The Trust Element

If you’ve just had your car’s brakes repaired, you’re confident that you’ll stop before the locomotive comes rumbling through the railroad crossing. If you pick up a prescription at the pharmacy, you assume the medicine will treat a specific ailment.

Trust plays an enormous role in life. Think about all of the routine decisions you make based solely on trusting individuals and organizations. Trust is arguably the most critical element in the workplace. It underscores virtually every relationship you have with colleagues and managers. Trust that’s violated or shattered is often difficult to make whole.

In his 2012 book, Smart Trust, Stephen M.R. Covey points out that centuries ago, Maghribi traders based their business solely on handshakes – a gesture that still represents an agreement of faith. But trust has taken a real beating in today’s world, thanks to crooked politicians, greedy CEOs and maniacal terrorists. We’re not sure who or what to believe or whether our instincts are reliable.

“What we believe is even more important than what we know because beliefs drive our behavior and our actions,” Covey writes.

So how do you establish trust? Where can you find it? Why do some people – and organizations – have it and others don’t? And if you’ve lost it, is it gone forever?

Covey suggests that many people, through their upbringing and social conditioning, have either naive blind trust or innate distrust. Your orientation directly impacts your relationships, particularly in a workplace context. In an environment of trust, people are able to let their guards down and significantly improve their chances of having beneficial interactions. It’s no coincidence that trust is a major factor in influencing organizational success… or failure.

Corporate leaders normally are responsible for establishing cultures of trust. They demonstrate moral integrity and transparency, accept their shortcomings, are kind and compassionate, value their employees, have the proper perspective and place organizational achievement above individual glory.

An organization’s reputation typically reflects the leader’s influence. Employees communicate openly and honestly with each other, keep their promises and aren’t afraid to take risks or make mistakes. They treat co-workers and customers with respect and problem-solve accordingly.

JetBlue chairman Joel Peterson recently published a book The 10 Laws of Trust: Building the Bonds That Make a Business Great forwarded by Covey. He explains what trust means, how to promote it inside organizations and how to restore trust when it’s damaged. Peterson addresses the “Valentine’s Day Massacre” of interrupted service that JetBlue suffered in 2007 – and how the company healed the resulting breach of trust with its customers.

He shares that trust depends on the presence of three crucial factors:

1. “Character” – The people you trust believe that what is important to you will be important to them.
2. “Competence” – The people you trust have the expertise to attain goals that matter to you.
3. “Authority” – The people you trust deliver on what they promise.

He goes on to mention that trust comes in three forms:

1. “Reciprocal”– This is mutual trust between people who love or care for one another, such as family members and close friends.
2. “Representative” – This is trust among people who depend on each other, such as clients who rely on their lawyers or patients who rely on their doctors.
3. “Pseudo-trust” – This is counterfeit trust that develops among people, such as business associates, whose interests align temporarily but who don’t share real respect.

Both books are important to any professional looking to do right in business.

No amount of money can buy trust. You can’t earn an online degree in it. Building trust requires commitment and hard work. If trust is an issue in your office, try to fix it … before that speeding locomotive comes through.