Framework for Measuring Interpersonal Trust Growth

Ever wonder how to measure if stakeholders actually trust you? I have discovered a simple indicator hidden in plain sight: email communication patterns. After years at Amazon, I have noticed a clear progression of trust that plays out in my inbox: Stage 1: Stakeholders email your manager directly. You are merely copied, an observer rather than a participant. Stage 2: You graduate to being acknowledged. The email addresses both you and your manager equally. Stage 3: You become the primary contact. Your name comes first, but your manager remains copied. Stage 4: Complete trust achieved. Emails come directly to you, no manager involvement needed. This simple progression has been one of the most reliable indicators of relationship growth throughout my career. I share this framework with my mentees when they ask how to gauge stakeholder relationships. It provides tangible evidence beyond just "feeling" trusted. The subtle shift when someone stops including your manager signals that you have earned their complete confidence. Key insight: Trust is not just built in high-stakes meetings—it reveals itself in these everyday interactions. What other subtle signals have you noticed that indicate growing professional trust? Which stage are you experiencing with your key stakeholders right now?

The Cost of Broken Trust: How Companies Unknowingly Self-Sabotage Trust Isn’t a Feeling. It’s measurable and reflected in your revenues. (PART III) Measuring trust in a team goes beyond just gut feelings; it requires intentional observation, feedback, and analysis. Assess and measure trust levels: 🔍 Surveys & Assessments – Anonymous trust surveys can reveal psychological safety, communication, and team cohesion insights. Tools like the Trust Index or Speed of Trust assessments help quantify trust levels. 🎙 Open Dialogues & Feedback Loops – Conduct one-on-ones or team discussions where members feel safe expressing concerns and perspectives. If people hesitate to speak openly, trust may be lacking. There are anonymous tools that can help you get richer feedback. 📈 Behavioral Indicators – Notice how your team interacts. Do they collaborate effortlessly? Are they comfortable asking for help or admitting mistakes? Low-trust teams tend to operate in silos and avoid vulnerability. ⏳ Decision-Making & Accountability – High-trust teams delegate responsibilities confidently. If leaders micromanage or decisions are constantly questioned, trust might need strengthening. 🔄 Turnover & Engagement Metrics – Frequent turnover, disengagement, or hesitancy in taking initiative can signal trust issues within the team. Trust is the foundation of high-performing teams—measuring it regularly and taking action can help create a culture where people thrive. 💭 Personal reflection: ↳What signs of trust (or mistrust) have you noticed in your own team? ↳What’s a trust-building practice you’ve seen work well? Trust isn’t built overnight but compounds quickly with the right approach. #Leadership #SpeedOfTrust #StephenCovey #SkillsOfTheFuture #FutureOfWork #UnleashLeadership

🔎 ICYMI: We talk about #trust all the time. But do we really understand it? And more importantly, can we measure it? 👉 Trust provides a license to operate for institutions. It drives participation, compliance, and collective problem-solving. Yet for too long, trust has remained an abstract ideal — hard to define, harder to act on. We partnered with the NYC Civic Engagement Commission to change that. 📘 Our new report offers a practical framework for making trust measurable and actionable. Instead of vague notions, we focus on: ✔️ Observable manifestations — how trust shows up in emotions and behaviors (like confidence, belonging, or civic engagement) ✔️ Drivers of trust — the direct experiences and institutional interventions that shape it ✔️ A 3-phase approach — to baseline, analyze, and strengthen trust through targeted, measurable interventions 🚸 We apply this framework to real-world settings — from participatory budgeting to parks departments — showing how public institutions can measure, earn and sustain trust. 👉 Read the full report here: https://lnkd.in/eg4iV_hV (new URL!) (✍️co-authored with Andrew Zahuranec and Oscar Romero) #CivicTrust #PublicSectorInnovation #DataForGood #TrustMetrics #GovLab #NYC #CivicEngagement #MeasurementMatters

Trust collapsed after one missed deadline They delivered millions in savings together. Then one critical project failed. I watched my client Sarah's (have seeked their permission and changed their name for confidentiality) team transform from celebrating quarterly wins to exchanging terse emails within weeks. During our first coaching session, they sat at opposite ends of the table, avoiding eye contact. "We used to finish each other's sentences," Sarah confided. "Now we can barely finish a meeting without tension." Sound familiar? This frustration isn't about skills—it's about broken trust. In The Thin Book of Trust, Charles Feltman provides the framework that helped us diagnose what was happening. Trust, he explains, isn't mysterious—it breaks down into four measurable elements: ✅ Care – Sarah's team stopped checking in on each other's wellbeing ✅ Sincerity – Their communications became guarded and political ✅ Reliability – Missed deadlines created a cycle of lowered expectations ✅ Competence – They began questioning each other's abilities after setbacks The breakthrough came when I had them map which specific element had broken for each relationship. The pattern was clear: reliability had cracked first, then everything else followed. Three months later, this same team presented their recovery strategy to leadership. Their transformation wasn't magic—it came from deliberately rebuilding trust behaviors, starting with keeping small promises consistently. My video walks you through this exact framework. Because when teams fracture, the question isn't "Why is everyone so difficult?" but rather: "Which trust element needs rebuilding first—and what's my next concrete step?" Which trust element (care, sincerity, reliability, competence) do you find breaks down most often in struggling teams? #humanresources #workplace #team #performance #cassandracoach

