Drivers of Trust and the Trust Cycle

Trust has three core drivers: authenticity, logic, and empathy. People tend to trust you when they believe they are interacting with the real you (authenticity), when they have faith in your judgment and competence (logic), and when they feel that you care about them (empathy).

What We Look for When Choosing to Trust Someone

The drivers of trust are the attributes that lead to effective relationships. The cycle of trust is the process through which trust can be developed and maintained. Trust matters because success can be achieved only by working through others. By inspiring trust, you will encourage those around you to be flexible and collaborative. Developing the drivers of trust and maintaining the trust of others will lead to productive business relationships.

The Drivers of Trust

The main drivers of trust are:

? fairness

? dependability

? respect

? openness

? courage

? unselfishness

? competence

? supportiveness

? empathy

? compassion.

By promoting these qualities, relationships with colleagues, customers and stakeholders are more beneficial to everyone involved.

The Reality of Trust

In reality, the attributes we are more likely to encounter (the reality of trust) are:

? likeability

? dependability

? critical

? ambition

? fairness

? professionalism

? competence

? respect

? controlling

? predictability

The Trust Deficit

People look for the drivers of trust when deciding when, and how much, to trust someone. When people’s expectations are not met, trust and indeed the entire relationship are seriously undermined. It would seem that without a concerted effort to develop and demonstrate these qualities we are unlikely to develop the rapport we need for good working relationships. Avoiding a trust deficit becomes all-important if we are to get the most out of business relationships. By understanding the drivers of trust, along with the cycle of trust, we can better shape the way we relate to others and build successful, reliable and productive relationships.

The Trust Cycle

STAGE 1: Explore – understand the issues and priorities

STAGE 2: Commit – agree what you will deliver, how and when

STAGE 3: Deliver – take action and achieve what you have promised

STAGE 4: Confirm – check that delivery has met the person’s expectations

Follow these stages continually, and you will build and maintain the trust that is essential for effective, productive relationships. As trust is such a fragile commodity, failing to achieve any one of these stages will damage the relationship and require you to go back and rebuild it. For this reason, ensuring that trust is maintained – by continually developing the drivers of trust and following the cycle of trust – is less disruptive, less time-consuming and less stressful. It creates the positive and productive relationships that are necessary for success.

Here are some tips for building trust:

·?Be competent and reliable. Do what you say you will do, and do it well.

·?Be honest and trustworthy. Keep your promises, and be truthful even when it is difficult.

·?Be open and transparent. Share information freely, and be willing to listen to others.

·?Be fair and just. Treat everyone with respect, regardless of their position or status.

·?Be forgiving. When someone makes a mistake, be willing to forgive them and move on.

By following these tips, you can build trust and create a more positive and productive environment.