On Being More Trusting...

Henry Stimson once said, “The fastest way to make a man trustworthy is to trust him.” This quote has a great deal of insight. What Stimson suggests is that we trust first. We lean towards trusting versus mistrusting. Our trust promotes trustworthiness in others.

Thoughts on being more trusting. 

Assume positive intent. People tried to do a good job. People mean well. And although there might be a few exceptions, the strong majority wants to do the right thing. With a high percentage of workers having a positive intent and an extremely low percentage who might not be trustworthy, the odds are in your favor to correctly trust rather than mistrust. 

Embrace your vulnerability. It is understandable that you might have caution in trusting when there is no history to validate it. That is human nature. That is what makes us vulnerable. By confronting our vulnerabilities, we can overcome them and choose trusting over under–trusting. 

Trust but verify. Trusting does not mean blind trust. In the words of Ronald Reagan, “trust but verify.” When there is a question about trustworthiness, setting up systems to verify will usually bring you the validation you had hoped for. 

Consider the alternative. Which is riskier? Trusting or mistrusting. Trusting says “I support you,” or “I believe in you.” Mistrusting says the reverse. Which has a greater downside? 

To trust or not to trust? You’re the leader. You decide.

Marsha Egan is the owner/facilitator of the online coaching group "Great Points Coaching Online." HTTP://MarshaEgan.com/greatpoints Check us out for monthly coaching chats.