trust Archives | Life Puzzle

High-performing teams don’t happen by accident. They’re built with intention, trust, and consistent leadership. But just as strong culture compounds over time, so too can dysfunction. Team toxicity often takes root quietly hidden beneath KPIs, masked by politeness, and tolerated until it becomes the norm.

As a leader, recognising the subtle signals of a toxic work environment is your first line of defence. The sooner you act, the easier it is to course-correct, rebuild trust, and create an environment where your team thrives, not survives.

What Is Team Toxicity and Why Does It Matter?

Team toxicity refers to a pattern of behaviours and dynamics that erode collaboration, morale, and psychological safety. It’s not always loud or obvious. Sometimes it’s a series of micro-behaviours that sap energy: backchannel gossip, stonewalling, defensiveness, or passive disengagement.

Unchecked, these behaviours lead to:

Increased absenteeism and turnover
Lower productivity and innovation
Erosion of trust and respect
A “fear-based” culture where mistakes are hidden, not learned from

In environments like sales teams or cross-functional leadership groups, toxicity can ripple outwards, impacting performance outcomes, revenue, and customer experience.

Recognising the Early Warning Signs of Dysfunction

Most toxic cultures don’t start that way. They drift. The warning signs often appear as:

Silence in meetings or reluctance to speak up
Cliques or “us vs them” mentalities forming within the team
Passive-aggressive remarks or jokes that mask frustration
A noticeable drop in participation or enthusiasm
Withholding feedback or avoiding difficult conversations
Decision-making bottlenecks due to fear of pushback
Blame-shifting and lack of accountability

As a leader, pay attention not just to what’s said as it’s what’s unsaid that can often be important.

We love recommending great books that help further thinking and ideas. Patrick Lencioni’s, The 5 Dysfunctions of a Team, reveals how five hidden cracks in any team’s foundation can quietly sabotage success, and how fixing them can transform a group into an unstoppable force.

How Leaders Can Create Psychological Safety

Psychological safety is the belief that you won’t be punished or humiliated for speaking up with ideas, questions, or concerns. It’s a foundational element of high-performing teams and the antidote to fear-based culture.

To foster psychological safety:

Model vulnerability (admit mistakes, share learning moments)
Encourage respectful challenge, even if you disagree
Respond to feedback with curiosity, not defensiveness
Set behavioural norms for meetings (e.g. “every voice counts”)
Address disrespectful behaviour swiftly and constructively

Teams feel safe when leaders make it clear: “You matter. Your voice matters. And we’re in this together.”

It’s important to remember that this topic is nuanced and requires a deeper understanding of the concepts behind it.

For further reading check out this article by the Harvard Business Review.

Building Trust Within Teams – What Really Works

Trust is built by making small agreements that are reinforced by actions repeated over time. It’s about consistency, follow-through, and emotional presence.

Ways to build trust in your team:

Do what you say you’ll do (follow-through matters)
Encourage open dialogue and admit when you’re wrong
Use structured trust-building exercises (e.g. task-focused collaboration or appreciation rounds)
Share credit generously and take responsibility when things go wrong

Trust is not a one-off exercise. It’s a living, breathing part of your culture and it starts with you.

Communication: The Glue of Resilient Team Cultures

Misunderstandings don’t just break projects; they break trust. Clear, respectful communication is essential for alignment and resilience.

Improve team communication by:

Holding regular check-ins (1:1s and team meetings)
Clarifying expectations and roles
Using feedback loops to close misunderstandings
Creating space for honest, blame-free conversations
Leveraging collaboration tools to increase transparency

Teach your team that communication is not just “talking”, it’s making others feel heard and understood and actively being a part of that culture.

Here’s a version tailored to Life Puzzle and the Leadership & Influence program:

Life Puzzle’s Leadership & Influence program equips teams with the communication skills that turn everyday interactions into catalysts for performance. By fostering trust, encouraging constructive dialogue, and aligning every voice to shared goals, we help teams replace misunderstandings with clarity, siloed thinking with collaboration, and hesitation with decisive action. The result is a powerhouse team that not only delivers on targets but does so with cohesion, confidence, and a shared sense of purpose.

Responding to Conflict and Managing Difficult Team Members

Conflict is not the enemy, avoidance is. When conflict is handled well, it strengthens relationships.

If a team member is displaying difficult behaviour:

Begin with empathy, ask “what’s behind the behaviour?”
Set clear boundaries without shaming
Use coaching conversations to shift from blame to responsibility
Offer support and clear expectations for change
Facilitate structured conflict resolution if needed (mediation, facilitated dialogue)

Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) techniques such as reframing and rapport-building are especially effective here, helping redirect unhelpful narratives and create safety for open expression.

