“Trust is a business communication skill which, in combination with behavior, either works to build trust or destroy it. L. Finkle
Edward Marshall, a member of our Trust Alliance, recently shared an article called Is It Possible to Rebuild Trust? He outlines seven elements of a trust rebuilding process which are reproduced below.
- Acknowledgement: One or both parties acknowledge to the other that there is a trust problem
- The Courage of Self-Accountability: At least one party is willing to hold themselves accountable for having contributed to the broken trust. This takes courage to make themselves vulnerable to the other, and to admit their part in the breakdown.
- Engagement & Respect: This leads to an invitation to talk and engage out of respect for the other.
- Congruence- It’s About Each One’s Truth: Everyone has their own truth about a situation. It is critical that both parties reveal their perceptions and views of what the trust breakdown is and its impact on them. It is an exchange of views, not a blame session. Having a mediator present may help the conversation. The goal is for each party to understand the other’s point of view.
- Forgiveness: Being willing to forgive each other enables reconciliation to begin. Without forgiveness there are only grudges, and the distrust will continue.
- Having a Shared Goal: To move beyond the hurt and pain of broken trust, it is important to create a shared goal that is of value to both, and to have a plan for achieving it together.
- Recommitment: The act of recommitment to regaining the trust of the other makes it real. Then their personal integrity is on the line. We all make mistakes and break the trust of others. The key to rebuilding trust in any relationship is the willingness of both parties to tell their truth and to respect the views and needs of others.
Dr. Edward Marshall works with senior teams and companies to build high trust collaborative leadership cultures and practices. He is author of the best-selling Building Trust at the Speed of Change, and is a 2014 Trust Across America Top 100 Thought Leader in Trustworthy Business. You can contact him at: dr.edwardmarshall@gmail.com
Barbara Brooks Kimmel is the Executive Director of Trust Across America-Trust Around the World whose mission is to help organizations build trust. She is also the editor of the award winning TRUST INC. book series. In 2012 Barbara was named “One of 25 Women Changing the World” by Good Business International.
Nominations are now being accepted for Trust Across America-Trust Around the World’s 5th annual Global Top Thought Leaders in Trustworthy Business.
Coming Soon!
Should you wish to communicate directly with Barbara, drop her a note at Barbara@trustacrossamerica.com
Copyright © 2014, Next Decade, Inc.
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