The Trust Equation

​The Trust Equation is from the book The Trusted Advisor by David H. Maister, Charles H. Green, and Robert M. Galford.


​
Becoming a trusted advisor requires deep understanding, integrity, and consistent communication to earn trust.
 
The equation is this: Trust = (Credibility + Reliability + Intimacy) / Self-Orientation
 
In order to build trust, we have to bring our credibility, reliability and our desire to make people comfortable and willing to open up to us (intimacy) over our own self-orientation.
 
This is the concept we use to help leaders understand what they need to do to inspire people to follow them. They need to own their credibility. They need to be reliable. They need to make people feel comfortable. And they need to all this to offset their self-orientation.
 
Let’s look at our current political situation: Do you feel like many of our duly elected representatives do this? 
Are they credible? Or have they bankrupted multiple businesses they were in charge of.
Are they reliable? Do they do what they say they are going to do?
Do they make the people around them feel comfortable and confident?
 
I see our president’s self-orientation clearly. He seeks power, the ability to evade jail, be important, and sell more shoes, watches and crypto. 
 
As a leader, this is not someone I would hire. I don’t know many leaders of companies who say “I welcome convicted fleons, liars and dishonesty at my organization! I want people who only care about themselves working for me!”
 
And yet, for some reason, a majority of people who actually voted feel differently than I do. He makes them feel safer from some outside menace, real or imagined. He appears to them as a successful businessman, real or imagined. People trust him to fix the economy, immigration, terrorism, crime and taxes. I do not see examples of how he has done this before (credibility). I do not see examples of how he has set a plan and accomplished it (reliability). I do not see examples of how he works with people to motivate them, not make them afraid. 
 
This experiment in democracy continues, and we will strive on. 
 
I hope that we can heal the divide created by such chaos. It will take willingness to listen, be present and show up fully. And to have hard conversations, where we call out intolerance for what it is. Where we discuss in order to learn what we might not know. Where we strive for understanding.
 
I am stiving to understand. And I am coming up blank. I am challenging my beliefs. I am watching multiple news outlets. I am listening. And I still do not understand.
 
We wouldn’t accept these traits from an employee or a boss. Let’s not accept them from our elected officials.

---