If you read the news, you’ll notice that the word “trust” appears on every news site and programme, but have you ever given it much thought? Several different contexts call for the use of the word “trust”:
- We use it to describe someone’s behaviour (i.e. they are ‘trustworthy,’ or are a ‘trusted source.’)
- We use it to assess if we feel comfortable sharing information with an individual
- We use our own ideas about trust to interpret and understand what people say
Without mentioning the media, the value of trust in daily life cannot be emphasized. If you don’t trust the people around you, your progress will be severely hampered. Still, it is very hard to put a number on trust. Instead of using a metric, people often go with their “gut feeling.”
You won’t know what to look for in a trust evaluation framework. Without a gauge, it is difficult to increase your own “trustworthiness” because there is no means to turn your intentions into reality.
Take a literal page out of author Charles H. Green’s book. He co-authored The Trusted Advisor, Trust-Based Selling, and The Trusted Advisor Fieldbook, three publications on the subject of trust. He describes his trust measure, the “Trust Equation,” which consists of four variables, in these books. Credibility, dependability, intimacy, and self-orientation are these.
The four variables of the Trust Equation
- Credibility –Our words and our delivery have a role in this element. Someone might say, “Jane is a trustworthy authority,” for instance.
- Reliability – Actions are the focus of this variable. You may have said that you think the person being questioned is honest, but do their actions back this up?
- Intimacy – Without a doubt, a link is created when we entrust another individual with something significant. When we give someone our trust and they act on it, there is a very real sense of intimacy at work.
- Orientation –The term orientation describes the other person’s concentration now that trust and a link have been established. Do they care equally about the outcome for the other person or do they care more about themselves? It never feels good to believe that someone is simply concerned with themselves; in order to earn one’s trust, a person must show that they are also concerned with the welfare of others.
Everyone wants to be regarded as trustworthy. It is a good idea to take into account these four factors if you are considering how to improve your own level of trustworthiness.
Examine each one carefully. Do you recognise any of these qualities in yourself? Consider ways to improve each of these areas in which you are now proficient. Are you trustworthy? Do you abide by your promises? Do the people you work with feel a sense of intimacy? Do you try to help yourself just as much as you try to help others?
These four questions require careful consideration; if you find that you fall short, it’s time to put in some effort.
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