The Trust Equation in High Performing Teams

What is the trust equation?

David Maister explains the trust equation in his book, ‘The Trusted Advisor’ (2000).

Trust = Credibility + reliability + intimacy / self- orientation. 

What do each of the terms mean?

• Credibility - has to do with the words we speak. In a sentence we might say, “I can trust what she says about intellectual property; she’s very credible on the subject.”
• Reliability - has to do with actions. We might say, “If he says he’ll deliver the product tomorrow, I trust him, because he’s dependable.”
• Intimacy - refers to the safety or security that we feel when entrusting someone with something. We might say, “I can trust her with that information; she’s never violated my confidentiality before, and she would never embarrass me.” It’s also about the empathy someone has, understanding what is going on in someone else's life.
• Self-Orientation - refers to the person’s focus. In particular, whether the person’s focus is primarily on him or herself, or on the other person. We might say, “I can’t trust him on this deal — I don’t think he cares enough about me, he’s focused on what he gets out of it.” Or more commonly, “I don’t trust him — I think he’s too concerned about how he’s appearing, so he’s not paying real attention.”

Why are “the people” in teams so important?

The Trust Equation covers the most common meanings of trust that you encounter in everyday business interactions. What’s important to remember is that the meanings are almost entirely personal, not institutional. People rarely give over their trust to institutions; really they trust other people. While companies are often described as credible and reliable (the first two components of The Trust Equation), it’s really the people within the companies that make those companies what they are. And intimacy and self-orientation are almost entirely about people. Trust in business and selling requires good “scores” on all four variables in the Trust Equation. You want high credibility, reliability and intimacy, and low self-orientation. Living the four Trust Values is the best way to increase your trustworthiness. When others around you go the extra mile when there is nothing to gain, then the trust builds and the performance goes through the roof. There’s a reason the TEAM is spelled like this - it's because together everyone achieves more.