Mutual trust is one of the most important elements of a successful team. Employees who feel trusted by their manager also feel valued and important, and often go above and beyond to support the organization’s goals. By the same token, if employees have faith in their manager, they’ll always feel like decisions are made in the team’s best interest.

Of course, trust is not a given. It’s something that must be actively developed and maintained, and that can be easier said than done. We asked 15 members of Forbes Coaches Council to share their advice for building a two-way relationship of trust with your employees.

1. Ask Open-Ended Questions Without Assuming The Answers 

When talking with a team member, try to leave your assumptions at the door. Instead of assuming you know how they are doing or where they are on a project, ask a big, open-ended question. “What’s going on for you right now?” “What’s your biggest opportunity” “What are you excited about?” Instead of making the narrative about you, make it about them. – Marcy Schwab, Inspired Leadership

2. Be Vulnerable 

Vulnerability is a fundamental way to establish credibility and trust. Sharing parts of ourselves is a risk, and permits others to know and begin to trust us. One quick way to do this is starting a meeting with an icebreaker. Share a story from your life that shows you as vulnerable — for example, the craziest thing you did as a teenager that you are willing to share. – Denise King, DKG Coaching

3. Watch Your Body Language And Nonverbal Cues 

We often forget that more than 50% of communication is nonverbal. Building trust has an important nonverbal element. Are our nonverbals projecting warmth and openness? Visible hands, an open body posture, a genuine smile and a social gaze can all build up trust. Too often, we focus only on the words we will use in a conversation and not on the message our nonverbals are saying. – Irvine Nugent, Ph.D., Irvine Nugent & Associates

4. Prioritize Fairness And Honesty 

Your employees don’t expect you to be perfect, but they do expect you to be fair. A large part of fairness is honesty. When a person knows that you’re going to be straightforward with them, that person will move mountains for you. Instead of feeling isolated when the consequences of negative environmental factors begin to manifest, you’ll all be in it together. Honesty is the best policy. – Lynita Mitchell-Blackwell, Leading Through Living Community

5. Put Yourself In Your Employees’ Shoes 

Employees want to belong and they want to be seen. Engage in the practice of stepping into someone else’s shoes. Imagine yourself as the other person listening to you. What does this person see, hear? Practice this once a day and you’ll be amazed at what you’ll learn about how you’re perceived by others and what you need to do differently to initiate trust. – Sharon Spano, Spano & Company, Inc.

6. Always Fulfill Your Promises 

Trust is the consequence of promises fulfilled. Make explicit promises, even small ones, and then fulfill them. This can be on small things (“I’ll have that report to you on Thursday morning.”) or something bigger: “At your last performance review, I said that you needed to meet these benchmarks to be promoted. You have met those benchmarks, and I have put in for your promotion.” – Helio Fred Garcia, Logos Consulting Group