The true judge of our trustworthiness is how others see us. Afterall, none of us are perfect. While we all strive to be trustworthy, for a variety of reasons we may fairly be judged by others to be less trustworthy than we aspire to be. Perhaps we were not as forthright as we could have been because we wanted to protect another’s feelings. Or maybe we didn’t deliver something at the level the other person desired. Or we missed a deadline.
With the foregoing reflections in mind, let’s now look at a basic definition of trust. Here is how the author, Charles Feltman, defines the word. “Trust is choosing to risk making something you value vulnerable to another person’s actions.” Much of the content of this segment is drawn from his The Thin Book of Trust.
This definition points to several important qualities of trust. Perhaps the most important is that trust is a choice we make in our relations with others and others make in their relations with us. It’s also clear that we take a risk when we choose to trust. We’re betting it’s safe to share something that matters to us, that the other person will respect our vulnerability and do us no harm.
“In successful organizations where people are innovative, engage in productive conflict and debate about ideas, and have fun working together, I find strong trusting relationships."
M1-Trust-Field-Guide-Excerpts.pdf
Trust vs Distrust
Building Trust
Values and Expectations
