Building Trust in Library Teams: A Self-Evaluation for Managers
Trust shows up, in some form, in almost every mission statement, strategic plan, and staff retreat icebreaker. But most of us only notice it the way we notice the photocopier: when something gets seriously jammed.
Wouldn't it be nice to catch the paper jam before it happens? That's where trauma-informed care comes in. It's a framework for recognizing how stress and difficult life experiences shape behavior, then structuring an environment that protects people instead of retraumatizing them. Its five principles (safety, trustworthiness, choice, collaboration, and empowerment) make a surprisingly good trust checklist for any team.
Grab a notebook and set a timer for 10 minutes. For each set of questions, rate yourself as “Always,” “Sometimes,” or “Not Yet.” No grades, no report cards, just a map of where your energy could be better invested.
Important note: I'm a leadership coach, not a clinician, so you should consider this as a reflection exercise rather than a diagnostic tool.
Safety and Trustworthiness: What Happens When Something Goes Wrong?
Every team has an unwritten answer to that question, and staff learn it through observation. A missed deadline, a meltdown at the reference desk, a policy misstep: how those moments get handled teaches people whether it's safe to speak up. If your honest answer to the questions below is "it depends on who made the mistake," jot that down. It's valuable data.
Ask yourself (Always, Sometimes, Not Yet):
Do I ensure the physical safety of my staff, not just our patrons?
Is my workplace free from judgment, embarrassment, and shame when something goes wrong?
Are expectations clearly communicated, and does my team know how accountability works?
Do I handle conflict directly instead of letting it simmer?
Try this: At your next team meeting, share a small mistake you made recently and what you learned from it. When the person who signs the performance appraisals can say "oops" without the sky falling, staff get real evidence that mistakes are survivable here. That evidence builds trust faster than any policy about "open communication."
Choice and Collaboration: Who Shapes the Work?
Buy-in cannot be announced at a staff meeting. It grows when people help shape a decision, even in small ways. And collaboration only works when information actually travels, which gets tricky when departments operate like tiny city-states.
Ask yourself (Always, Sometimes, Not Yet):
Is my team involved in goal-setting and decision-making?
Do I gather ideas and solutions from my team when there's a problem to solve?
Does information move clearly between me and my staff, and between departments?
Do departments work well together on shared projects?
Try this: Before your next decision, share the problem (not your solution) and invite ideas by a set date. Afterward, report back on which ideas you used. That last step builds trust, because people learn their input actually goes somewhere.
Empowerment: Who Gets to Grow?
Empowerment is the principle most likely to get squeezed when budgets are tight, since it can sound like a luxury. But it's the difference between a team that waits for instructions and one that spots problems early.
Ask yourself (Always, Sometimes, Not Yet):
Do I make sure everyone's voice is heard, including the team member who rarely speaks up?
Do I support staff in setting healthy workplace boundaries?
Is leadership shared among team members?
Do I create opportunities for training and advancement?
Try this: Hand one staff member ownership of a small project each quarter, with your support but not your fingerprints. Think a display refresh, an updated research guide, a new workflow for the holds shelf, or a pilot program for one branch. Agree on the goal and the deadline up front, then step back and let them cook. When the project wraps, ask what they learned and what support would have helped. (Be sure to check out my Cheat Sheet for Clear Delegation.)
Reading Your Results
Tally your “Always,” “Sometimes,” and “Not Yet” ratings. It's tempting to fix everything at once, but identifying one growth area and one small experiment this month will beat a grand overhaul every time.
Mostly “Always?” Protect what's working by naming it out loud to your team. Mostly “Sometimes?” That's where most teams live, so pick one section and start there. Mostly “Not Yet?” Choose the smallest, safest starting point, and consider bringing in outside support.
Trust is built in small, repeated moments, and many of them are already happening on your team. This self-evaluation simply helps you notice them and decide which ones to multiply.
Want to build on these skills with support and community? Join us for the Emotionally Healthy Leadership Series, where we'll dig deeper into the skills that make trust-building possible, alongside other library leaders working through the same questions.
