Four Ways to Cultivate Trust at Work

Quick! Think of your most successful business relationship with a colleague, client or boss. What makes it so special? It’s probably the prevalence of trust.  Before thinking of the content and characteristics that make up the foundation of trust, think of what trust elicits and inspires: a sense of comfort.

Charles H. Green expounds this thought more fully in his article, Trust in Business: The Core Concepts.  He lays out an interesting model to improve business relationships.

The Trust Equation (TQ) focuses on the four components of this equation: TQ = C+R+I/S:

• Credibility (C) establishes your authority on a specific topic.
• Reliability (R) is your dependability, based on past actions and the history you have with that particular person.
• Intimacy (I) establishes a sense of security and the feeling that the person has your best interest at heart, based on past history and actions.
• Self-Orientation (S) elicits trust when a person is focused less on themselves and more on the other person involved.  Self-orientation directly impacts the other three components of the Trust Equation. For example, even if you are credible and reliable, if you don’t have the other person’s interest in mind, trust will cease to exist.

“Trust typically gets created at the individual level, between people, and usually in conversations.” – Charles Green

Green explains that to increase trust in a business relationship, you must engage with others using active listening skills, which are seen as a component of selflessness. For example, development officers must work to cultivate relationships by listening and asking questions over a period of time, before donors will rally behind a certain mission.

How can you take this information and apply it to your own business relationship? Here are four ways I would use Green’s information with your colleague or client:

1. Seek to understand your client or colleague’s point of view. Why do/don’t they trust you with information at the moment?
2. Discover what they truly need, and what the real problem is. Often many people focus on the symptom or the present issue, rather than the root cause. By listening and asking questions, you’ll build trust by helping them see the real problem.
3. Remember that this is about their needs, not yours. Are they seeking credible experts? Then show them you are an authority on the subject at hand, but show them in a way that meshes with their culture, perspective and team dynamics. Just because you’re an authority doesn’t mean you have to come across as a know-it-all.
4. Engage and collaborate with your client, while involving others into the action plan. When you encourage ownership from all levels and parties,  deeper relationships will go a long way in helping a plan succeed.

Connect with me on Twitter and tell me about your experience. Have you ever had to trust someone else to deliver and meet your expectations? What posed the biggest obstacle?

As you continue or begin to build business relationships, I encourage you to take Green’s advice to heart. After all, human relationships must be cultivated. Forget about economics and think like a human.