Understanding trust

Building trust makes working with your team meaningful and stress-free.

Before you attempt to build trust in other team members, it is important to understand what trust is.

Lewicki, McAllister & Bies define trust as “Confident, positive expectations about the conduct of another”.

Steven R. Covey in his famous book "The Speed of Trust" says that trust is derived from

a) your capabilities

b) your capacity to set and achieve goals

c) your consistency in keep commitments.

According to Covey, the 4 cores of trust are:

  1. Integrity - Do you do what you say?

    Team members trust you when you are honest and when their personal values are congruent with yours.

  2. Intent - Do you have a hidden agenda?

    Clarity of your intent is important for the team members to trust you.

  3. Capabilities – Do you have the expertise and relevance?

    Capabilities are a blend of your talents, skills, attitudes, knowledge and style that are relevant to the job. Employees trust those managers who have high capabilities and look up to them as credible source of learning and growth.

  4. Results – What’s your track record?

    Results are your own performance and achievements. Employees trust managers who deliver consistent results.

Wait! Before you go!

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