Three Pillars Of Trust

In the HBR May-June 2020 edition, Frances X. Frei and Anne Morriss wrote “Begin With Trust,” an article that explores how to build trust effectively. They share compelling stories and insights, highlighting three core drivers/ pillars of trust: authenticity, logic, and empathy.

The authors argue that people trust you only when………..

• they feel they’re interacting with the real you (authenticity),
• when they believe in your judgment and competence (logic),
• and when they know you genuinely care about them (empathy).

When trust breaks down, it almost always ties back to one of these drivers-You are either not being authentic, your reasoning is flawed, or you come across as self-focused.

Focus on these three drivers, and you’ll see people saying, “I trust you.”