Trust is a value that is essential for health, success, and progress. It’s a foundation of strength in both professional and personal systems. When you put your unwavering trust into something — a person, situation, team of colleagues, a leader, a belief or process, or anything else – and have it upheld, you experience a natural freedom and prosperity. Trust gives us a pathway to get more accomplished, delegate, and let go of over controlling or micromanaging. 

In this next blog series, we take a deeper look at trust – why it matters, when it’s crucial, and how to recognize and measure it. Trust is at the heart of any successful relationship and the cornerstone where healthy relationships take root, flourish, and grow. Trust creates meaning in relationships and is mutually beneficial for all who practice it.

Trusting relationships are not only more effective but they also manifest a sense of security which can help people to feel better about themselves and their work. When a workplace is a high-trust environment, people are naturally happier and have fewer turnovers. With trust, people have the advantage of needing to worry less about their protection and survival. That provides the freedom to expand professionally and personally in new ways.

In a trusting relationship, we feel relaxed and free to express our thoughts, feelings, opinions, dreams, creative ideas, and beliefs and not be judged. We’re open, comfortable, confident, and safe. When customers trust you, they can receive useful ideas and they’re more accepting of your guidance, services, products, and support and more willing to take healthy risks.

When we talk about the value of trust, we can turn to the Three C’s for a clear definition:

• Know we can Count on someone & know they’ll come through for us & live up to their commitments—an unwritten contract, don’t have to verify everything.
• Know they Care about us.
• Know they Consider our best interests.

You probably spend a lot of time figuring out other people — your manager, customers, and your colleagues. If you want to be a trusted advisor, start with who you are as a person. Take time to self-assess, self-reflect, and get to know yourself on a deeper level. You might start by asking yourself the following questions:

• Who are my trusted role models?
• What does trust look like in action?
• How do I know when I am starting to move away from trust?
• When do I trust myself the most?

In our next blog, we’ll discuss the characteristics of trust and what it takes to build it.