One of the most valuable skills as a Technical Program / Project Manager (TPMs) is Building Trust.

But you'll fail at building trust if you focus too much on the mechanics of program management rather than the people in the program.

Here are 3 pillars that will accelerate your ability to build trust.

1) Authenticity

This completely changed the way I thought about how I show up to work every day.

But how do you focus on being authentic? Some tips:

1️⃣ Partner with people, not titles.

2️⃣ Be curious, admit the boundary of your knowledge and seek to expand it.

3️⃣ When some asks how your weekend was, tell them something interesting about it rather than just saying "good".

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2) Empathy

Hang this up in your room somewhere—and stare at it everyday.

1️⃣ Seek first to understand, then to be understood

2️⃣ Find small wins for others by understanding their struggles and pain points.

3️⃣ Look to understand and align incentives at a very basic human level

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3) Transparent objectivity

Transparency means you are open in your communications and expectations. Objectivity means you avoid overly emotional responses to events that happen during the program and handle challenges with a focus on the facts.

1️⃣ Transparency means you are open in your communications and expectations.

2️⃣ Objectivity means you avoid overly emotional responses to events that happen during the program and handle challenges with a focus on the facts.

3️⃣ Keep the program team focused on program success by emphasizing the need for a win-win situation with cross-functional partners.

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