The TRUST Show

S2E10: (Not a) Great Job! Participation Trophies, and Trust

There are two words that are probably responsible for launching more failed businesses than any other two words in the English language, and possibly in history: Great Job! This episode is more of an opinion, and it’s an opinion about one of my biggest pet peeves, and it is linked directly to trust, the lack of trust, the decline in trustworthiness, and the decline of excellence and exceptionalism. I will be using my trust model to explain why we do it, what are the consequences of it, and how to stop it. 

S2E9: There is More Than One Way to be a Trusted Brand

We are bombarded with tv and radio commercials telling us the certain brands are TRUSTED. I always cringe when I hear that. Are they really trusted? Are they worthy of your trust? Says who? This episode will not teach you a new trust law, or a new component of trust, but rather apply those to the trustworthiness of a brand. What you will find in this episode is that there is no one way to be trusted as a brand, and a few mistakes that brands make in their attempt to be trusted, and how to avoid those mistakes.

S2E8: What Makes You Trusted? The NEW Trust-6 Model: Time & Intimacy [Part 2]

This is the second part (of 2) to cover the two components that accelerate the impact that positivity has on building trust: time and intimacy. Time is the frequency and length of interactions, and intimacy is the level of communication, and ranges from words-only text and email messages to in-person, face-to-face communications, and even more. In this episode, we focus on the consistency of verbal and non-verbal communications, and the link between that consistency and trust. This episode also covers additional elements such as things beyond face-to-face communications, the body language of email, how trust can be built even through one-way communications, and more. 

S2E7: What Makes You Trusted? The NEW Trust-6 Model: Time & Intimacy [Part 1]

The previous episode covered the positivity component of “what you do”. Your positivity sets the direction to whether you build trust or reduce trust during an interaction. This episode is the first part (of two) covering the two components that accelerate the impact that positivity has on building trust: time and intimacy. Time is the frequency and length of interactions, and intimacy is the level of communication, and ranges from words-only text and email messages to in-person, face-to-face communications, and even more.

S2E6: What Makes You Trusted? The NEW Trust-6 Model: Positivity

The first five episodes of the second season described the three components of the “who you are” group of components of my trustworthiness model: competence, personality compatibility, and symmetry. This episode begins covering the components of the “what you do” during an interaction that will allow you to have an immediate impact on your trustworthiness by the end of the interaction. There are three components in this group: positivity, time, and intimacy. This episode goes into the details of the positivity component and the two sub-components it has: the level of BS you bring into the interaction, and the level of your self-centered behavior. These will be multiplied, and accelerated by time an intimacy, which will be described in later episodes.

S2E5: What Makes You Trusted? The NEW Trust-6 Model: Symmetry [Part 2]

This episode is the second of two parts discussing symmetry. This episode focuses on fairness. Fairness showed a strong correlation with trust. We trust people who treat us fairly. But there are different types of fairness. You will hear about fairness exercises, a mistake I made in conducting one of those exercises that led to a major revelation, and about a group of people who demonstrated an extreme position on fairness. You will want to hear this. Finally, this episode briefly discusses symmetry in partnership relationships. When you launch a new business or venture, it is critical you start with a partner you trust, and a partner who trusts you.

S2E4: What Makes You Trusted? The NEW Trust-6 Model: Symmetry [Part 1]

This is the third and last component of the “who you are” group of components in my trustworthiness model: Symmetry. This component is situational. This episode is the first of two parts discussing symmetry. Symmetry is a situational component, that is based on perspective. The two sides to a trusting relationship may have different perspectives of their relationship. This first part focuses on being on the same side. From a positive standpoint: having a shared vision or mission that are energizing and engaging the hearts and minds. From a negative standpoint: having a common enemy. It continues and discusses the symmetry of contribution and of getting (resources, compensation, etc.). Finally, it discusses reciprocity.

S2E3: What Makes You Trusted? The NEW Trust-6 Model: Personality Compatibility [Part 2]

This episode is the second part of the personality compatibility component of “who you are.” The previous episode covered two dimensions of personality compatibility (area and scope). This episode covers the other three.

The third dimension of personality compatibility is alignment. At the universal/absolute level, alignment is mandatory for trust. However, the personal level, where there are multiple “good” alternatives that could be completely opposite, could entertain alignment, complementary relations, or simply different values.

The fourth dimension is importance. Alignment may not be achieved throughout every behavior or value, but the importance that the trustor gives it will dictate how much they will trust you.

The fifth dimension is controllability. If the level of alignment was not achieved, will you accept that there is something you should change, and more important—can you control it? Will you be able to change?

S2E2: What Makes You Trusted? The NEW Trust-6 Model: Personality Compatibility [Part 1]

The second component of “who you are” is the personality compatibility. Since trust is relative (trust laws 1 through 4), personality compatibility should be considered through the eyes of the person you want to be trusted by. Personality compatibility has the biggest impact on how much the other person is willing to trust you, 86%.

There are five dimensions for personality compatibility. The first two are covered in this episode, the first of two episodes to cover this component.

The first dimension is the area of such compatibility. It includes how you interpret the world and communications, what are your values, your intentions, your actions and behaviors, and finally your personality characteristics (typically measured through personality assessments such as Myers Briggs, DiSC, StrengthsFinder, and the like).

The second dimension is the scope. It is a continuum that starts at universal scope, in which good is considered good by everyone and bad is considered bad by everyone. It continues through cultural scope, local/organizations scope (such as traditions and “how we do things here”), and down to the personal level, in which opposite behaviors and values could be equally valid and good (or bad).

This episode also discusses the differences between the ethical bar and the legal bar, and how compatibility (or incompatibility) there affects trust.

S2E1: What Makes You Trusted? The NEW Trust-6 Model: Competence

This is the first episode of the second season. This season, for the most part, focuses on the six components of my trustworthiness model. These components are what makes a person worthy of someone else’s trust.

Remember that trust is relative, so these components must be evaluated in the context of a specific relationship, specific situation, and specific context.

The six components are divided into two groups: who you ARE, and what you DO. This first episode of the second season provides the overview of the 6-component model and covers the first one, competence.