This is one of my favourite frameworks for talking about trust at work (by Frances Frei and Anne Morriss). It comes from their 2020 HBR article "Begin with Trust". They ask: => Which of these points is your Anchor? => Which is your Wobble? => Are you building a stable "Trust Architecture"? In their book "Unleashed" they define leadership as: "Empwering other people as a result of your presence, and making sure that impact continues into your absence." => Presence is about e.g., empathy and connection. => Absence is about e.g., culture and communities. I would put nearly all the work I do on improving employee experience under the banner of "building trust" and specifically "closing the trust gap" that exists in most organisations and that's such a drag on performance. Here's the link to the HBR article: https://buff.ly/2VcKODy PS One thing that's interesting in the article is that Uber is the case study. If you've read the book "Super Pumped" (which I thought was a great read) it's useful to compare the two. #EmployeeExperience #Trust #Leadership #EmployeeEngagement Image source: HBR
Joanna Weber
1y
Good article. I've seen people wobble on any of these dimensions, but when all three are damaged, recovery is unlikely. Another thing I've noticed is the relationship between authenticity and logic. For example, a few years ago, someone came to me in frustration because their boss underestimated their capabilities. It turned out that the boss had fewer skills than they claimed (for example, they lied about their degree) and that pattern was reflected in their general behaviour: rather than fill the gap (find out, go back to school), they'd lie and cover it up. They assumed that everyone else was also lying, and lacked the ability to follow the logic. The "fake it till you make it" culture inevitably results in that kind of breakdown in trust, in many directions.
Good, but open to interpretation due to the language employed. We can all have different meanings wired into our brain for the words, 'Logic, reasoning, judgement, empathy, care, success, real, authentic etc. based on our experiences with them. Can we explain what is happening in the brain when, what we call trust, is present? Trust is a proxy term for a neurochemical state, within a wiring network of neurons. Q1. What chemicals need to be present, Q2. what behaviours / experiences need to be present to trigger those chemicals and the integration of a wiring network in a brain, related to this concept of 'Trust'? Geoff Hudson-Searle This is where we must get back to linking behaviours with values, e.g. saying please, out of respect, acting on promises made +++ ... NOT because we will feel guilty if we don't stick to our word, or society judges us as rude if we don't mind our manners, but because we understand that a feeling of guilt is a chemical outcome in our own brain, increasing stress, which is not good for neurological health, in us or the other person. It's the opposite end of the same spectrum we address when looking at the neuroscience of bullying Jen Fraser, PhD
Emily Bond
1y
I love that their definition of leadership offers 2 points of self-reflection - in your presence and in your absence. The dimension of absence requires leaders to think about sustaining impact and shifting from rescuing and solutioning to challenging and coaching. "Empowering other people as a result of your presence, and making sure that impact continues into your absence."
Aristotle: logos, ethos, pathos
Dimi Yar
1y
Nick Lynn We put "Trust Gap" on our company website as one of the 3 major gaps that are causing attrition and disengagement issues (the other two being Recognition Gap and Participation Gap). But we define the Trust Gap slightly differently. I believe Trust is less about Empathy, and more about stability, psychological well-being, safety and security, and whether processes (how things are done) are meaningful. For example, trust is eradicated with every unnecessary and counterproductive layoff decision, as well as when unacceptable behaviors are tolerated and even rewarded and "doing the right thing" is penalized. Not sure where these would fall - under Authenticity or Logic, or would warrant their own bucket, but I would say, that when the right decisions are made, Empathy becomes almost irrelevant, because everyone anyway is fully on board with what is done and how is done - that is what Culture is.
I appreciate this graphic and also find that trust develops as the byproduct of making and keeping reliable agreements: https://foundationforconsciousliving.org/big_leap_home/impeccable-agreements/
Appreciate the share. The challenge is how to build the triangle of trust as we reset the new work hybrid preferred work environment.
Emma Gregory
1y
Nice framework Nick Lynn - thank you for sharing this. I've always thought that the way we express trust through language is so important (especially when work relationships are new). For example, I question whether the wording of 'probation/probationary period' is fit for purpose, given that most people associate the word 'probation' with prison. Wouldn't 'Introductory period' be more neutral, connotation-wise?
I think if people don't find much similarities then they don't easily develop trust Whatever formulas we put still trust is Gamble Human beings are unpredictable and cannot behave same in all or unknown circumstances To have some comfort we may bracket the trust quotient in various things but ultimately one has to leave a very big unpredictable portion of human behaviour on chance. Not trusting anybody is more stressful than trusting basis some assumptions and patterns
Transitions & Transformations | Coach & Strategist | Intentional Future Design for groundbreakers and their businesses
1yThe authenticity bit is a catch-22. We don't experience authenticity of others because it's not safe to do so. We don't experience authenticity of others because we actually don't even know ourselves very well. Research shows that 80% of people think they know themselves but only 10 - 15% actually do. Most of us are moving through life and work behind artificially constructed masks that we began creating very early in life and now don't even recognize they're there. That deep sense of dissatisfaction -- "the splinter in your mind", as Morpheus would say -- signals that there is a more authentic way of being and working. This is what I work with individuals and teams on. Creating safety to excavate our buried selves and bring them into the light of awareness, so we can be truly seen and valued for who we really are... that's powerful stuff.