Everyone wants to know what the perfect activity is for "building trust." Trust me, falling into your co-workers' arms is not going to do it. Though you may trust them to catch you, would you trust them with a project at work that is important to you? How do you build trust. Like everything else, it starts with honest introspection and communication. It will never be a quick fix with an exercise, but here are some ways to start the ball rolling...

1. Start by assuming "trust." Many of us want others to prove they are trustworthy, and that takes time. Why not start from a position that assumes at least some level of trust, until proven otherwise? Afterall, the people on your team volunteered, were selected or hired because they presumably have something to add. Excluding them or not trusting them from the get-go only works to undermine your team rather than help it succeed.

2. Get to know each other. This seems like a simple idea, but most teams and companies under-value it. It is human nature to trust people we know, and be somewhat skeptical of people we are not familiar with and/or who outwardly seem different. There are many ways of getting to know each other, but if you are serious about building trust, you should consider exercises that truly reveal something about the team members. Here are a couple examples:

 A. Six Degrees of Separation. In this exercise, one person starts talking about themselves personally and professionally. As soon as any other team member hears something that they have in common with the speaker, that person raises their hand and starts talking about him or herself. That person's starting point should be the item or incident they share in common witht the original speaker. This continues until everyone has spoken.

B. The Best and Worst. This can be done anonymously or openly, depending upon the comfort level of team members and the leader. Each person has a piece of paper and a pen, and writes their own name at the BOTTOM of the sheet. These sheets are then passed clockwise around the table. For each paper, people are to write what the most positive trait or skill that person brings to the team. Then, they are to write what trait or skill the person could improve upon to help the team. This listing should be started at the top of the page, and each set of comments can be folded over so no one can be influenced by anyone elses comments. These sheets are finally given back to each person so they can read the comments of their team members. Each person should summarize what has been written, and may comment on the "suggestions for improvement." This is meant to be done in a very positive way. If you do not feel comfortable, then have a skilled facilitator administer this exercise. It allows people to see all of the many positive things they bring to the team and get a perspective on how they can help to improve the team's effectiveness.

Finally, the more interaction a team has, the better the trust level will become. So keeping people separated is never going to help the situation. Surprisingly, that is what a lot of teams do. Whatever the problems and dysfunctions, work together and work through it for a stronger team.