Being trustworthy can simply be defined as being worthy of trust.

Trustworthiness is like a credit score [creditworthiness]. You don’t start high. Rather, you start at zero and earn your way up into a trustworthy position. In other words, we need to demonstrate our worthiness of trust before others will make deposits into our trust account.

Trust, says Stephen M.R. Covey, is the very basis of the new global economy, and he shows how trust—and the speed at which it is established with clients, employees and constituents—is the essential ingredient for any high–performance, successful organization. 

For business leaders and public figures in any arena, The Speed of Trust offers an unprecedented and eminently practical look at exactly how trust functions in our every transaction and relationship—from the most personal to the broadest, most indirect interaction—and how to establish trust immediately so that you and your organization can forego the time–killing, bureaucratic check–and–balance processes so often deployed in lieu of actual trust.

Here are a few simple ways to earn a reputation of trustworthiness:

• Tell the truth, no matter how difficult it is to do so or how negatively it will reflect on you.
• Follow through on your commitments, whether overt or implied.
• Own the outcome of your decisions, whether positive or negative. Don’t make excuses. Don’t deflect to others.
• Always ensure that your actions and words align.
• Do the right thing, especially when nobody is watching.
• Speak with candor–courageously tell the kind truth when it is helpful to the other person.
• Don’t take trust for granted, nor sacrifice it for anything.

Andy Stanley led a great leadership workshop on trust and trustworthiness, which I highly recommend and, which can be accessed though the link below.

As part of this workshop he encourages teams to make six commitments: three for how team members will choose to trust each other, and three for how team members will commit to being trustworthy.

After watching the workshop with your team ask each person to complete the commitment form below. Then hold each other accountable to these commitments and observe how the communication and collaboration within your team improves.

Herb Mast is a Leadership Coach and Employee Engagement Specialist. Learn how he can assist you in implementing the principles and concepts presented here.