**Trust**

**George Albu, Mediator, Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service**

**Components of Trust**

• Reliability

• Truthfulness

• Follow-through

Trust is a word that always has been and continues to be at the very
foundation of human interaction. We trust that when we drink water from
the faucet it is not laced with arsenic. We trust that our institutions
will reflect the dialogue they expound. National publications frequently
list trust as one of the key components that employers and employees are
looking for in each other. Our front-page headlines question trust in
our political representatives, our major corporations, and our religious
organizations. Why this questioning of an age-old idea?

**Fragility of Trust**

Here's an example about the fragility of trust. You have worked for the
same company for fifteen years. One payday your boss comes to you and
says, "We have a computer problem and cannot pay you this period. (You
get paid every two weeks.) Do you look for another job? No way. Two
weeks later your boss says, "The problem was more significant than we
thought, and a high level computer specialist is being flown in so I
cannot pay you this period." Do you find another job? No. Two weeks
later the boss comes again stating, "I don't know what to say except
that another expert is coming, and I still cannot pay you." Do you look
through the want ads? The overwhelming majority of participants say,
"yes." Here is the ratio---fifteen years: six weeks. So what? Today,
with a small amount of failure, a long relationship can be fractured.

**Establishing Trust**

Part of the problem may be how we establish trust. If another person is
a Brother, Amigo, or Paisiano is that person one to trust? How about a
fellow church or social club member---do we trust him or her more? The
point is that for the most part we do not know how to define trust, or
the components and priorities of it. Am I trying to make this feeling or
emotion of trust too scientific or objective? No. I am trying to make
the components of it clear, so that when someone or some organization is
establishing trust, there is some parameter to examine. How are we to
reestablish a broken trust if the components are not known? Does every
thinking person know what a trust standard is? I think the answer is no.
The standards are as different as snowflakes. Let's say an employer and
employee have a relationship that they believe is based on trust. Things
go along fine for some period then the employer finds out that the
employee has lied to her about a work-related issue. She decides to fire
the employee. The employee says whoa---I thought we were on the two out
of three standard. How easy is it to have the wrong standard of trust?
If you never have established what trust is, or what its components are,
it is easy to say, "It is over," whether it be with an individual, a
company, or a country.

**Developing Trust**

Where do we start? Recognize that the United States is a melting-pot
country. People with different cultural mores move here for a variety of
reasons, so developing trust can be difficult. Let's examine the
factors/components of trust. First is reliability. Whether it is the
corner greasy spoon or the white linen place, what both restaurants
strive for is reliability. Reliability is something you can count on,
and it has two components. The first component of reliability is
consistency---being able to deliver a repeatable product time after
time. This also means developing a consistent attitude, consistent
rules, and possibly a consistent way of resolving problems. Consistency
is where your actions and words are those that can be predicted into the
future. The second component of reliability is accountability. It is
"the buck stops here" attitude. When an entity is accountable they are
willing to take the responsibility for their actions and to make the
necessary corrections. Too often in our society we look to blame or to
shift responsibility to someone else at the first sign of trouble
without looking in the mirror to our own responsibility. We have become
experts at ignoring our own participation. Trust develops when both
sides say I/we will make it right or do our best to try. Sometimes
accountability merely requires the acknowledgment of the infraction and
an apology. At other times accountability requires significant
compensation. Accountability is important because trust at some time may
be broken; without accountability, the possibility of restoring trust is
probably lost. The second major component of trust is truthfulness. In
order for trust to develop and become the foundation of any
relationship, truthfulness needs to be the mortar that holds the bricks
together. It is simply the glue. You can't be advertising a blue-plate
special while charging the white linen price. Nor can you say that you
will do the task and then fail to show up. This component requires us to
consider clearly our intent, before communicating it to the other side.
Our truthfulness is what allows the other side to feel comfortable
dealing with us. Truthfulness allows parties that may not always like
what we say or who may not agree with our beliefs to continue to engage
with us and not fear deceptive tactics. The last major component of
trust is follow-through. Without this component, all the good statements
and intentions are useless. Your follow-through will be the measure on
which others will judge your intent.

**Understanding Expectations**

I am not saying that in order to develop trust one must be 100%
reliable, truthful, and always follow-through. It would be nice, but
after all we are human. I am saying that recognizing these components,
expressing their importance to your audience, and getting them to
acknowledge and appreciate them is a clear beginning. Next, we need to
recognize our frailties and get an understanding of what each party can
expect. For example, some of us are always late according to the real
clock time. Without understanding and conveying to the other side that,
"I am usually fifteen minutes late," they consequently doubt your
reliability, truthfulness, and follow-through. There will be times when
100% truthfulness may not be possible. However, if we establish a
relationship recognizing that 100% truthfulness may not be possible, we
are not deluded to believe the unattainable. Am I suggesting you create
a lot of gray areas? No! Appreciate when the other side tells you that
they can only be on time 50% of the time. Is that enough for you? Isn't
that more understandable than deluding ourselves that we all share the
same trust definition? Recognize the value of a relationship built on
trust. A relationship built on this cornerstone with understandable
parameters can sustain more seismic shocks than other relationships.

*George can be reached at 614-469-5577. The views expressed in this
article do not represent the views of the Federal Mediation and
Conciliation Services.*