- “If you bring a fairness or workplace issue to Bob, don’t worry he will look into it.”
- “When Julie said she will go after pay raises for all of us, I am confident she will do all her power to make it happen.”
- “The schedule given to you by the development group can always be counted on. I have yet to see them miss a delivery date.”
- “Based on the prior experience of our new hire, I trust she will be able to handle that project.”
The above are assessments of trustworthiness and the basis of each assessment is different. In The Thin Book of Trust by Charles Feltman he documents the four assessments as; care, sincerity, reliability, and competence.
First the definition of trust used by Charles Feltman: choosing to risk making something you value vulnerable to another person’s actions.
A few thoughts on trust
- Trust is not binary, think of it as a spectrum from distrust to trust
- Individuals make assessments in the four areas on whether to trust a person
- Trust of a person in one area does not automatically translate to trust in another
- Individuals consistently assess themselves as more trustworthy than others
The Definitions of the Four Assessments of Trust
CARE – is the assessment that a person has other person’s interests in mind as well as their own when they make a decision or take action. This can be considered the most important area.
SINCERITY—is the assessment a person is honest. They say what they mean and mean what they say.
RELIABILITY—is the assessment a person meets the commitments they make; they keep promises.
COMPETENCE—is the assessment a person has the ability to do they are doing or propose to do.
Take a moment to assess the reason for trust in the opening four statements. Statement one made the assessment on care. Bob was assessed as having the interest of others in mind when he takes action.
In statement two, Julie is trusted because they know she is a sincere straight shooter. If she says it she means it, regardless of her audience.
Statement three. The team is assessed as trustworthy because of the reputation of meeting their commitments.
Last statement. The new hire is trusted to take on a project because of demonstrated competence.
Let’s do two trust assessments; one on you and a second on a critical team member. Use a scale of 1-10; a score of 1 means complete distrust and a 10 means complete trust.
Care: Do you have the interest of others in mind when you make a decision or take action? Think about a decision you made in the last month. How did you ensure the interests of others were a priority? A good test is to state how you communicated the impact of your decisions or actions on those you lead.
If you did not communicate the impact, you missed the opportunity to build trust. In building trust, it is important for others to see and evaluate your actions.
For your critical team member, what was their score? How much of your assessment was based on specific evidence?
Sincerity: This assessment is about others being able to believe what you say. Evaluating consistency of your message with different audiences can be informative. How does your message change on the same topic if you are talking to senior folks in your organization, colleagues, or line workers? What do you think others would say?
In assessing your critical team member what are the behaviors that influence your score the most?
Reliability: When you commit to a delivery, being at a meeting, adherence to a standard, or holding yourself and others accountable; does it happen 100% of the time? What do others see?
Assess your critical team member. What is it that allows you to trust her? Consistency in doing what she says she will do.
If you find yourself apologizing for not meeting a commitment, individuals are moving your score towards distrust.
Competence: being capable of accomplishing what you said you can. Additionally, asking for assistance when you are in over your head. You never want to be referred to as an example of the Dunning Kruger Effect, thinking you know more than you do.
When you trust a colleague based on skill, this is a decision based on evidence or reputation. Someone has seen a demonstration of the knowledge or skill in question.
How did you do? What do your scores tell you about your path forward? What are your top two actions?
What do the scores of your critical team member tell you?
Final Thoughts
Trust is built by actions not words. By the definition of trust, many of those actions will show vulnerability. When the folks you lead assess whether to trust or distrust you; they are assessing your actions and their relationship to your words. Does the “audio match the video”?
