The Five Step Process of Building Trust

Trust is the foundation for any relationship. Trust provides immense potential to perform and power to achieve. Trust ensures reliability, enhances confidence and exudes hope. Trust instills balance and comfort in any situation. Trust creates transparency, equality and greater engagement. In short, when trust prevails, the whole is always greater than the sum of its parts.

However, trust building is neither quick nor easy. It does not happen automatically, and it takes effort and time to build trust.

Trust is the most important ingredient that differentiates the good from the great.

Here’s a five-step process of building trust with an individual or group. Be it a professional setup such as a workplace, or an informal setup like a community group, these steps can be adopted as a blueprint to build trust.

1.      Taking Initiative: The first step towards trust building is to make the first move and take initiative. While embarking on a new project or solving an existing problem, active engagement and participation during the early stages is very important and demonstrates intent to build the relationship. Showing optimism at this stage and continuing to display hope and possibility are key to steer the relationship forward. Putting the group or the team ahead of self, creates the desired momentum.

2.      Owning Action: Once the interest to engage is conveyed, it is important to follow up closely and bias towards action. This is the step where planning and organizing happens. It is important to envision outcomes at this step, so that execution is purpose driven. Demonstrating strong integrity, team spirit and result orientation is important because action is louder than talk.

3.      Driving Results: Attaining tangible results are really the early indicators towards winning trust. To convert action into results, it’s important to execute to the plan and collaborate with a win-win mindset. Conveying the message that everyone will be a winner helps build the motivation. Monitoring progress and communicating it are important steps towards building confidence.

4.      Building Credibility: One-time results may not necessarily help build trust always. Credibility comes with repeatability, so it is important to produce results on a consistent basis. Being open to owning the results of action and being available to manage consequences also helps build credibility.

5.      Exuding Authenticity: The most important step to win trust is to remain authentic. While the earlier steps employ the mind and are measurable, this step deals with emotions that employ the heart and cannot be measured. The true demonstration of authenticity is to remain in line with beliefs, be vulnerable, humble, grateful, honest and kind. In fact this is the moral fiber that steers most trusted relationships forward.

Trust is the most important ingredient that differentiates the good from the great. If we introspect and recognize where we are in this trust-building ladder, it could help accelerate the journey from good to great!