

The ___________ Road — where we treat others than they treat us.
The ___________ Road — where we treat others as they treat us.
The ___________ Road — where we treat others than they treat us.

“If you cannot forgive someone you are operating under the assumption that you do everything right.”

3. ________________ _________________

4. ______________ ______________________

5. ___________________ ____________________

6. _______________ ___________ ______________

My Thoughts: ________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Based on this lesson:

What will I Apply? _________________________________________________________________________

What will I Change? ________________________________________________________________________

What will I Teach? _________________________________________________________________________

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 Application Exercises

Team Vulnerability Exercise: (From Patrick Lencioni’s The Advantage):

Improve trust by giving team members an opportunity to demonstrate vulnerability in a low-risk way and to
help team members understand one another at a fundamental level so that they can avoid making false
attributions about behaviors and intentions. This exercise is typically the first small step teams take to start
developing trust.

1. Where did you grow up?

2. How many siblings do you have and where do you fall in that order?
3. Please describe a unique or interesting challenge or experience from your childhood.
*Question #3 is the key and can be any vulnerable question, feel free to create your own.

INSTRUCTIONS Go around the table and have everyone answer three questions about themselves. Ask team
members to share what they learned about one another that they didn’t already know. This reinforces the
purpose of the exercise and allows for a natural ending to the conversation.

DISC Profile and Team Impact Report: https://www.leaders-building-leaders.com/disc-reports

The DISC Assessment is the most useful and effective tool that teams can use to uncover hidden potential and
opportunities for personal development. Take the guesswork out of “figuring out” other people. Our DISC
reports will teach you how to recognize specific personality traits that will assist you in how you lead,
communicate and influence people.

INSTRUCTIONS After reading your profile have everyone answer three questions about their style:
1. What do I bring to the team?
2. What are misconceptions about me?
3. What do I need from my teammates?

Answers:
P.1 Trust, Leadership; Consistency; Potential; Respect; Emotional Glue; Trust; Clarity; Communication;
Commitment; Accountability; Results; Team
P.2 All; lack of confidence in themselves or in leadership; are not going to be heard; You Hear Crickets; trusted
to share ideas; Ask For Permission; Good News; High Trust; Low Trust; Attitude; Rely on; Have Confidence
In; Feel Sure About Other People and Things
P.3 Free Choice; Willingness; Themselves; Negotiated; Conditional; Cooperative; Unconditional; You; Breaking
Promises; Talking Behind People’s Backs; Being Judgmental or Critical; Twisting the Truth;
P.4 Expense of Others; Organization, Team, You; Keeping Your Word; Integrity; Consistency; Reliability;
Interdependence; Showing Respect to Others; Being Dependable; Speaking the Truth in Love; Cultivate a
Trusting Heart;
P. 5 Acknowledge the Problem; Choose to Forgive; Low; Worse; Middle; The Same; High; Better; Verbally
Commit; Risk Wisely; Work Together; Celebrate the Victory.

Dr. Thomas Miller is an Executive Director and certified coach and speaker with the John Maxwell
Team. To better prepare for this lesson the following resources.
• John Maxwell’s 21 Laws of Irrefutable Leadership (Law of Solid Ground)
• John Maxwell archived lessons on Building Trust and Relationships
• Patrick Lencioni, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team

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