Do Others Trust You?

Early in my banking career, when I was in my mid twenties, I was promoted to a coveted leadership role.

Apart from me, three other talented colleagues were running for the role that I eventually got. These colleagues were senior to me and with better pedigree( in terms of coming from ivy league backgrounds)

After I took up that role, curious, I asked my boss what it was that swung the deal in my favor.

My boss said something that resonates with me even today- ” Yes, the credentials are similar. However, I asked myself, who do I trust to do the job best. Your name came up ahead of the other two.”

For anyone to grow in their career and relationships, trust is an essential ingredient.

If someone says he trusts you in the work context, it means that the person is willing to make himself vulnerable to you and take a risk on you. As my boss did early in my career.

This willingness for anyone to trust you comes from 3 factors that the person perceives about you.

Your Perceived Ability

If people around you need to trust you, it starts with the perception they have about your ability, specific to the job you are doing. It’s not just about how good you are at what you do? It is also about how others around you see the work you do. What perception and impression they carry about the quality of your work and your abilities. You might think you are doing a great job, but is that how your supervisor, your colleagues perceive the work you do?

Your Perceived Integrity 

Our integrity stems from the way we behave and act. All of us have a unique set of values that show up in all our interactions with others.

When you live up to the values you project, people around you start trusting you. E.g., You say you are a problem solver and you solve problems without complaining. You say you are disciplined, and you show up being disciplined in all aspects of your work.

Integrity is WYSIWYG- What you see is what you get.

When someone is WYSIWIG, it is very easy to trust the person because there are no hidden angles.

Your Perceived Benevolence

Think of people you trust. What is the underlying factor that makes you trust the person? Confidence that the other person cares about you and will not harm you in any way for the trust you repose.

So, paradoxically, the more you care about the other person’s well being, the more he will trust you.

When my boss told me he trusted me ahead of others, the subtext he was conveying was this- “I know you have all the necessary abilities to do this job. You are result-oriented and independent. And, you care about me. I know you will give your best to ensure that you succeed, and you will help me and the organization also succeed.”

Trust is a privilege that others give you. Your actions will decide whether others made the right call in trusting you. Don’t let them down.