Feeling like a shadow of your former self? Is there a lack of emotional connection in your
relationships? Do you find others not sharing important information with you or excluding
you from activities? If so, you might be suffering from Low T. Don’t worry, you’re not
alone. Millions of well-intentioned leaders experience Low T at some point in their career.
It’s a treatable condition but it requires leaders to understand the causes Low T and how to
avoid them.
Causes of Low Trust [Low T]
Trust is an essential ingredient in healthy relationships and organizations. It allows people
to collaborate wholeheartedly with one another, take risks and innovate, and devote their
discretionary energy to the organization. However, there are certain behaviors and
characteristics of people who experience Low T in the workplace.
★Taking credit for other people’s work
★Not accepting responsibility
★Being unreliable
★Not following through on commitments
★Lying, cheating
★Gossiping or spreading rumors
★Hoarding information
★Not recognizing or rewarding good performance
Treating Low Trust
Reversing Low T requires understanding the four elements of trust and using behaviors
that align with those elements. The four elements of trust can be represented by the ABCD
Trust Model:
Able – Demonstrate Competence. Leaders show they are able when they have the expertise
needed for their job. They consistently achieve results and facilitate work getting done in
the organization. Demonstrating competence inspires others to have confidence and trust
in you.
Believable – Act with Integrity. Trustworthy leaders are honest with others. They behave in a
manner consistent with their stated values, apply company policies fairly, and treat people
equitably. “Walking the talk” is essential in building trust in relationships.
Connected – Care About Others. Being connected means focusing on people, having good
communication skills, and recognizing the contributions of others. Caring about others
builds trust because people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you
care.
Dependable – Maintain Reliability. Dependable leaders follow through on their commitments.
They respond timely to requests and hold themselves and others accountable. Not doing
what you say you will do quickly erodes trust with others.
Don’t Settle for Leading with Low Trust
Too many leaders settle for leading with Low T because they don’t understand how trust is
actually formed in relationships. Trust doesn’t “just happen,” as if through some sort of
relationship osmosis. Trust is built over a period of time through the intentional use of
trust-forming behaviors. Good leaders focus on using trust-building behaviors and avoid
using behaviors that erode trust.