Four Pillars of Trust

Humans are relational beings. We form bonds with people around us, be it at work, family, or our private lives. While some have claimed that communication is the most important ingredient to building strong relationships, communication ultimately helps to build understanding and trust, and relationships are built on trust.

While trust is usually built over time, in this article, I will briefly cover four important pillars of trust - Competency, Consistency, Intimacy, and Orientation.

Competency

One of the dynamics of power identified by French and Raven in the late 1950s is Expert power. Unlike other dynamics like legitimate power, coercive power, and reward power, expert power belongs to the category of informal power as it resides within an individual without any recognised formal authority. It comes from an elevated level of knowledge or skill set, in other words, competency in that particular subject matter or task. Especially in the context of work, we place our trust in individuals who are competent, people who are good at what they do. This is demonstrated over time - through the knowledgeable decisions made, practical understanding of how work actually gets done, and the ability to get the resources needed to deliver good work. While it is important to be able to deliver good work, it is also important to deliver it consistently.

Consistency

Many were looking forward to seeing Kenenisa Bekele run in the 2021 Olympic marathon alongside Eliud Kipchoge, the two fastest marathon runners today. However, EAF officials decided to select the team via an Ethiopian Olympic marathon trials, which Kenenisa Bekele decided not to participate in as it was too close to the actual Olympic marathon. Kenenisa Bekele's career has been relatively inconsistent. While he ran the second fastest marathon time (till date) in 2019, at times he shows up to races with poor performance, sometimes due to injuries. For the Olympic team selectors, it is important that they put together a team which is in their top form now, to best represent the country. Be it in sports or work or elsewhere, it is challenging to trust someone who does it well only sometimes. Especially in relationships, it is important to walk the talk, consistently.

Intimacy

Another important aspect of trust is to develop intimacy. I remember when I was in the military, I witness firsthand a company sergeant major who was newly posted to a regular unit and immediately tried to force changes. While some of the changes he wanted to make were for the better, it did not sit well with any of the men. They did not trust him. It got to the point where the entire company demanded a conference with the Officer Commanding to raise all their unhappiness. As time went by, things got slightly better but the damage was already done. The issue was that there was no intimacy. The new sergeant major did not know the men, did not understand them or the culture that they have been in the entire time. Neither was there opportunity for the men to get closer to the sergeant major. We have the natural tendency to place our trust in someone who is close to us, we understand their intentions better, and are more willing to give them a chance at what they are trying to do. And this leads me to the next pillar of trust.

Orientation

The fourth, but arguably most important pillar of trust is orientation. This refers to the underlying focus of your actions, yourself or others. Someone who is self-oriented all the time will be less trusted compared to the other who comes across as others-oriented. A friend of mine has been working with his wife for her to quit smoking. Imagine if the underlying intent is due to him not liking the smell of cigarette breath as opposed to him being concerned about the implications her smoking habits will have on her health. Fortunately, he comes from the latter, and they are able to work together positively towards a common goal. They also have plans to have a baby soon, which adds to her drive to quit the habit.

Trust extends beyond interpersonal relationships, it is also necessary when it comes to business transactions, making purchases, and so on. Which explains the importance of referrals and customer reviews. Trust is essential to developing relationships with individuals as well. Leaders who cannot inspire trust, cannot lead. The question is: in today's fast paced, instant world, how quickly can we build trust and instill confidence.

*this is my own interpretation of Charles H. Green's Trust Equation