Page 166 - Fearless Leadership

Standing for the Success of Each Other 153

Granting Trust in Committed Partnerships

• Trust is commitment based. Committed partners grant trust
based on specific agreements and a shared commitment to
the success of each other and the organization.
• Trust is self-confirming. When a committed partner grants
trust to another, that person, knowing he or she is trusted,
is more trustworthy. This demonstrates the 100%-zero account-
ability formula: a change in the behavior of one person can
alter the trust in the overall relationship.
• Trust is transparent. Committed partners are persistently
attentive to the quality of their relationships. They manage trust,
and the moment it appears to waver, they discuss concerns
without delay and restore the partnership.
• Trust is a requisite. Committed partners recognize that trust
is a requisite for effective teamwork and innovation. The quality
of their partnerships is the foundation for producing business
results.

effect: the lower the trust, the higher the automatic and unproductive
behaviors.
The circle of trust (Exhibit 6-1) gives people a way to talk about a topic
that is ardently avoided: the truth about whether they trust one another.
Until a committed partnership is formed and explicit standards are set, the
circles of trust are based on unspoken, individual criteria. The risk is that
you seldom know when you are in another’s inner circle or when you have
been ousted to some gulag in Siberia for a passing comment, unfortunate
behavior, or unintended impact.
It is typically and tragically true that you will rarely know what happened
when you are removed from a person’s inner circle of trust because you
failed to live up to unspoken criteria. The same applies when you are in
the outer circle of trust and are moved into the innermost circle. At all