Today's Reading
TRUST OF COMMUNICATION CENTERS ON HONESTY AND TRANSPARENCY
Are you willing to speak the truth, even when it's uncomfortable? Do you listen deeply and engage in honest, meaningful dialogue? Do people feel safe bringing sensitive or tough topics to you?
Clear communication is the gateway to open, honest dialogue. It fosters understanding and creates a space where people feel safe sharing ideas, concerns, and vulnerabilities. Trust of Communication helps clear the air and reduces uncertainty by encouraging direct, effective conversations. It replaces gossip, rumor, and second-guessing with direct, respectful dialogue. In this environment, no one is left wondering where they stand because everything is out in the open and everyone's on the same page.
When Sarah's team missed a critical deadline, she led with accountability. Instead of blaming, she created a safe space to openly debrief, owned her part, and encouraged others to do the same. Her transparency strengthened trust, deepened collaboration, and reinforced confidence in her leadership.
Trust of Communication establishes the flow of information, deepens connection through truth telling, and supports people to grow by making space for constructive feedback.
Key behaviors include consistency in sharing information transparently; providing what others need; fostering relationships through honest and straightforward communication; admitting mistakes and embracing their lessons; creating a safe space for growth; listening deeply to hear the truth and speaking with positive intention; offering constructive feedback that supports innovation, development, and the best in others.
TRUST OF CAPABILITY CENTERS ON ACKNOWLEDGING SKILLS AND ABILITIES
Do you empower your peers by involving them in decisions, and acknowledge their efforts and the difference they make? Do you show you believe in their abilities while also supporting them to grow, reach their aspirations, and succeed? Are you contributing to an environment where collaboration and learning can thrive?
Though many doubted Calvin, his teammate Susan saw his potential and offered support. With her encouragement and coaching, he exceeded expectations—delivering early and gaining confidence in himself, thanks to someone who believed in him before he did.
Trust of Capability means believing in potential—both your own and others. While leadership can provide training, development, and resources, it's the consistent everyday encouragement between peers—and each person's dedication to learning—that truly fuels confidence, fosters development, and empowers the whole team to succeed.
Key behaviors include consistency in acknowledging skills and contributions; seeking input; involving others' points of view; encouraging growth; building confidence in your abilities; recognizing your limitations; empowering others to take ownership.
In looking at the key behaviors of the Three Cs, you may have noticed one recurring word: consistency. The Three Cs remind us that we can never take trust for granted. Trust must be actively maintained through intentional choices and steady actions. That's why trust is not a one-time achievement, but rather an ongoing commitment to your relationships. Through practicing these behaviors consistently, you create patterns of trustworthiness that strengthen relationships over time. (We explore the concepts of the Three Cs in chapters 2, 3, and 4.)
In a world that is always shifting, even the best intentions get derailed. When our behavior starts to drift, trust can slip. And just like that, we find ourselves in the thick of real trust building challenges.
THE CHALLENGES OF TRUST BUILDING
Trust is inherently vulnerable.
Trust building isn't always easy. It asks a lot from us. It means taking risks, making leaps of faith, believing in others, and being open to the chance that we might get hurt. Let's be real: at some point, your life experience has taught you that trust can and will be broken. Sometimes, it's small things, like a missed deadline, a forgotten promise. Other times, it cuts much deeper, leaving behind scars, lingering doubt, and pain that can remain for a long time.
When trust becomes fragile and begins to crack, it is most often because the Three Cs of Trust aren't being practiced consistently. In that vulnerable space, betrayal can quietly take root and begin to spread.
Consider this: according to our research, 90 percent of the behaviors that break trust are small, subtle, and unintentional—the kind of things that often go unnoticed in the moment.
Trust rarely breaks all at once; rather, it breaks through everyday missteps we all experience or make ourselves: not following through, withholding small pieces of information, making excuses, or forgetting to include someone in a meeting.
In and of themselves, minor infractions of trust may seem innocent. We are inclined to extend grace, give a second chance, offer the benefit of the doubt—yet it's the accumulation of these small, unintentional breaches that results in betrayal.
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