The Art of Connection: Building Teams That Trust and Thrive

At Candor Threads, we’ve always known that what we create is about more than just the apparel: it’s about the people who wear it and the connections they form. We’re inspired every day by the stories our customers share, how they collaborate, support one another, and build something bigger than themselves. As we listened to our community and watched how our products became part of their everyday moments, one truth became clear: connection is at the heart of everything we do.

Why Care About Connection?

We began doing research on connection and trust to form the basis of Candor Experiences, our new team event facilitation project led by our CEO Becky Galvez. What we learned was fascinating and much more than just a few research points. Our mental and physical health, relationships, and personal achievements are all benefited by connection, trust, belonging, and play. We decided to write a white paper to dive deeper into the powerful role connection plays in the workplace and share that information with our community. 

The team from Cooperative Education Services shares ideas

Key Takeaways

With workplace distrust on the rise, fostering team connection and trust is more critical than ever. In 2024, only 34% of employees felt they were thriving at work, costing the global economy $8.9 trillion, according to Gallup.

Research shows the strongest teams share three key traits: trust, connection, and belonging. These boost engagement, productivity, and reduce turnover. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs highlights how social bonds sit at the heart of human fulfillment, while studies like the Harvard Study of Adult Development reveal that strong relationships lead to longer, healthier lives.

In the workplace, trust empowers teams to collaborate, innovate, and embrace vulnerability. As Simon Sinek and Patrick Lencioni emphasize, a true team is more than people working together—it’s people trusting each other. We know that trust, play, and vulnerability are key to building thriving teams and leaders. Trust fosters open communication, play sparks creativity and innovation, and vulnerability strengthens bonds, making people feel seen and valued. Combined, these elements create an environment where everyone can grow and collaborate.

Organizations can foster this by:

Uniting Around Core Values: Rally teams around a shared mission to inspire intrinsic motivation.

Creating Psychological Safety: Ensure employees feel safe to share ideas and take risks.

Using Symbols and Rituals: Reinforce team identity with shared symbols and traditions.

Recognizing and Supporting: Celebrate achievements and personalize recognition.

Encouraging Play and Creativity: Add fun elements to boost collaboration and reduce stress.

Building trust isn’t optional, but essential for engagement, innovation, and performance. As Paul J. Zak’s research shows, trust boosts empathy and cooperation by triggering oxytocin release.

Successful teams don’t form by accident; they’re built intentionally through authenticity, vulnerability, and shared purpose. Investing in these relationships enhances both workplace morale and the bottom line.

The Greenscreens.ai Team at a Conference

Read the White Paper

To read the full “Building Effective Teams through Connection” white paper and learn more about how connection can benefit your team, please sign up with this form to receive the free PDF download.