Building Trust

Recall a time when you experienced a loss of trust in a relationship. Perhaps it was caused by you or someone else. What happened? Was the issue discussed and were you able to rebuild trust in that relationship?
  
It can be challenging for sure. In fact, many of us don’t even know where to start.
 
Having a strong foundation of trust is one of the most important elements in our relationships, and that includes our relationships at work. And yet it can feel challenging to address. 
 
When working to strengthen or rebuild trust, it is helpful to take a behavioral perspective.   
 
In Dare to Lead™ we use an acronym to support trust-building. It’s called BRAVING and stands for Boundaries, Reliability, Accountability, Vault, Integrity, Non-judgment & Generosity, areas that are critical to trust building.    
 
When we examine trust from a behavioral perspective we can identify areas in which we are actively building trust and other areas which might need some work and attention. Then we can focus on or speak to specific behaviors and stay away from conversations about character.
 
Developing trust doesn’t happen all at once. It takes time and is often built through small actions over time.
 
Perhaps you have heard of Brené Brown’s analogy of marbles in a marble jar. The idea is that every time we do something that builds trust in a relationship, another marble goes into the jar.  
  
Eventually, with the people who are our trusted friends, we end up with a jar full of marbles.    
 
And yes, sometimes something happens that tips that jar over and marbles spill out. Trust has been damaged. In order to refill that jar, we need to rebuild trust. We can do this by having direct, clear, and kind conversations about the specific behavior that led to this breach of trust and create a plan about what can be done to repair.  
 
What are the actions you are taking, big and small, that build trust in your relationships and teams? Are there areas from BRAVING at which you excel? And which areas could use some focused attention to strengthen even more?