Building trust through processes not personalities

Every successful business runs on trust—but trust without systems is chaos waiting to happen. When we started, like many founders, we relied on good relationships and verbal agreements to kick off projects—especially those that came through referrals. It worked, until it didn’t. One tricky client experience taught us that while trust is great, it doesn’t replace clear communication and proper systems. And if you’re serious about scaling your business, having processes in place is non-negotiable. Here’s what we implemented to level up: 1️⃣ AI-Powered Meeting Notes: Every meeting now has an AI assistant capturing detailed notes, ensuring alignment and transparency. Summaries are shared with clients right after to avoid any miscommunication. 2️⃣ Dedicated Communication Manager: A single point of contact now handles all client communication, making the process more professional and seamless. 3️⃣ Standardized SOPs and Agreements: Every project starts with a signed agreement and SOPs covering everything from onboarding to delivery. It’s all about consistency and clarity. These processes didn’t just make us more efficient—they gave us confidence in how we operate and collaborate with clients. To fellow founders: don’t wait for a tricky client experience to teach you this. Build your processes early—it’s one of the best investments you can make in your business. P.S. What’s one system you swear by in your business? Let’s swap ideas!

I once worked with a team that was, quite frankly, toxic. The same two team members routinely derailed meeting agendas. Eye-rolling was a primary form of communication. Side conversations overtook the official discussion. Most members had disengaged, emotionally checking out while physically present. Trust was nonexistent. This wasn't just unpleasant—it was preventing meaningful work from happening. The transformation began with a deceptively simple intervention: establishing clear community agreements. Not generic "respect each other" platitudes, but specific behavioral norms with concrete descriptions of what they looked like in practice. The team agreed to norms like "Listen to understand," "Speak your truth without blame or judgment," and "Be unattached to outcome." For each norm, we articulated exactly what it looked like in action, providing language and behaviors everyone could recognize. More importantly, we implemented structures to uphold these agreements. A "process observer" role was established, rotating among team members, with the explicit responsibility to name when norms were being upheld or broken during meetings. Initially, this felt awkward. When the process observer first said, "I notice we're interrupting each other, which doesn't align with our agreement to listen fully," the room went silent. But within weeks, team members began to self-regulate, sometimes even catching themselves mid-sentence. Trust didn't build overnight. It grew through consistent small actions that demonstrated reliability and integrity—keeping commitments, following through on tasks, acknowledging mistakes. Meeting time was protected and focused on meaningful work rather than administrative tasks that could be handled via email. The team began to practice active listening techniques, learning to paraphrase each other's ideas before responding. This simple practice dramatically shifted the quality of conversation. One team member later told me, "For the first time, I felt like people were actually trying to understand my perspective rather than waiting for their turn to speak." Six months later, the transformation was remarkable. The same team that once couldn't agree on a meeting agenda was collaboratively designing innovative approaches to their work. Conflicts still emerged, but they were about ideas rather than personalities, and they led to better solutions rather than deeper divisions. The lesson was clear: trust doesn't simply happen through team-building exercises or shared experiences. It must be intentionally cultivated through concrete practices, consistently upheld, and regularly reflected upon. Share one trust-building practice that's worked well in your team experience. P.S. If you’re a leader, I recommend checking out my free challenge: The Resilient Leader: 28 Days to Thrive in Uncertainty  https://lnkd.in/gxBnKQ8n

Quick reality check for business owners:  Who runs your business: your people or your systems? When key tasks and decisions live in the heads of a few individuals, the business feels fragile to buyers. Personality-driven operations create risk: if someone leaves, problems will likely arise. Document processes, train employees, and codify knowledge to turn critical functions into repeatable systems. Systems build continuity, reduce risk, and show that the business can operate independently of any single person, including you. That clarity makes the business more investable and attractive. Personality-driven businesses are harder to sell, but process-driven businesses close smoothly and instill buyer confidence.

Most leaders and managers often get 'building trust' wrong. They think it’s built through team bonding, feel-good speeches, or simply “giving it time” to get to know each other. But trust doesn’t come from feeling good. It comes from clarity. A few years ago, a large CRM company went through mass layoffs. They brought me in to run leadership workshops, and one exec asked me: "𝘞𝘩𝘺 𝘪𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘵-𝘣𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯? 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸, 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘴, 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘮-𝘣𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘦𝘹𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘴?" I told them: "Because you can’t build trust if people don’t even have clarity on where they stand." 𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗶𝘀 𝘂𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝘆 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗱𝗲, 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝗮𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗱, 𝗼𝗿 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺, 𝗻𝗼 𝗮𝗺𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁 𝗼𝗳 ‘𝗰𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲’ 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗳𝗶𝘅 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁. When people are uncertain, they don’t need reassurance. They need clarity. Clarity on the past → Why something happened. Clarity on the present → The reality we’re in. Clarity on the future → What’s known, what’s uncertain, and what it means for the team. You don’t ask people to trust you. You create an environment where trust is earned through transparency, consistency, and delivering on what you can control. If you’re leading a team, start here: Before asking for trust, ask yourself: Have I made things clear? Would love to hear your take. Drop it in the comments. #Leadership #Trust #Teamwork #Clarity --- I’m Hugo Pereira, co-founder of Ritmoo and fractional growth operator. I’ve led businesses from €1M to €100M+ while building purpose-driven, resilient teams. Follow me for insights on growth, leadership, and teamwork. My book, Teamwork Transformed, launches early 2025.

Patient trust isn't something you can survey your way back to. I've been in enough conferences and boardrooms where executives genuinely believe their latest CAHPS scores tell the whole story. Meanwhile, their contact centers are creating friction at every single touchpoint. After years of working with healthcare leaders who actually move the needle, one thing becomes crystal clear: trust is rebuilt through intentional design, not accidental hope. 5 ways contact centers can become trust-building engines: 1. Shift from reactive to proactive engagement Stop waiting for problems. Automated appointment reminders, preventive care outreach, and follow-up calls for care plan adherence show patients you're invested in their outcomes, not just their transactions. 2. Empower agents as patient navigators AI handles routine tasks so agents can focus on complex needs. When you transform agents into care coordinators with comprehensive empathy training, technology amplifies human compassion instead of replacing it. 3. Address health equity through culturally responsive care Multilingual support in a wide variety of languages, training on Social Determinants of Health, and understanding community-specific barriers. Trust requires meeting patients where they are, not where we think they should be. 4. Eliminate billing confusion and access barriers Real-time insurance verification, upfront cost communication, and streamlined prior authorization processes. Financial transparency is healthcare transparency. 5. Create patient-led quality improvement Real-time feedback collection, patient advisory councils for service design, and visible changes based on patient input. Trust is earned through consistent action, not just good intentions. The organizations that get this right understand something fundamental—your contact center isn't just handling calls. It's either building bridges or burning them down, one interaction at a time. The real question: Is your contact center designed to earn trust, or just process volume? Drop your biggest challenge below—I'd love to hear what's working (or not working) in your experience. 👇 #PatientExperience #HealthcareLeadership #ContactCenter #HealthEquity #TTECHealthcareSolutions