Is your trust fund worthy?

What would happen if we all gave more than we received?                                                                                                                                                                                              Human Capital

           Any purpose worthy of the name will not be achieved in isolation. We need the support, investment, and collaboration of friends, family, mentors, partners, and allies to transform aspiration into a lasting legacy of enduring value. And trust is the currency of collaboration that will fund progress on your path forward.

           How much trust will you need to succeed? That depends, of course, on the types of trust investments your purpose requires and on whether your return on trust sustains the interest of those holding a stake in your purpose. The economics of trust investing mirror the dynamics of financial markets. Investors want to understand what the real deal is without fear of being looted, fooled, or disappointed by fund performance. Since you are the fund, are you a risk worth taking? Most investors capable of significant trust fund contributions are principals in their own cherished purpose. They will want an assurance of reliable reciprocity. That is, if they invest in you, can they count on you to invest trust in their purpose as well?

           For those new to such trust fund investing, there are four primary currencies of trust, all of which you will need to receive and offer in varying amounts. The first is self trust, a currency already defined at some length in our proposition that you will absolutely need to develop confidence in yourself to achieve your purpose. It is this trust that enables you to take risks reflecting your own sense of worth. Without having or developing substantial trust fund assets of confidence you will not be able to seek or reciprocate the other trust investments that collaboration will require. It is important to remember that confidence is not about sales, schmoozing, or some false, inflated accounting of your knowledge, skills, or talent. Self trust is simply the confidence reflected in being authentic and honest in what you offer. Confidence is distinct from other trust currencies in that your balance of self-trust depends primarily on you and not on the investments of others. If your self trust is under-funded, you may want to consider seeking the support of a coach or therapist to ramp up the value of your own perception.

           The second fund investment that most purposes require is competence trust, a currency defined by the capability of the investors’ skills, abilities, and knowledge that you will need in moving forward. If your purpose were to build a cathedral, you might be the architect in need of good masons, carpenters, and painters. If your purpose were to preserve Alaskan wilderness from the rape of big oil companies, you might require the skills of an effective lobbyist, alternative energy innovators, and activists willing to chain themselves to a backhoe. This investment of capability can be augmented through training and a commitment to learning as a means of growing the trust across time. As you define and seek the currency of competence it is critical to be clear about the scope and limits of your own capacity to invest in the purpose of others. To attract greater investment, you will need to continually enhance your own capacity for investment. That’s how the rules of trust-fund reciprocity work.

           The third currency of a great fund is communication trust which can be most succinctly defined by that old adage of saying what you mean and meaning what you say in every encounter. In our pursuit of worthy purpose, we will need collaborators that offer us candid, constructive, and sometimes painful to hear feedback. Such investors understand our purpose and provide navigation when we appear to be sailing off course. We need advisors we can turn to in confidence knowing that they will be discreet with all that we choose to share. Those who invest in the currency of communication will admit mistakes and seek to minimize any defensiveness. Communication trust embraces a commitment to explore how surprise, disappointment, or hostility surface in the course of any transaction. These investors provide intimacy when we feel most alone on the path to purpose. They allow us to feel safe in sharing doubts and will celebrate our success knowing that this is a perpetually renewable currency as long as truth is kept as the cornerstone of value.

           And finally, there is the currency of contractual trust in which we receive and give contributions of good character. Be impeccable with your word. In these investments we always know the score of what to expect with no surprises. As the name suggests, this currency is about making and keeping agreements. If you agree to a meeting; to a project deadline; or to sharing the rent on office space, you keep the agreement no matter how inconvenient or costly it may prove to be. Most often, these investments encourage mutual support of both distinct and overlapping purposes while establishing clear boundaries on whatever you do not agree to do for or with each other. As agreements are made and kept to common benefit, new and more substantial agreements are forged increasing the trust fund balances, sometimes exponentially, as greater risks enable greater payoff on your path to purpose.

           As you consider your purpose, think about how your progress might be accelerated and assured through greater investments in your trust fund by investors currently known and by those you might yet seek. Then consider what investments you might be able to make in support of someone who has either like-minded purpose or, perhaps, someone who has a very distinct purpose and an abundance of trust funding you might hope to attract by proving yourself superbly trust worthy. Appreciate all the trust you receive.

           There is an uncommon alchemy in such trust fund investing. Generosity seeds abundance; investing in purpose is harvested for the common good; trust becomes a cumulative asset as long as agreements are kept and mutual respect is cherished as the life blood of our most human capital.