Using “Trust Anti-Patterns” cards, participants individually reflect on current team issues, share observations, and vote on the most critical trust-breaking symptoms. The process fosters open dialogue and helps teams focus on what matters most, making it ideal for regular check-ins with leadership teams.

• Quickly diagnose the level of trust in a team based on observable symptoms.
  
• Identify key risk areas for further work.
  

Duration: ~20–30 minutes

Number of Participants: 5 to 15 people (ideal for a management team)

Materials:

• Set of “Trust Anti-Patterns” cards
• Sticky notes (for voting and notes)
• Flipchart or whiteboard with markers
  

Stage 1. Introduction (3 minutes)
The facilitator briefly explains the goal of the session and describes the process:
“Our goal is to quickly identify areas where trust in the team may be deteriorating. To do this, we’ll use Trust Anti-Pattern cards and focus on the symptoms. Your task is to openly and honestly mark the symptoms that are currently present in the team.”

Stage 2. Individual Diagnosis (5 minutes)
Each participant receives 2–3 random cards from the deck. They are invited to:

• Carefully read the symptoms on their cards.
• If a participant believes that at least one symptom from the card is present in the team’s current work, they keep the card.
• If none of the symptoms match the current situation, the card is discarded.

Task: Each participant selects 1–2 cards with symptoms they clearly observe in the team.

Stage 3. Quick Sharing and Clustering (7 minutes)
The facilitator asks each participant to name their selected cards and highlight the most pronounced symptom.
While doing this, the facilitator notes the symptoms on the board or flipchart and clusters them by similarity. For example:

• Issues with information and communication (distortion, lack of transparency)
• Mutual blame and lack of accountability
• Excessive control and micromanagement
• Gossip and behind-the-back conversations
  

Stage 4. Rapid Impact Assessment (5 minutes)
After all symptoms are listed, participants are invited to vote on their significance:

• Each participant receives 3 sticky notes and places them next to the symptoms they believe most negatively affect team trust.
• They can distribute the notes freely: all 3 on one symptom, or one each on three different symptoms.
  

Stage 5. Wrap-up and Prioritization (5–10 minutes)
The facilitator summarizes the voting and highlights the top 3 most important symptoms (based on the number of votes).
They ask the group clarifying questions:

• Why do these particular symptoms raise the most concern?
• What consequences have they already caused or might cause soon?

Brief conclusions are recorded on the flipchart.

Closing the Activity (1 minute)
The facilitator briefly summarizes the results and outlines the next steps.

Outcomes of the Activity:

• Rapid identification of key symptoms that reduce trust
• Clear prioritization of issues for further work
• Increased readiness of participants to openly discuss tough topics

This express format can be repeated regularly (e.g., quarterly) to track trust dynamics in the team.