Remember that story I told you last year?  The one where I was en route to Chicago for a speaking engagement and a 2 hour flight turned in to an entire day, but the Captain was exemplary?  Or the one from just a few months ago of walking in to my favorite clothing store and walking out with a whole new perspective?  How about the vignette of the two frolicking dogs playing a game of fetch in the ocean?
There is a theme that quietly but clearly runs through each.  But I didn’t see it at first.
In each of these stories, trust is the essential element.  It’s the foundation upon which all else is predicated.
We passengers trusted that the Captain was doing his best and keeping us informed (and therefore withstood the insanity of a day’s flight to Chicago).  I saw new ideas that day in the clothing store because I fully trusted the opinion of the store’s manager.  And those two big, frolicking dogs, each 100 pounds in their own right?  They shared an understanding, a trust, that while they enjoyed a friendly rivalry, they were in the game together.  Teammates.
Trust is quiet.  Without it, your team can’t be efficient, much less innovative.
With it, risks can be taken, barriers broken, and new ideas generated and implemented.

To learn more about building high performing teams, contact me at: sarah@sarah-levitt.com
The Heart of Innovation is one of my most popular keynotes that I’m delivering at national conferences and senior leadership summits.  For booking information, contact me here.