Just before the doors opened, as I finished my visualization exercises and prayers, the cast and crew would meet in the center of the theater for a tradition called Circle. Each Circle started with a short reflection, and then, in silence, we made eye contact with each person in the production one at a time and held that gaze long enough to both give and receive a knowing head-nod of solidarity.

It was 2002, and I was performing in one of the most well-known off-Broadway shows of the early 2000s for thousands of guests each week in New York City. With countless adventures, weekly celebrity hangouts, appearances in parades, and plenty of fanfare, it would stand to reason that my best memories would likely come from the adrenaline I received during each performance. But the part I reminisce about the most is the connection and confidence that came each time we gathered for Circle.

By the time all 25 members of the cast and crew had completed the Circle process, we entered the task ahead with a profound sense of alignment and trust in one another. Through our eye contact, we made non-verbal commitments that sounded like
• “I’ve got your back”
• “I know you’ll be there for me”
• “Our differences are not an issue - we’re in this together”

The fond memories of Circle before each show make me reflect on times that I’ve had the same feelings of team unity, multiplicative strength, and a “trust that transcends” throughout my business career. When work teams are built on a solid foundation of trust, they are equally ready to overcome unforeseen obstacles or capitalize on fortuitous moments of opportunity.

While leading the Channel Sales department at First Choice Power, our workgroup studied several books in depth, including The Four Agreements, and we decided to go all-in on the core concepts and make vulnerable commitments to one another.
• Be impeccable with your word
• Don’t take anything personally
• Don’t make assumptions
• Always do your best

As a result, we found a way to automate almost every aspect of our processes without fear of being replaced or looking bad. We challenged almost every accepted norm and built an online portal for commercial sales that changed the face of electricity sales and service for the entire industry. We then built a team-based sales process that rewarded overall performance above and beyond the personal outcomes of any one sales rep, allowing team members to support one another anytime one of us hit our stride or during tough personal times when we needed extra focus on the trials and tragedies of our personal lives. That was only possible because no one was looking over the shoulder wondering what their teammates were doing or creating false narratives about why someone else was the beneficiary of favoritism.

Fast-forward to the culture we built years later at the energy brokerage firm 5, where the benefits of a strong foundation of trust were even more obvious. We intentionally coached salespeople to shift their view of one another and to see other sales reps as collaborators instead of competitors. We then built out mechanisms for deal-splitting and deal-sharing that allowed sales reps to jointly serve a client and to engage various experts from the team in providing a deeper level of hands-on client management where appropriate. As a result of this trust foundation and structure, 5 is one of the largest and most well-respected electricity consulting firms in America (and they were also named the #1 place to work in the US by Fortune magazine last year, as well).

And today, as I gear up for the week ahead, completing my visualization exercises and prayers, I am reminded once again about the feelings I had before the theater doors opened each night. My teammates and I will take on unforeseen obstacles and capitalize on fortuitous opportunities with complete trust and unspoken solidarity. With a gaze of the eyes, each of us is saying to one another,
• “I’ve got your back”
• “I know you’ll be there for me”
• “Our differences are not an issue - we’re in this together”

When has trust had a profound impact on your team’s ability to exceed expectations? What did it feel like to guide your ship into rough waters or to realize that the wind and the sunshine were favoring your endeavors when the team was fully aligned and clearly committed to one another?

This is the stuff I love: the chance to build and grow organizations that experience growth in the metrics that matter while promoting human flourishing on all fronts.

Thank God it’s Monday.