Your Team Isn’t Working — Here's How Trust Can Fix It

I first read The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni in 2004, and I was immediately hooked. Not just because it was well‑written with a relatable, action-oriented framework, but because I was living my own version of it. It led me to self-implement a workshop, and it quickly became clear that without repairing trust, my team wasn't going to work or perform to its full potential any time soon.

Since then, I’ve worked with over 50 teams leveraging this framework as part of EOS® annual planning and sometimes in standalone workshops. The absence of trust sits at the base of the pyramid, and while each of the five dysfunctions is correlated, there’s a clear reason trust is the foundation. Without it, teams simply don’t work together.

When a team isn’t working well together, it’s rarely a strategy problem or an accountability problem. Not even a “right people, right seat” problem. It’s something more basic: They don’t truly know each other. They don’t love working together. And they don’t trust one another enough to say the things that would actually help.

If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone. It happens to talented teams all the time. The key is spotting the disconnect early. When you understand how to rebuild trust, you can repair the connection before it becomes a much bigger problem.

What Does It Really Mean to “Know, Love, and Trust” Your Team?

Inside an EOS company, the phrase “know, love, and trust” isn’t sentimental. It’s structural. So what does it mean? Let’s break it down:

• Know: To know someone means you understand how they think, what drives them, how they make decisions, and how they communicate. It’s recognizing their natural wiring and caring enough to adjust your own approach to meet theirs when the moment calls for it.
• Love: To love working together, you have to share Core Values. When people consistently show up in alignment with the values your company runs on, it becomes easier and more enjoyable to build things together.
• Trust: Trust is the byproduct of those two commitments: to know each other and love working together. There's been so much research and writing on the topic of trust. However, I subscribe to the Math of Trust, a theory that trust is a calculation of Character, Competence and Connection, originated by Ninety founder Mark Abbott. 

When teams have the elements of know, love, and trust as a solid foundation, the EOS® tools stop feeling mechanical and start creating real Traction®.

Why Do Some EOS® Leaders Struggle with Trust Even When the Tools Are in Place?

Even well-run EOS teams can find themselves here: Everything in the system looks right — the V/TO® is aligned, the Level 10 Meeting® is steady, the Scorecard is tight — yet the conversations still feel cautious. The team shifts to the next topic even though something important is sitting under the surface. People hesitate before raising issues. Same Page Meetings get delayed.

Here’s what it comes down to: EOS tools create clarity, but they don’t create courage.

This is where a lot of teams get stuck. They expect the system to build trust, but EOS® only exposes what’s missing. It doesn’t replace the relational work required to scale a growing company and make progress.

Trust isn’t a soft skill inside an EOS® company. It’s essential. Without it, accountability breaks down, issues stay unresolved, and Rocks may get completed but they don’t actually move anything forward.

That’s why trust has to be built into your company’s infrastructure. The EOS tools give you structure, and trust gives you strength. When both are present, you have the power to make real progress. When trust is weak, everything technically works, but meaningful growth can’t happen.

How Can Your Team Strengthen Trust in the Next 90 Days?

Most teams assume trust requires a big initiative: surveys, retreats, personality assessments, and the list goes on. Some of that can help, but building trust doesn’t have to be complicated. It comes down to consistent behavior over time. If you want to build trust throughout your team in the next 90 days, here’s a practical path to start:

1. Create space for people to genuinely get to know each other.

• Use the Personal History Exercise or another team-building activity to deepen connection.
• Take time to understand the human being in each Seat on The Accountability Chart®, not just the role they’re filling.
• Use the Segue, or check-in, as part of your Level 10 Meeting to help you connect to one another as you share personal and professional bests each week.

2. Reinforce Core Values until they become a shared language.

• Highlight Core Values during your Level 10 Meeting® when recognizing team wins.
• Use Core Value shout-outs to call out specific behaviors you want to celebrate and share.
• Connect everyday actions, not just big moments, to the values your company runs on.

3. Treat trust like a daily discipline, not a one-time event.

• Show up prepared for your Level 10 Meeting®.
• Finish your Rocks.
• Follow through on To-Dos.
• Own misses without excuses.
• Practice TSP (Truthful, Specific, and Positive framework) when sharing feedback.

4. Use the next 90 days to build repetition.

• Repeat the behaviors that build trust (preparation, follow-through, honesty, and Core Values alignment) day after day, week after week.
• Treat every meeting as a chance to reinforce the habits you want your culture to stand on.
• Remember, teams don’t become healthy by accident. They become healthy through consistent, intentional action.

Trust Is the Foundation for Traction®

When a team truly knows each other, loves working together, and trusts each other deeply, execution and growth become easier. Decisions get sharper. Meetings get more productive. Accountability becomes normal, not something people avoid.

But more than that, Work becomes meaningful again.

If your team feels misaligned, distant, or stuck, you don’t need a new strategy. You need a new level of trust. And it starts with knowing and loving the people you’re building with.

If your team is ready to strengthen trust and get more out of the EOS® tools, Ninety gives you the structure and habits to make it stick. Start your free trial today.