How do you define TRUST?
This week I am going to be posting a whole series on TRUST.
But before I do all of that, I want to hear from all of you how you define it:
What do you think trust is or how would you define it? ⁉
Have you used any specific sources for your definition?
Why do you think your model or definition is right?
For this week, here are the topics I will be talking about:
what does trust mean, how to define it
trust in the safety professional
organizational trust challenges and gaining trust
trustworthiness and its affect on performance
trust and mental health
approaches to trust
I have my definition but I'm not going to give that away right yet. I want to hear what others think. This question of "how do you define TRUST" is one I got during my masters program. I didn't really know how to answer it. A lot of other people felt the same way. Some students tried to define it in a well crafted definition. Others just used some words they thought best fit. Others couldn't put it into words, but described it more as a feeling. That feeling you get when you think you just can't trust them. That visceral feeling is rooted in something and when I put it into words everything fell into place for me. I really understood what it meant to gain, earn, and earn back trust with people.
I'm not an expert at this. In fact I fail at this often. I am highly aware of the elements I need in order to be a trustworthy person to someone but its easy to lose trust. Partly because the ablility to be trustworthy is on a spectrum. Some people have a high sensitivity for willing to trust, others trust fairly easily. That isn't to say you can be more untrustworthy with some and not others, its just that some people have a higher propensity to be very skeptical and sensitive to losing trust while others may be more open and accepting of failures in this space.
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Trust is vital for any relationship to thrive, especially when it comes to the dynamic between safety and health professionals and the employees they serve. In the workplace, trust serves as the foundation for fostering a safe and healthy environment, where everyone feels supported and protected. But trust isn't a one-time achievement; it requires consistent effort to earn, maintain, and, at times, regain
Trust is a delicate balance we must traverse. It requires a blend of competence, empathy, and genuine concern for the well-being of the employees. Building trust starts with showcasing expertise, really the core of what we do. We are experts in our space and need to prove to the workforce we are such. Proving it meaning, that it is not a self-aggrandizing effort for you to go around and tell everyone how great you are. It is simply an effort in establishing with your partners you are competent in what you do and that you can use that competence to help everyone succeed.
Being a know-it-all without acknowledging the expertise of the employees is not only unhelpful but dangerous in the light of earning or maintaining trust. I fully recognize that in many cases I am nowhere close to being the expert. I do not pretend when I walk into a machine shop to know more than someone who has worked on those tool sets for decades. In fact the opposite. In an environment like that where I know I am out of my league, I try to establish that very early on. There are things that I know I can help with and others I know I can't. I try to cater the interaction based on my goal for it:
One possible goal:
If I am trying to understand more about the tool then that is easy. I can establish rapport simply by asking the resident expert more about it. "Good morning! [insert introduction]. So I'm actually trying to learn a bit more about this tool set. We have this same tool at other locations and since I understand you are one of the experts here at the company I figured you would be the best person to learn from. Would you be willing to walk me through it in some detail?"
This simple interaction, you are doing a few key things here to help establish a trusting relationship.
Trust is a two-way relationship, not one in which you get something only for yourself. You are soliciting their help in a way that recognizes their expertise in a field they are likely passionate about. You are saying to them that the work they do is highly valued and that you want to leverage that to help you and others. You both have divergent interests. You want to learn as much as you can about the tool so you can keep these employees and others, safe. In addition, they get to share in their expertise. Also, it just makes them feel good. Especially coming from someone in your position, you telling them you need their help instead of demanding action from them really sets a better tone for your relationship. Lastly you are establishing your integrity. Your ability to be vulnerable in this case and ask for help shows that you don't have all the answers and that you are willing to reach out to those who might. By seeking help where you need it, you are showing humility rather than weakness.
Another possible goal:
You are interacting with someone for the first time as a result of an incident you are evaluating. This is never the best time to establish a rapport for the first time but often where we find ourselves.
Use these five steps to build and establish trustworthiness:
1️⃣ Engage around a meaningful issue. In this case it may be about the incident. Establish the importance of this and how we want to understand all we can so this doesn't happen to anyone else.
