Trust forms the foundation of successful teamwork and leadership. In this article, we explore a Trust concept from our new course, “Trust in Action.” The course highlights that building Trust begins with knowing yourself. To enhance self-awareness in the context of Trust, ask yourself these three crucial questions::

  • Do I trust myself?
  • Do I trust others?
  • Do people trust me?

While we may be drawn initially to the idea of people trusting us (“Do people trust me?”) all three of the questions are important and all three interact with each other.  So, for example, if I trust myself this will show, people will pick up on it and be more inclined to trust me.  Similarly, if I trust others they are more likely to reciprocate and therefore to trust me.  So, the three areas feed off one and other and reinforce each other.

Self-reflection can help us to understand what influences have shaped how we have come to see and experience the world around us.  Using self-reflection questions we can see how we’re doing in building Trust in each of these three areas.  Take this simple exercise of self-reflection based on the much deeper and more sophisticated exercises available in Trust in Action.  To get started answer each of the following yes/no questions and calculate your scores:

Do I trust myself?

  1. Do I trust my instincts when faced with challenging situations or tough decisions?
  2. Do I trust my judgment in choosing healthy relationships and connections?
  3. Can I forgive myself for past mistakes and move forward without dwelling on them?

Scoring:  answering “Yes” to all suggests high self-trust.

Do I trust others?

  1. Do my past experiences strongly influence my current level of trust in others?
  2. Am I open to forgiving and rebuilding trust after it has been broken?
  3. Am I generally comfortable relying on others for support or assistance?

Scoring:  answering No to 1, Yes to 2, and Yes to 3 suggests you trust others a lot

Do people trust me?

  1. Have I ever caught myself exaggerating the truth to make a story more interesting?
  2. Do I believe that my actions align with the values I express to others?
  3. Have I ever withheld information from someone because I thought it might harm my relationship with them?

Scoring:  answering No to 1, Yes to 2 and No to 3 suggests you believe others trust you a lot

We show on the course how knowing yourself is a good starting point for understanding the importance of Trust and how to build it.  With a newfound self-awareness you will soon identify any gaps and start to generate actions and behaviours to build Trust even more.

For details of our course, Trust in Action:  Unlocking Potential for Growth please click here.

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