Maister's Trust Equation
Do you sometimes have difficulties building trusted relationships at work? May that void prevent you from leaning in and contributing your best self to your team at work?
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I like to turn to Maister’s trust equation to illustrate what is needed to form a trustworthy relationship. Expressed as an equation, it speaks to my love for math and logic and looks like a reliable place to start exploring how you might enhance your relationships at work.
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In words, Maister describes trustworthiness as the sum of credibility, reliability and intimacy divided by self-orientation. Let's look at the relationship between us as coach and coachee to illustrate what this means.
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Credibility centers around the question whether you can trust me to coach you in light of my experience and how I present my experience to you. My coaching certificate alone will not be sufficient for you to experience me as credible. Do you experience me as believable and honest?
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Reliability is about whether you think I am dependable and can be trusted to behave in consistent ways. You will find me to be reliable if you experience me as doing what I promised to do.
Intimacy is about whether you experience a level of closeness with me where you feel validated and safe. Do I share enough personal information with you that you feel you get to know the real me and have the courage to confide in me? Can I be a safe haven for your tough issues?
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Self-Orientation is about whether you believe that you and your success are the most important part of our relationship. Alternatively, do you think I am selfish and coach you “just for the money”? Am I present in our conversations, or do I seem to be preoccupied? Am I fully present and listening to you?
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Reflecting on these elements in your work context and culture might help you gain clarity how to better build trusted relationships at work.
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If you are interested to learn more about Maister’s Trust Equation framework, please check out this link: https://trustedadvisor.com/why-trust-matters/understanding-trust/understanding-the-trust-equation
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Source:
Green, C. H., Galford, R. M., & Maister, D. H. (2001). The Trusted Advisor: 20th Anniversary Edition. Simon and Schuster.