What is T R
U S T . It
is to Allow without fear, Have confidence or faith in, Be confident about
something.
When it comes to trust, not all
relationships are at the same level. Based on the context of the given
relationship – professional, personal, family, social – each one can experience
a different level of trust.
There are three basic levels of
trust. The first level is deterence-based trust, or what I like to call
“rules-based” trust. This is the most fundamental, base level of trust in all
relationships. Deterence-based trust means that there are rules in place that
prevent one person from taking
advantage of, or harming another person. In
society we have laws that govern our behavior in personal and business
settings. When we engage in business we have contracts that ensure one party
can trust another to hold up their end of the bargain. In organizations we have
policies and procedures that provide boundaries for how we interact and treat
each other, and if we violate those rules, usually there are consequences involved.
The second level of trust is
knowledge-based trust. This level of trust means that I’ve had enough
experience with you and knowledge of your behavior that I have a pretty good
idea of how you will react and behave in relationship with me. We’ve had enough
interactions over time where there has been a consistent display of trustworthy
behavior that I believe I can trust you with the everyday type issues we
experience together. This is the level of trust that most of our day-to-day
professional relationships experience.
The third and most intimate
level of trust we experience in relationships is called identity-based trust.
This level of trust means that you know my hopes, dreams, goals, ambitions,
fears, and doubts. I trust you at this level because over the course of time I
have increased my level of transparency and vulnerability with you and you
haven’t taken advantage of me. You’ve proven yourself to be loyal,
understanding, and accepting.
Identity-based trust isn’t
appropriate for every relationship. This level of trust is usually reserved for
the most important people in our lives such as our spouse, children, family,
and close friends. Yet with the proper boundaries in place, this level of trust
can unlock higher levels of productivity, creativity, and performance in
organizations. Imagine an organizational culture where we operated freely
without concerns of being stabbed in the back by power-hungry colleagues
looking to move higher on the corporate ladder. Imagine less gossiping,
backbiting, or dirty politics being played because we knew each other’s hopes
and dreams and worked to encourage their development rather than always having
a me-first attitude.
Take a moment to examine the
level of trust in your most important relationships. What level are you at with
each one and how can you develop deeper levels of trust?
By Randy Conley
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