Keeping Teams Motivated and Aligned Through Change

Motivated teams believe in what they are doing and believe that their hard work serves a greater purpose. They see how their work connects to something bigger.

To build motivation:

Share the “why” behind decisions and goals
Acknowledge effort, not just outcomes
Use tools like OKRs (Objectives & Key Results) to create alignment
Revisit team values and purpose often
Celebrate small wins and progress, not just results

Transparency fuels trust. And trust fuels motivation.

Practical Team-Building and Trust Exercises that Actually Work

Trust isn’t built in a single workshop. But it can be built intentionally into your team’s rhythm.

Consider exercises like:

Appreciation circles: where each person shares one positive thing about a teammate
Storytelling sessions: where people share past challenges or personal lessons
Collaboration simulations: where small groups solve a timed challenge together
Vulnerability warm-ups: such as “one mistake I learned from this year…”

Encourage your team to be human. High performance starts with humanity.

From Toxic to Thriving – How to Shift a Team Culture

If your team is already showing signs of toxicity, it’s not too late. Here’s how to shift the dynamic:

Name it: Acknowledge what’s happening with compassion, not blame
Reconnect to purpose: What are we here to do, together?
Reset expectations: Clarify behaviours that support trust and those that erode it
Lead by example: Your energy, language, and follow-through set the tone
Coach consistently: Use both group facilitation and 1:1 leadership coaching
Don’t do it alone: Consider a leadership development or NLP partner to guide the shift

Final Thoughts: Spot It Early, Lead It Forward and lean into your leadership journey.

Toxic teams harm culture and stifle creativity. It may not always be clear but that creativity is what drives collaboration, ideas and results.

The good news? You have the power to change it.

To be a great Leader you don’t need to have all the answers. Asking better questions, listening deeply, and creating the kind of environment where others can shine is part of being a great leader so cultivate these ideals and values.

Spot the signs early. Step in courageously. And remember: high-performing, resilient teams are built by strong and capable leaders.

Ready to get started?

Learn more about our tailored Sales,
Leadership & Training Programs

Click Here

When people ask me in sales trainings how they can turn their no’s into yes’s, I get a creeped-out feeling because the underlying assumption is often: How can I manipulate everyone into saying ‘yes’ to my sales pitch? And those are the kind of sales techniques that make sales people feel scummy.

The truth is that you want people to say no if your product or service isn’t right for them and you always want people to know that they can say, ‘no’ if the product doesn’t fit their needs or their budget. However, if you’re hearing a lot of no’s from prospects who really are qualified candidates then there are two underlying problems you need to consider.

The Two Main Reasons that People say ‘No’ are…

Certainty: I’m not confident that your product or service is really the solution I need; and
Trust: I’m convinced about the solution, but I’m not sure you are the right person to deliver it.

Either of these can be deal breakers… or at the least deal delayers, so it’s important to look at where those objections are coming from.

In the 13-week Profitable Business Accelerator course and with many of my private coaching clients we work on exactly HOW you can increase the levels of both trust and certainty in prospects to make it easier for them to say ‘yes’ with confidence.

Increasing Certainty

This affects your prospect’s confidence in your value proposition and reduces rejection on the basis of doubt and fear about your solution.

Indications that you need to work on building more certainty into your presentation are:

Questions about price;
Technical questions about specific features and benefits;
The prospect is looking at different solutions to the problem (rather than different solution-providers)

You can increase certainty in the value of your solution through your elevator pitch and your presentation. You know that you’ve done a good job (or that your solution doesn’t fit) when your prospect’s focus changes from “What will I do?” To “Who will I get to provide this solution?”

Increasing Trust

This relates to your prospect’s confidence in your ability to actually provide the solution. It may be based on their perception of your capacity and expertise, the degree of relationship and rapport they have with you, and their existing relationships with other providers of the same solution.

Indications that you need to work on developing more trust through your presentation are:

Questions about capacity and timing;
Questions about process;
Indications that they are talking to (or plan to talk to) other providers of the same solution.

You should work on increasing the level of trust you engender by ensuring that your appointment-setting script and follow up process builds your prestige and fosters relationship; that you presentation materials highlight your expertise, and by changing your proposal and post-appointment follow up process.

Learning how to build relationships that foster both certainty and trust is vital for your career as an influencer and high performer so if you’re hearing a lot of no’s during your week (sales, relationships, career etc), identify where they are coming from and take the necessary steps to engender more certainty and trust in those around you.

Once you do this, you’ll find it’s much easier to get to ‘yes’ and your sales closing rate will skyrocket.