Who do we trust? And why?
A year ago I shared my leadership aspiration with my friend Tong Yee, to influence more people and build their self-esteem through work, as others have done for me.
He asked me, “Do you think people trust you? If yes — why?” I was fairly confident that my team trusted me, because I speak candidly and I have their interests at heart.
Fast forward a year later — I recently attended a training where we were prompted to reflect on our leadership. I learnt that effective leadership and influence lie at the intersection of high trust and presence.
I decided to seek feedback from some classmates and distilled that while some felt that they could trust me, others weren’t sure. On the other hand, the majority of classmates I asked said they did not see me — I did not show up, and my presence wasn’t deeply felt in class.
Here’s my reaction to the revelation:
So, why do people trust or not trust us? The research shows that trust is based on these 4 components:
- Sincerity — Does your team trust your intentions? Are your words and actions consistent?
- Competence — Are you able to do the job?
- Reliability — Are you going to stick around and see things through? If the shit hits the fan, can you be counted on to show up?
- Care — Do you have the capacity to understand and care for your colleagues as fellow humans?
Neuroscientist Paul Zak explains that when others trust us, a feel-good jolt of oxytocin surges through our brains and trigger us to reciprocate. Similarly, when we do not trust our colleagues, they simply wouldn’t trust us too.
So why should we care? Paul Zak’s team did a nationally-representative survey with over 1,000 U.S. working adults. Here are his findings:
I haven’t had the guts to ask how much or how little my team trusts me, based on the 4 components... I think I’m doing well in terms of care and maybe sincerity, and I can do better in competence and reliability. :)
