Maintaining trust and leading the team - Oceanobe

Let’s talk a little bit about how we, at OceanoBe, maintain trust and lead our teams through these pandemic times. For a leader, it’s important to harness the power of trust at all times, but as it turns out this is most vital when we are talking about a global health crisis that is affecting all people.

Being a leader in 2020 has proven to be the next-level challenge that no one asked for and for which no one has a clear path set to follow. How a leader acts in times like these will determine the outcome of the way out. So what should a leader do in times like these?! How can he lead his people and maintain hope and vision for a better future, when many don’t see the light at end of the tunnel?!

We believe that answer is trust.

Inspiring and leading our team with trust and honesty we believe it’s the pillar of our company's success. Nonetheless, this year has taken our trust abilities to a whole new level. We took that final leap of faith towards the work-from-home adjustment, changes within the team, clients that wanted to stop working with us, other clients that wanted quickly ramp up, and changes in the mindset of the partners and it came with a great realization of the fact that when you have a relationship based on trust, there is nothing that you can’t overcome.

Like so many companies we had to adjust to this new situation and of course, we needed to find new ways to lead in these uncertain times.

Given our background, seniority and expertise we found ourselves in the best position to reach the opportunities that waved during this time and evolve, so now we can say in full trust that OceanoBe growth is imminent as the market is, clearly, showing us.

So, what we did do, and what did we encourage others to do?

1. Put people first

It might not escape you that the title is referred to as people and not employees and as you might guess there is a reason why.

Great leaders are always putting people first and workers second, and although this is not particularly noticeable in day-by-day activities, it will surely be the center of attention during a crisis.

For us it’s simple, here at OceanoBe we do not use the term employee, each person is a team member and they must know it.

You see in a crisis time there are some issues that need addressing first. Your people, like you, are experiencing different states of anxiety regarding the difficult time they are facing. There might be strong issues regarding safety, health both personal and of the family, issues like social pressure, and so on. You need to acknowledge this and make sure you incorporate it into your decision-making process and of course, take the actions that will give you and your team some much-needed balance.

Here’s what you need to do:

• Make sure that you state clearly your mindset;
• Start a positive cult around constructive feedback;
• Over-communicate and be transparent about decisions and the decision-making process;
• Make employment a priority;
• Trust that they will be able to handle the truth.

In the end, remember that trust is something that you give first, and always leading by example with help shape the future of your company. Putting people first is the best way to start that trust mantra in your company, there’s no doubt about it.

2. Curate your community

What if we stopped and see that our workplace and our teams are just a community?! Wouldn’t you get involved more if you had that mindset?! The answer is probably yes. Why? Because as many leaders know, you just care more about your community and you are more actively engaged in making it the heaven that you envision.

Curating your work community is not just a fancy word or activity, it’s the main priority for all of us. We need to build strong relationships that are based on trust. Here is what we recommend you do:

a. Lead the way - if you are a leader then you know that you are the one that has to set the example. That is not always easy, but just start being more aware of your day-to-day interactions will put you on the right path.

b. Granting trust empowers people - do grant trust to every person. Many are afraid to grant trust to people but remember trusting is like going to the courthouse you always have the benefit of the doubt.

c. Share the good and the bad - leaders that share the news and don’t shy away from difficult news and conversations. This is a difficult skill to master, but it is such a rewarding one. You have to remember people like the truth and they trust in you to deliver it.

d. Remember the goals - if you are not clear on your community goals, then you need to get on the same page asap. Be mindful of the fact that people do have personal goals and we are all trying to work for a better life. When you have a clear goal in mind, we promise you that taking action will be done with greater ease, even in this difficult time we are facing.

e. Talk business but also personal - make sure you create a space where it’s safe for all your team members to share the news on both professional and personal levels. Living in such an anxious time we are bound more by sharing our feelings and emotions. So, it’s up to you, the leader, to create that safe space for your community.

If there is one thing that you take with you so far, we think that curating the community should be the one. It’s most important to have that unity and togetherness, because if you do achieve that, then all of the benefits will follow. Remember that a community built on a trusting foundation will surmount any difficult time or barrier.

3. Tap into your core values

As you can imagine trust is a core value for our company. We would not be writing today if we wouldn’t believe in this. But trust alone is not the sole secret ingredient. In fact, you need to rely on several of your core values in order to get through difficult times.

So here are some of the core values that we believe are essential to leading the way:

a. Empathy - conflict in a time of crisis is unavoidable, how you respond to it will make the difference. As a leader, you need to encourage constructive conflicts and always be mindful about keeping the problem separated from the person. Respectful constructive conflicts will provide more refined ideas and a calm controlled situation.

b. Openness - each person has their own opinion, make sure that every voice is heard and understood. When you create that level of trust within your organization, you will see the true meaning of the community.

c. Strive for excellence - in a creative environment it is vital that you set an innovative mindset within your team, in order to do that, you need to make sure the best idea wins, not the most influential person. People will trust in your ability to set the right tone and in turn, will do the same.

OceanoBe, Our company

There you have it, some of our hands-on experience in these pandemic times. As we reach the end of this article we want to stress the fact that trust has a major impact on performance.

So many leaders fail to see it that way, but we trust that you, the reader, are not one of them.

Taking all these ideas with you and being mindful will make sure that you will maintain trust and lead your team through difficult times, not just the pandemic. And remember, always keep your community growing in the right direction. We know what an enormous responsibility that is but remember we are in this together and we have a great opportunity to build a better world through innovation and technology.