Guest Author: Jennifer Albrecht
PREPARE YOURSELF: Take a Clarity Break for this one… so get your notebook and pens out before you start to read, lots of deep questions here to reflect on!
Trust.
What does the word mean to you?
Does trust mean the same thing to you as it does to your partner (in life or at work)?
What do you do – or not do – to communicate what trust looks like and means to you as you interact with others?
And what do you look for to measure your own trust in someone else?
These questions may sound deep. And they are. Though we would suggest that trust is at the core of every relationship you have. Think about it. Whether we’re talking about your life partner, your colleague, or that new client who just seemed “off” during that initial conversation. What was it they said or did that made your radar (or instinct, if you prefer) go off? Was it an issue of trusting what they said or did?
Trust is at the core of all our relationships. Our clients trust we will do what we say we will do and we will do it well, with their best of intentions. Our friends trust us to be there for them, to ask what we need in a time of crisis, and to always be on our side (or at least nicely explain why they aren’t). Our life partners trust us to communicate as we grow and change together, and to be honest when something isn’t sitting well with them. Our colleagues trust we will work together to build a strong team and a solid business together. The consequence of trust is therefore core to all we do.
This could be an 82-part series on trust! There’s the angle of how we evaluate our trust in others. Then there’s the things we do ourselves to either build or repel the trust of others. There’s our trust – or lack thereof – in the media. In the government. In our parents. And in our youth… the foundations of trust in our relationships is of massive consequence.
This post is meant to provoke thought about one or more of the questions above and how you build, communicate, define, and gain, or lose trust with others, and we’ll stick to the question of the importance of trust at work. With clients. With our colleagues. And the trust we have – or don’t have – even in ourselves.
What is the first thing you picture when you think of your most trustworthy colleague?
Is it something in their demeanor? Is it how they talk? Is it in their actions or attitude? Or is it how they treat others?
Now think about the things you do yourself to encourage others’ trust in you. Do you emulate that person you thought of when you think of trust? Or do you have your own conscious or not-so-conscious ways you project your trustworthiness to those with whom you need to connect?
The consequence of trust can, when one thinks about it, swing dramatically to the negative side: no trust, no business, no money, and likely, unhappiness. Or, it can swing positively the other way: strong trust, great communication, accountability, recognition and strong business. Would you agree that trust, even when we go through the exhausting motions of faking it, is at the heart of so much of what we do?
These Catalyst posts aren’t in the habit of asking so many questions. At a time of great shifts in how, where, and with whom we do business and as we struggle for an ever-shrinking piece of the pie, trust keeps coming up. There are numerous books out there on the language of trust, the value of trust, and the “how-to” books about building trust. One might argue so much of trust is based on instinct, then backed by paying attention and measuring patterns. We might learn best practices from these books, though I would suggest that simply thinking about and being aware of how we interact with others, then being intentional about the role trust plays in those relationships may be the best way to hone our trust instincts.
Would you work with a client you didn’t trust?
Why or why not?
Who is the colleague on your team you trust the least?
How does that lack of trust impact the way you interact with that colleague?
What would you say if asked by a superior about your impressions of that colleague’s work? And what about when the differences between you and a colleague (cultural, generational, or otherwise) challenge whether or not you trust one another in a work environment?
How does your work with that team then succeed or fail?
What emotions come up when you think about a lack of trust you have for someone key in your life?
Emotional trust is important to pay attention to. Sure, healthy skepticism is necessary to make the world turn and to come up with the next big ideas. But when emotional trust comes into play, the impact of our actions, those of others, and how we work through those emotions and either decide to invest the effort into rebuilding trust or choosing to move in another direction, have great impact. While letting emotions guide us at work can have its challenges, paying attention to what moves you - and why - can have benefits too.
I could go on and on here. I do hope this post has sparked some thought about how the trust interactions in your life either enhance your relationships or cause you to evaluate with whom you are working, spending time, and investing energy. In a world where there are so many forces either telling us to trust something (emphatically) or NOT trust something (just as emphatically), I would remind you that your core values will guide you to what works best for you.
What are your Core Values?
How does trust play a part in living those values for yourself and what you expect of others?
We would love to hear your comments and thoughts on the topic of trust. Leave a comment below or shoot us an email (info@catalystintegrators.com) and we can continue the conversation. Onward in trust!