26/09/2026
Building Trust Within Teams
Text: Acts 6:1 – 7 New International Version
1 In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Hellenistic Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. 2 So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, “It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. 3 Brothers and sisters, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them 4 and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.” 5 This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit; also Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism. 6 They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them. 7 So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith.
In the text, a minority was offended over a food program, and the apostles addressed the tension. Trust is built or eroded through small, everyday interactions.
The problem is that too many entrepreneurs do not address tension within their teams because it feels uncomfortable, risky, and socially dangerous. Therefore, it quietly accumulates, leading to negative consequences.
Drawing on Ron Friedman’s work on high-performing teams, entrepreneurs can use five behaviors to build trust within teams:
1. Believe disagreements are opportunities (vv. 1, 4).
2. Proactively address tension (v. 2).
3. Don't leave collaboration to chance (v. 3).
4. Keep colleagues in the loop (v. 5).
5. Share the credit (v. 7).
https://youtu.be/TnyeJUV6Uhs
Bibliography
Tiryaki, Tim. “Building Trust within High-Performing Teams.” LinkedIn.com. https://www.linkedin.com/posts/timtiryaki_teamactualization-trust-teamdevelopment-share-7491831976077778945-ho5s/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_android&rcm=ACoAAATfjLEBqeSbFaQKM1M5r5gN0HOeM-XYJOA (accessed September 23, 2026).