I’ve mentioned that I’m enjoying reading Tom Verducci’s The Cub Way. One of the highlights is learning of the leadership insights of Joe Maddon, the Cubs manager.

Maddon came to the Cubs in 2015 after a successful career in Tampa. He gained a reputation as an excellent manager by taking young, low-budget teams and coaching them into the playoffs.

When he became a “free agent,” the Cubs scooped him up. This time he took a young team who was beginning to find itself and led them to the playoffs in 2015 and the first World Series in 108 years in 2016.

Maddon has a strategy for team building. You have to connect to trust. You have to be trusted to lead.

Maddon said leaders often rush to fast into directing, teaching and coaching. “It’s almost like your expected to have an immediate impact,” says Maddon. “I’ve found that if I can make a connection and create trust, I can be more effective when the opportunity to teach and coach comes about.”

“Once you’ve trusted me and I’ve trusted you, we can exchange ideas openly without the concern about who is right.”

Trust lubricates candor. When there is trust, ideas flow freely. Chains of authority lose their prominence. The best ideas win.

That kind of trust causes teams to be better than the book says they should be. Worth considering your approach to building your team.