Apr
30
How is your Trust Rating?
Filed Under Trust
I stumbled across a very interesting post “What’s Your ‘Trust Rating’” which highlights some interesting research on trust. As you are well aware trust is absolutely critical to effective leadership, in fact, I would go as far as to say that without trust you cannot lead! The article discussed research by social psychologist, Robert Hurley who defines trust as “confident reliance on someone when you are in a position of vulnerability.” In the research Robert Hurley identified the following 10 primary factors can help us determine why people trust or fail to trust:
- Risk tolerance: Some people are naturally risk takers, while others are just as naturally cautious.
- Level of adjustment: Some people require a lot of time to develop trust,while others can embrace trust more quickly. Poorly adjusted people tend to perceive numerous threats in life.
- Relative power: Those in positions of authority are more likely to trust than those who are not because those in roles of power can punish those who betray them. If people have little authority, they’re more vulnerable and less likely to trust.
- Security: The higher the stakes, the harder it is for people to trust.
It’s easier to trust if not much bad is apt to happen; for example, a tight rope 6 inches above the ground versus one 60 feet above the ground. - Number of similarities: We tend to trust people who are more like us,expressing similar values and common personality traits, than those who are not like us. The more different we are, the less apt we are to trust.
- Alignment of interests: People want to know, “How apt is another person to look after my interests?” Leaders can’t assume that people in the organization have the same interests.
- Benevolent concern: The problem among people is not so much evil as it is self-centeredness. People are more apt to trust you if they see that you’rewilling to put others before yourself.
- Capability: Competence is important. People are less apt to trust you,
even if they like and are like you, if they sense you don’t have the capability it takes to lead. - Predictability and integrity: A person who’s consistent is more apt to be trusted than someone who’s unpredictable. Saying one thing and doing another creates distrust. Be careful not to over-promise.
- Level of communication: Because trust is relational, open and honest communication is key. When there’s miscommunication, cover-up, secrets, and guardedness, people are less apt to trust.
The above image is from the Harvard Business Review in brief titled “The Decision to Trust“
Trust is the life-blood of effective leadership. Are you consciously taking time to build your trust rating? How is your ‘trust rating’? What steps can you take over the next two week to increase your trust rating with your team?
Technorati Tags: Leadership, Trust, Management, Confidence, Credibility, Security, Business, Team, Teamwork, Power
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4 Responses to “How is your Trust Rating?”
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Very interesting indeed. I personally have learned and experienced that #10 is by FAR the most important from that list. You can get into many levels of communication and how it affects trust but I’ve learned that sharing and being vulnerable with others is the most effective way to build trust that deepens quickly and lasts a long time!
Most of those other points take more time and are harder to keep (and easy to destroy). A strong relationship based on good communication and a shared understanding of each other’s vulnerabilities however, can’t be broken very easily and is VERY powerful for leadership!
These considerations and most of the ideas from”Remarkable Leadership” are things I wish I had known during my earlier career in nursing.
Hard to enact now in home business –
[...] his blog today, George Ambler neatly summarises some work that Robert Hurley at Harvard Business Review did on the topic of trust. Clearly there are a lot of dimensions to trust, and just being aware of [...]
Great summary, George. Thanks for making this so accessible.
As business relationships become more fluid, and collaborative engagements emerge as the norm, new methods of establishing, maintaining and quantifying trust must emerge.