Practical People Skills for Building Trust on Teams and with Partners
Melissa Eggleston
User Experience Researcher and Designer
Maya Israni
Digital Services Expert, United States Digital Service
Florence Kasule
Director Of Procurement, United States Digital Service
Owen Seely
User Experience Researcher and Designer, United States Digital Service
Andrea Schneider
Project Manager and Lead, United States Digital Service
Summary
Do you think you have great people skills? How do you know? Lots of us are never taught critical behaviors that build trust with others. In the government, trust is often the currency that helps build momentum and gets things done. In this panel with experienced professionals from the U.S. Digital Service and moderated by Melissa Eggleston, we will discuss what works well in building trust in government. You'll learn from past mistakes of others so you can avoid similar missteps. Get practical direction to improve your people skills with your team and all those partners you need on your side.
Key Insights
-
•
The trust equation breaks trust into credibility, reliability, intimacy, and low self-orientation, providing a practical tool for trust-building.
-
•
Delivering results consistently, summarized as delivery equals trust, is critical to maintain reliability and build trust in government projects.
-
•
Empathy and kindness are foundational people skills that enable creating safe spaces and fostering participation within complex teams.
-
•
Honesty, even when delivering difficult truths about a project, sustains trust when done respectfully and backed by evidence.
-
•
Code-switching and adaptability from diverse personal backgrounds enhance listening skills and relationship-building in government environments.
-
•
Discovery sprints serve as trust-building exercises by involving partners early and collaboratively in problem understanding and solution ideation.
-
•
Traditional ‘throwing over the fence’ procurement approaches fail; collaborative procurement teams improve trust and outcomes.
-
•
Relationship maintenance requires intentional effort, similar to personal friendships, including regular check-ins and leveraging multiple communication channels.
-
•
Understanding individual circumstances and meeting people where they are increases warmth and connection in professional relationships.
-
•
Trust-building is layered, requiring care not only between people but also between people and work, and between work entities.
Notable Quotes
"The effect you have on others is the most valuable currency there is."
"Trust is the sum of credibility, reliability, intimacy, divided by self-orientation."
"Kindness and empathy are a good way to build interest and relationships."
"In procurement, throwing things over the fence just doesn’t work; collaboration builds trust."
"Delivery is trust—doing what you said, avoiding overpromising, and delivering quality."
"Listening with all your senses, not just the words they’re saying, reveals people’s true needs."
"When you tell the truth, especially hard truths, how you say it matters as much as the truth itself."
"Meeting people where they are means recognizing what’s going on in their life and their context."
"Building trust is a slow, brick-by-brick process, especially when you’re entering new environments."
"Trust requires care at different levels: person-to-person, person-to-work, and work-to-work."
Or choose a question:
More Videos
"One-on-one conversations capture body language and tone you just don’t get in written reviews."
Adam Cutler Karen Pascoe Ian Swinson Susan WorthmanDiscussion
June 8, 2016
"This DP&M tool is not just another knowledge base, it’s a living database that supports managing relationships and parsing information into views tailored to user roles."
Ellie Krysl Jon FukudaPlanned Right. Managed Right. Designed Right.
June 6, 2023
"Asking questions made our direct communication partners think I didn’t know what I was talking about; telling statements worked better."
Anat Fintzi Rachel MinnicksDelivering at Scale: Making Traction with Resistant Partners
June 9, 2022
"Do I find a way to make this conversation more about the software as scheduled or do I show Laura how to react to the unplanned?"
Randolph Duke IIWar Stories LIVE! Randy Duke II
March 30, 2020
"The neutral zone is like being dead in a coffin above ground, waiting for a sign to rise."
Maria GiudiceEmpowering change: Reigniting purpose, passion and impact in research
March 13, 2025
"UX now has a seat at the table — maybe not next to the CEO, but definitely in the room — thanks in large part to the design system."
Nalini P. KotamrajuAn Organizational Story: Salesforce Lightning Design System
June 9, 2016
"Citizen participation is like eating spinach—everyone agrees it’s good, but few actually do it meaningfully."
Aaron Stienstra Lashanda HodgeLeveraging Civic Design to Advance Equity and Rebuild Trust in the US Federal Government
December 8, 2021
"The goal of war gaming is to provide better quality information at the right time for better decisions."
Terry BuckmanWargaming (An Introduction)
August 10, 2023
"Craft isn't gonna help you feel more fulfilled, influential or powerful. It cannot meet that need."
Jess GrecoClaiming your power: Practical tools for amplifying your unique voice
March 13, 2025
