Cross-Team Trust

Why does trust between teams matter so much at senior levels?

Because your peers decide how far your team can get, often more than your boss does. Most senior work crosses team lines: a launch needs another team’s data, a fix needs another team’s release. When trust is strong, those hand-offs are quick. When it’s weak, every one becomes a negotiation, and you hear about problems after they’ve landed.

Take Cross-Team Trust: list up to 6 peer teams, then rate each on four questions. About five minutes.

What does the test look at?

Four questions about each peer team:

• Reliability. Do they deliver what they promise, when they promise it?
• Openness. Do they tell you early when something will affect you, or do you find out after the fact?
• Shared goals. Are you working towards the same goals?

What do I get at the end?

A trust map with three groups, Strong, Mixed and At risk, each with one move, and one repair move for your weakest relationship, matched to where it scored lowest. Team names stay in your browser; the share text gives counts only.

Cross-Team Trust is built for your peer leaders to rate the relationship anonymously. Peer mode is coming. For now, you rate it yourself.

How is it worked out?

Each team’s four answers are averaged on a 1 to 5 scale, with the openness question about finding out after the fact flipped. An average of 4 or more is strong, 2.75 or more is mixed, and below that is at risk. The repair move goes to the team with the lowest average, and matches the question it scored lowest on.

The questions, groups and advice are a draft written with AI and are waiting for a coach’s review. Treat the result as your own view, not a verdict on anyone.

What should I read or take next?

Read how to rebuild trust with another team for what to do with the map. If you need things from peers without the authority to insist, Influence Without a Title shows how you win support. Every tool for this stage is on the Senior leaders page.