8 signs that trust and safety are missing in your team 🚨

Think back to all the teams and organizations you were part of — both now and in the past. When did collaboration go well, and were you performing at your best? And when, let’s say… could it have been better? What made the difference?

In the countless teams I have worked with over the past years, I have seen the same pattern over and over again: trust and psychological safety make or break a team. But how do you know if it’s lacking in your team?

Are you working today? Take a look around. How do you and your colleagues work together? Below, you will find a list of common signs I have observed over the years. Which ones do you recognize?

Colleagues don’t take responsibility for themselves, their teammates, or the work the team as a whole needs to deliver. Common phrases include: “Fine, I’ll just do it myself." Or: "Well, why don’t you do it yourself then?”

Teams either never have conflicts—because people are afraid to speak their minds—or they have constant friction to get things done. But rather than being constructive and focused on the content, the conflict is unproductive, focused on processes or people. The loudest voice—often a man—dominates the conversation. Winning arguments becomes more important than finding the best solution. If nothing changes, the team will stay stuck in this pattern.

There are no clear roles, responsibilities, or goals. Instead, ambiguity prevails, allowing people to avoid taking responsibility or have difficult discussions—because that would likely lead to conflict.

Colleagues show little interest in each other or each other’s work and they don’t really know one another. Team members often operate in small groups, don’t mix, and gossip about each other. Everyone plays a political game to save their own skin.

Team members let their egos play a big role. Feedback is given—and taken—very personally, often harshly. Sometimes, team members make below-the-belt jokes. A former colleague once told me: "Behind every joke, there's a signal."

Colleagues don’t take ownership of the team’s results. If they care about targets at all, it’s usually only their own.

Colleagues don’t dare to take risks and hesitate to share creative or innovative ideas.

There’s a high turnover rate, with many colleagues leaving or wanting to leave, and a constant influx of new team members.

Do you see these patterns in your team? Do you check multiple boxes? Now is the time to take action!

In my previous article, I explained what trust really means—because to improve something, we first need to understand it. Next week, we’ll dive deeper into psychological safety and what you can do to strengthen both that and the trust within your team.

See you soon,

Marc

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