There seems to be consensus the global levels of trust are shrinking.
It includes but is not limited to our personal relationships, the leadership in our governments, health and medical communities, and oh yes, also in our project teams and the organizations we work with.
If you agree with this premise, is this decline a symptom of our changing values and beliefs?
Merriam Webster’s definition of trust is, “an assured reliance on the character, ability strength or truth of someone or something.”
With trust we have seen the positive power of its presence, and its destructive forces at work when absent.
How is trust earned, lost and if possible, restored?
What makes you or your relationships trustworthy?
What is your definition of trust and how do you measure it?
How has trust built or burnt bridges for you? Saving Changes...
Stéphane ParentSelf Employed / Semi-retired| Leader MakerPrince Edward Island, Canada
According to Malcolm Gladwell in Talking to Strangers, we may have too much trust, not less trust, in people we don't know.
My personal preference for building trust is to show myself as human and vulnerable. While it may sound counter-intuitive, it's a choice I make in how and where I assert myself. Saving Changes...
How is trust earned, lost and if possible, restored? o I honestly trust people when I first meet them unless they are just in it for themselves. I can tell that pretty quickly. If a Project Manager is only about their project, I tend not to trust that person because that kind of person will not think about how their actions impact their fellow teammates. o However, I will trust Project Managers/teammates/leaders who look out for the person on the right and the person on their left, and honestly tries to come up with mutually beneficial solutions. o I also tend to trust people who have the same values as I do - rigor, doing the right thing, forward/proactive thinking. I don't trust people who cut corners or do things just to check a box. o I think trust can only be restored (only if everyone aligns with the same organizational values) by owning what didn't work, taking action to right what didn't work, and then consistently doing the work to do the right thing. Ex: if someone is consistently late, I am not going to believe them if they promise to be on time. However, if the person puts in structures (ahead of time) to make sure they are consistently on time, owns it, and consistently shows up on time say for x weeks, my trust in that person will be restored. Sometimes it can take time for that trust to be fully restored, and it is possible.
What makes you or your relationships trustworthy? o I am by no means a saint in this arena. However, something that I find works very well is to own any mistakes I have made, and to communicate what has been put in place to ensure such a mistake does not happen again in the future. I have also found that being real and managing expectations vertically and laterally makes a difference. Managing expectations also means communicating what I am promising to do or not do with the team I manage, and not just the higher ups.
What is your definition of trust and how do you measure it? o I think trust is akin to integrity (aka doing the right thing). Trust is when someone can say yes to these questions: "Can I count on you to fulfill on your promise? Can I count on you to do what is expected even if that expectation is in the unspoken? Can I count on you to do the right thing even when no one is looking? o I think there are at least 2 ways to measure trust - 1) employee turnover, 2) how quickly is a promise fulfilled on while leaving team members empowered, and without negatively impacting other teams.
How has trust built or burnt bridges for you? o Trust has been built for me when I had a leader who acknowledged my commitments. I was really surprised given only in personal development circles did people acknowledge me for my level of communication and commitment to integrity. She also asked me to do things that I wasn't sure I could do, and I succeeded anyway. o I worked with a couple of people who would own mistakes that they made, and let me know what they were putting into place going forward. I trusted one of those people so much that I didn't verify each and every element of the process. That's the only time I didn't follow the trust but verify adage, although it would have likely been better if I did since we all have those off days even if it is rare. o The times when trust has been burnt is when there was decreased transparency and more silos. There was increased inclusiveness in some areas, but decreased inclusiveness in decision making in the areas that directly impacted myself and my peers at the same level. o Another decrease in trust if action was taken without including others in how the entire organization would be impacted - i.e. systems thinking was missing. o Other times were if a process was followed only when it was convenient or to check a box.
I am ending this post with I was a contractor where the client was reading "The Speed of Trust." They were reading it just before the pandemic hit which I consider timely. I wasn't around long enough to see the full impact. However, you could tell one person was really trying. Even my fellow co-workers commented on it.
V/R,
Mary Saving Changes...
Jinfeng YuanConstruction Project manager | China Mobile Communications Corporation, BeijingChina, Mainland
Nov 20, 2021 10:09 AM
Replying to Thomas Walenta
...
Hi John,
nice to read from you again!
Great question.
I am not sure if trust is shrinking globally. Is this supported by some research? Agree that we can see pockets of growing distrust in politicians in some countries, but you can also see positive signs e.g. when Corona is handled well as in Portugal, and if elections show that extremists earn less votes, like it happened in Germany.
But, yes, trust is a key feature of human relations and it is based on the same human values that drive us since 100s of 1000s of years. I mean honesty, respect, fairness, responsibility, and also care, community, humility and autonomy (sounds familiar?).
Read a nice little helper how to build trust, which is a influencing skill for any project manager, parent, teacher and leader: Ken Blanchard's Trust works.
The authors offer a 4 pronged approach how to build trust:
A - being able = having a competency valuable for others
B - being believable = be honest, punctual, do as you say
C- become connected = show empathy, care, build community
D - being dependable = be reliable, accountable, responsive
There are many definitions and descriptions out there, I liked 'trust is the willingness to suffer'. Well known for parents and pet owners.
Thomas
Hey Thomas, thank you for this sharing with knowledges of Ken Blanchard. I’d like to try the 4B approach. Thank you for John and all answers here. I learned a lot in this discussion. Saving Changes...
Denathayalan RamasamyChief Technology Officer| Atal Incubation Centre -CIICChennai, Tamilnadu, India
The exact gap between middle management & Top management; People just want things to get done/reach target - rather than demonstrating PM principles & leadership qualities. I have unlearnt & learned many things during PMP exam.
Thus the world is calling for Project, Program management & Portfolio management certfications - to retain human values while running enterprises Saving Changes...
Denathayalan RamasamyChief Technology Officer| Atal Incubation Centre -CIICChennai, Tamilnadu, India
Nov 20, 2021 10:09 AM
Replying to Thomas Walenta
...
Hi John,
nice to read from you again!
Great question.
I am not sure if trust is shrinking globally. Is this supported by some research? Agree that we can see pockets of growing distrust in politicians in some countries, but you can also see positive signs e.g. when Corona is handled well as in Portugal, and if elections show that extremists earn less votes, like it happened in Germany.
But, yes, trust is a key feature of human relations and it is based on the same human values that drive us since 100s of 1000s of years. I mean honesty, respect, fairness, responsibility, and also care, community, humility and autonomy (sounds familiar?).
Read a nice little helper how to build trust, which is a influencing skill for any project manager, parent, teacher and leader: Ken Blanchard's Trust works.
The authors offer a 4 pronged approach how to build trust:
A - being able = having a competency valuable for others
B - being believable = be honest, punctual, do as you say
C- become connected = show empathy, care, build community
D - being dependable = be reliable, accountable, responsive
There are many definitions and descriptions out there, I liked 'trust is the willingness to suffer'. Well known for parents and pet owners.
Thomas
Nice Quote Thomas; During the initial part of your career, you might trust the process, leaders. On-demand & change realization, you become trustworthy in order to lead others. Saving Changes...