2️⃣ Listen to what is important to them. Don't dismiss something they feel is important because you feel otherwise. You may be wrong or even if you're not, letting them talk and you listening shows your level of benevolence for them.
3️⃣ Frame the root of the issue without it being a blame game. Ask questions and don't assign blame. Don't allow yourself to relay assumptions but frame these thoughts in the form of questions back to them. Let them confirm or deny your assumptions without you saying it out loud.
4️⃣ Envision an alternative and include different descriptions of outcomes and results.
5️⃣ Commit to actionable next steps that imply commitment and forward momentum.
Levels of relational trust
To earn trust, safety and health professionals should be approachable, open-minded, and willing to listen to employees' concerns and suggestions. Nobody trusts a safety cop, only searching for non-compliance with their clipboard and ticket book.
Becoming a more trusted partner to our workforce can be represented by four levels. According to Trusted Advisor Associates (https://trustedadvisor.com/), there are four levels in which safety professionals, or really any professional can work with their partners:
Level 1 - Expertise Based
At this level you are the expert. You answers questions and provide expertise when needed. You only interact with the employee population when there is a problem or when expertise is required. In the day of AI, you're likely to be replaced for much cheaper.
Level 2 - Needs-based
Refers to a form of trust that is established and sustained based on the fulfillment of specific needs or requirements. In this context, trust is not solely built on personal relationships or emotional connections. Instead, it is built on the satisfaction of practical needs and expectations.
In a needs-based trust scenario, individuals rely on others to fulfill specific needs or obligations, and trust is established when those needs are consistently met. This type of trust is often transactional in nature, focusing on the fulfillment of specific tasks or responsibilities.
Level 3 - Relationship-based
It is built on interpersonal connections, mutual understanding, and emotional bonds between individuals. Unlike needs-based trust, which focuses on fulfilling specific requirements, relationship-based trust is rooted in the belief that the other person genuinely has your best interests at heart and will act in a trustworthy manner.
In a relationship-based trust dynamic, trust is established and maintained through open communication, empathy, and a shared history of positive interactions. It involves a deep sense of understanding, vulnerability, and a belief that the other person is reliable and supportive.
Level 4 - TRUST-based
You are your partner's go to person. You not only have the expertise and ability to do the job, but you display a high degree of integrity and you are benevolent to their needs. This is also a relationship where you and your partners are free to share insights openly, regardless of the subject matter.
Regaining Trust: The Road to Redemption 🛣
Safety and health professionals should embrace the opportunity to learn from their mistakes and work towards rebuilding trust. Acknowledging the misstep and genuinely apologizing can be the first step. Regaining trust requires consistent actions that align with words. Being transparent, following through on promises, and actively involving employees in safety decisions can help rebuild the bridge of trust. Remember, trust is like a rubber band; it can stretch, but if stretched too far, it might snap.
I worked in a place where all trust was lost. Our predecessor did almost everything they could to ruin trust employees had in our group. Not literally. I don't think they went around on an active mission to ruin trust, but that is what they did nonetheless. Interactions were awful. There were moments of backstabbing. Relationships were ruined. They acted as an authoritarian rather than a leader. As a result no one trusted them. Worse, no one trusted the safety and health group no matter who it was. Their outlook moving forward was that all safety professionals acted like that. You can't blame them really, in that time, that is all they knew.
It took a long time to essentially regain trust in a group of people that you never had in the first place. I was never given the opportunity to build a relationship or earn trust before it was already broken. Many employees had written me off long before I ever said hello. So re-building trust in these relationships were handled differently than if I was building trust for the first time, without a preconceived notion of who I was or what I stand for.
When employees trust safety and health professionals, they feel confident that their well-being is valued and protected. This leads to increased engagement, better morale, and a positive work environment. Trust is the secret sauce that transforms a workplace into a safe haven, where employees can focus on their tasks without constantly worrying about their safety.
Really the key to this all? Want to be more trusting? Start with yourself not your relationship with others. That last story should have shed light on that. You are only as capable of building trust as you are able to recognize what trust is and what kind of leader you want to be.
