Trust: A Simple yet Powerful Model

Trust underpins all successful teams. And, it’s what every dysfunctional team struggles with. We’ve seen it in our work. Too many leaders struggle to make sufficient deposits in the “trust bank” and too many rising leaders don’t recognize that their behavior impacts the trust others place in them.

We’ve encountered several models on trust - all have their merits. One model in particular stands out in it’s simplicity and power. You can find the HBR article here.

In a nutshell trust is like a three-legged stool where the three legs are Empathy, Logic, Authenticity.

Empathy in this context is how much you care about others and not yourself. Logic is your technical competence/credibility. Authenticity is about showing up true to who you are.

If you are experiencing a lack of trust in your organization, or with yourself, take a look in these three areas and see which one is coming up deficient. This requires some serious self reflection and honest responsibility taking which is often incredibly difficult to do. But, as you do so you will be able to identify where you have, what the authors call “trust wobbles.” You can then take appropriate steps to shore up the weak legs of the trust triangle.

Taking stock of how you show up, and how you are engendering trust is challenging, but ultimately one of the most rewarding activities any leader can undertake. As trust builds teams will function in a more collaborative, cohesive, and effective way. And trustworthy teams are simply a lot more fun to work with!