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Three Factors of Trust

Trust is perhaps the greatest contributor to job satisfaction, sustainability, and motivation to perform. The three factors of trust include: Ability, Benevolence, and Integrity and make up 75% of why someone is willing to be vulnerable with someone else. Without vulnerability and a willingness to take risks with one another, trust will not be established.


Strategies for building trust include:

  1. Spend time on the relationship

  2. Emphasize similarities

  3. Focus on interests, not positions

  4. Use referent, expert, and reward powers

  5. Take small risks early

  6. Express concern for outcomes

The strategies for building trust indicate when a leader prioritizes a personal relationship with the follower, trust is established. No one wants to simply work in an organization or on a team, people need relationship and a feeling of connectedness.


When trust is broken within the spectrum of ability, it is easily fixable. When trust is broken within the spectrums of benevolence or integrity, it is difficult to overcome and may never truly reach the same level it was previously.


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