Hey Friend,

Last week, I wrote about why net trust positivity matters more than aiming to be 100% trustworthy at all times. This week, I want to take it one step further.

Trust isn’t just a feeling or vibe, and it's not subjective either. Our research shows that it’s made up of eight specific, observable, and measurable elements:

• Reliability: Doing what we say we are going to do, when and how we say we are going to do it. We can be counted on to be consistent.
• Credibility: Possessing the necessary skills and knowledge to perform our work effectively. Knowing what we're talking about and doing (for real).
• Relationships: Knowing people for who they truly are and not just for what they do. Knowing each other beyond our roles and titles.
• Authenticity: Showing up as who we truly are without pretending or trying to be anyone else.
• Compassion: Being motivated to relieve the suffering of others. We are empathetic and understanding, and offer generous interpretations.
• Fairness: Treating everyone equitably and fairly, and working to recognize and disrupt our own biases.
• Integrity: Doing the right thing every time, even when there is pressure to do something else. Being honest and standing up for and on behalf of others.
• Healthy Ego: Acting in the best interest of others rather than our own self-interest. Using our power to benefit others rather than ourselves. If we lack this element, it isn't easy to be trustworthy, making it the most important of all.

Together, these eight elements comprise our Trust Factor, which measures the trust-positivity of individuals, teams, and organizations.

When we see trust this way, it stops being a vague, high-stakes verdict (“I don’t trust you”) and becomes something we can diagnose and work on.

Here's an example:

Recently, a leader told me with conviction, “I just don’t trust them, and I don’t think I ever will.” They were referring to a colleague with whom they had worked for seven years, and I could tell in their voice that they meant it.

I pulled up the Trust Factor elements and shared my screen. “It’s possible this person is completely untrustworthy,” I said, “but my guess is that one or two of these elements are making it hard to trust them.”

As we walked through the framework, the leader realized it wasn’t total distrust; it was resentment tied to two specific behaviors: the colleague was inconsistent with follow-through (unreliable) and often played favorites (unfair).

That recognition was powerful. It shifted the conversation from writing off the entire relationship to identifying specific behaviors that could be addressed and improved. The leader chose to have a candid conversation with their colleague about follow-through and fairness, and for the first time in years, they felt like there was a path forward.

This is the power of trust-positivity and the Trust Factor tool.

The good news is that no one needs to ace all eight elements every day. Like I said last week, we're human and we're bound to mess up sometimes.

Trust-positivity is about strengthening and adding elements without pressure to be perfect. The more we stack up, the more trust-positive we become, and the more trust-positive we become, the healthier our teams, leaders, and workplaces.

The Trust Factor is one of our clients' favorite tools, and our framework makes it extremely easy for teams to understand how trust works for and against them at work. It's even more powerful when paired with intentionally facilitated space for unpacking trust dynamics and healing from historical distrust. We're here for that if you need us.

For today, I’ll leave you with this:

• Which of the eight elements do you most want to strengthen or pay attention to for yourself this week?
• Which of the eight elements do you feel your team or organization should focus on?

I invite you to take one of those two questions and run with it. And if you know or suspect trust is a challenge on your team or in your workplace? I invite you to reach out.

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Here for you always,
Marissa

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