When you turn on the tap in the morning, you trust that the engineers at the waterworks are doing their job. At the car repair shop, you rely on the repair being carried out properly, even though you cannot check the details. Trust forms the basis for all individuals, companies, organizations, and civilizations, for all relationships and every form of communication around the globe. A lack of trust destroys even the most successful companies, the most powerful governments, and the most flourishing economies. Despite the obvious immense power of trust, it is probably one of the most underestimated factors in our economy and society.
How trust is built
Personal credibility forms the basis of trust. This is based on four factors that are interconnected like the parts of a tree: integrity, intention, abilities, and results. The first two factors relate to character, while the other two relate to competence.
"Even if you consider someone to be sincere, even honest, you will still not trust them unreservedly if they cannot demonstrate corresponding results and successes."
integrity
Personal integrity is the root of credibility. Do you do what you say, keep your promises, and act in accordance with your beliefs? Honest, fair behavior builds trust, especially when it is to your own disadvantage. Integrity is the term most people associate with trust. This is because massive breaches of trust are often linked to violations of integrity. A person of integrity is someone who has the courage to act in accordance with their values and convictions.
intentions
The intentions that arise from integrity form the core. Are you acting in the best interests of your employees, your customers, and your company? Care and concern are excellent intentions for gaining trust. Mistrust, on the other hand, arises when purely selfish intentions are pursued. Even if we suspect that someone has hidden intentions and does not have our best interests at heart, we view everything they say and do with suspicion.
skills
The skills you use to inspire trust are the branches and twigs of the tree: your talents, attitudes, abilities, and knowledge. These are the tools you use to achieve results and success. For example, if a family doctor is honest and has good intentions but lacks the necessary expertise to perform heart surgery, he or she will still lack credibility in this area.
results
The results—the fruits of your labor, so to speak—are the outcome of correctly applied skills. They confirm the trust that has been placed in you and strengthen it: nothing makes you more credible than satisfactory results. If, on the other hand, we fail to meet the expectations of others, it damages our credibility.
Whether we trust someone is determined by four factors that people subconsciously assess in conversations or through observation. You should therefore actively build trust in all four areas.
