The Trust Quotient

The word trust is derived for the German word trost, meaning comfort. This is an appropriate association because when you trust someone, you are comforted by the belief that this person has your best interest at heart and thus will not endanger you or put you at risk. Trust is a critical component in all human interactions. Just as in mathematics, the quotient is the result of division. A leader has the ability to divide and separate teams as a result of their individual leader behaviour – the outcome is the trust that team has developed in their leader. As an equation, trust is the outcome divided by the impact of individual leader’s behaviour , or:

LEADER BEHAVIOUR / REPEATED INTERACTION = TRUST

Trust has many types. Following are two types of trust that are encountered most often in team settings:
Generalized. You trust on the basis of your mental model that people are generally honorable. Generalized trust is a leap of faith in that you choose to trust without evidence that your trust is deserved or without concrete assurance that whom you trust will deliver positive results. Social and ethical theorist Russell Hardin stated that “generalized trust must be a matter of relatively positive expectations of the trustworthiness, cooperativeness, and helpfulness of others.”
Behavioural. You bestow trust on the basis of how you experience a person’s behaviour toward you. That is, if someone has exhibited reliability, honesty, competency, compassion or courage over time, that person earns your trust. Earn is the operative word in this instance. Trust does not come automatically with positions of power. Even if it did, however (as is the case with generalized trust) trust cannot be sustained by virtue of rank alone. It must be supported by ongoing good behaviour, which then validates your confidence in bestowing your trust in that person.

When you adopt the foundational principle that “individual leader behaviour is the single most important predictor of organizational performance”, the focus is on the second type of trust – behavioural. Trust-earning or trust-building behaviours include:
• Consistency in manner, words, and actions
• Accountability and transparency, including actively listening, sharing information, and taking responsibility instead of blaming.
• Genuine or sincere interest in and concern for others.
• Respectful and equal regard for and treatment of others, regardless of rank or position.
• Focused attention
• Principled and evidence-based decision making
• Dedication to fulfilling (not just making) promises
• Willingness to celebrate and reward good and exceptional work

These behaviours depict the self-awareness traits of ‘influential leaders’. An ‘influential leader’ is a leader with or without rank or position who leads with a positive mindset and is versed in the behaviour competencies of Self-awareness, Collaboration and Connection. As masters of interpersonal relations, ‘influential leaders’ know that their everyday words, actions, and habits can either strengthen or weaken trust.

People can only take so much bad behaviour before they lose their willingness to trust and begin to feel disconnected from their leadership and organizations. You can all list the outcomes of an unmotivated, disengaged workforce, particularly in high stress and high risk environments. So it is, as a leader you must choose to make positive, impactful decisions that build trust in those with whom you work. You do so by introducing the skill of Positive Presence and the Positive Presence Behaviour Competencies – use the power of a positive mindset and the behaviours of collaboration and connection to make trust second nature.