🧵 How Do You Measure a Relationship? In neighbourhood health and cross-sector work, we often ask: How do we know it's working? Not just the outputs, but the relational glue that holds it together. I’ve been in projects where a cohesive team just gets stuff done. No fanfare. Just trust, understanding, and movement. It’s something I believe I bring as a neurodivergent dyslexic wired to read people, respond communicatively, and know when to act or step back. But how do we measure that? 📊 Emerging practice across BNSSG suggests: 1)Trust & engagement indices between citizens and services 2)Narrative interviews and storytelling-based reflections 3)Social network mapping to track who connects with whom 4)Developmental evaluation that measures learning, not just outcomes 5)Ethnographic observations of service interactions These aren’t just metrics, they’re lifelines. They surface subconscious bias, adaptive capacity, and the human messiness that makes collaboration real. 🧠 Leadership in Cross-Sector Teams: Top 5 Conditions for Collaboration i) Psychological safety – people must feel safe to speak, challenge, and be vulnerable ii)Shared purpose – not just aligned goals, but co-owned meaning iii)Adaptive space – the “in-between” zone where ideas move from periphery to core iv) Enabling leadership – catalysing conditions, removing barriers, connecting people v)Relational infrastructure – time, tools, and rituals that allow trust to grow This is the work. Messy, human, and deeply creative. If you’re working in neighbourhoods, systems, or cross-sector spaces, how do you measure trust and relational glue? Let’s build the evidence and the story. #AdaptiveSpace #CreativeHealth #NeighbourhoodLeadership #RelationalGlue #ComplexSystems #DYCP #BNSSG #CultureAndCare

Most work relationships are stuck at Level 1 trust. Just realised why. And once you see this pattern, you'll spot it everywhere: Lewicki and Bunker mapped three levels of trust back in '95. It’s one of those frameworks that rewires how you see teams: Level 1: Deterrence-based trust "I won’t screw you over… because it’ll cost me." Think contracts, NDAs, and performance reviews. Fear keeps people honest. Level 2: Knowledge-based trust "I trust you because I know how you operate." Built over time. You can predict their moves. Most solid work relationships live here. Level 3: Identification-based trust "I trust you because we want the same outcome." Rare. Powerful. Values align so deeply that oversight becomes irrelevant. Team impact: Level 1: Every decision needs documentation. People protect themselves over the mission. Exhausting. Level 2: Smooth day-to-day, but crisis reveals the gaps. Level 3: Self-correcting. Bad ideas die naturally. People act like it’s their own company. How to move up: 1 → 2: Be boringly consistent. Do what you say. Every time. 2→ 3: Harder. Share what you 'really' care about. Make decisions that cost you but serve the bigger picture. Show your actual values, not your LinkedIn values. Try this: Map your key relationships. Which level are they? Pick one Level 2 relationship to deepen. Next interaction: share something real about what drives you. Because you can’t policy your way to Level 3 trust. You build it one vulnerable conversation at a time. What level are most of your work relationships stuck at?

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭'𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐒𝐮𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫? A few days ago, I had a conversation with a CEO who asked me this very question. Without hesitation, I answered: 🗝️ "𝐌𝐲 𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐭." It wasn’t a rehearsed response—it came from experience, from years of understanding that trust isn’t a given; it’s built with intention. In business, trust is not only essential but also a rare and invaluable trait. 🤝 𝑻𝒓𝒖𝒔𝒕: 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑪𝒐𝒓𝒏𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝑩𝒖𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝑺𝒖𝒄𝒄𝒆𝒔𝒔 Trust relationships are vital to the way we do business today. Whether it’s internal—between employees and colleagues—or external—with clients and partners—the level of trust in business relationships is the greatest determinant of success. Without trust, teams break down. Deals fall through. Growth stagnates. But with trust? Innovation thrives. Collaboration deepens. Performance accelerates. But how do we measure trust? And most importantly, how do we build it? 🔢 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑻𝒓𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝑬𝒒𝒖𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏: 𝑨 𝑷𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒇𝒖𝒍 𝑭𝒓𝒂𝒎𝒆𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒌 A few years ago, I discovered the Trust Equation, a framework originally designed in 2000 by David Maister in his book The Trusted Advisor. This equation provides a structured way to understand what makes someone truly trustworthy: 𝐓 = (𝐂 + 𝐑 + 𝐈) / 𝐒 Where: ▶️ 𝑪 (𝑪𝒓𝒆𝒅𝒊𝒃𝒊𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒚) – Do people believe in your expertise and knowledge? Can they rely on your competence? Do you back what you say by research and data? ▶️ 𝑹 (𝑹𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒂𝒃𝒊𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒚) – Do your actions consistently match your words? Can people count on you, time and time again? ▶️ 𝑰 (𝑰𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒂𝒄𝒚) – How well do you foster deep, meaningful connections? Do people feel psychologically safe with you? Can you keep a secret for someone? ▶️ 𝑺 (𝑺𝒆𝒍𝒇-𝑶𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏) – The more self-centered you are, the lower the trust. Are you truly listening to what others are trying to say and are you genuinely trying to help, or are you focused on your own agenda? 🚀 𝑾𝒉𝒚 𝑻𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝑬𝒒𝒖𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒊𝒔 𝑺𝒐 𝑷𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒇𝒖𝒍 This simple formula demystifies trust—it’s not abstract, it’s actionable. It explains why we instinctively trust some people and hesitate with others. It also gives us a roadmap to strengthen trust in our leadership, teams, and relationships. 🔥 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑹𝒆𝒂𝒍 𝑸𝒖𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 Trust isn’t just a leadership skill—it’s the foundation of relationships, opportunities, and long-term success. So, let me ask you: How do you apply the Equation of Trust in your work and life? #Leadership #Trust #BusinessSuccess #Growth #Communication #Superpower

We all know trust is essential for strong relationships—whether at work or in life. But have you ever stopped to ask: What is trust, really? I for one didn’t see it as something that could be clearly defined, until I came across the Trust Equation. I first learned about the equation when redesigning and delivering our Leading through Coaching training at the LEGO Group. It’s a simple yet powerful framework to break trust into tangible components: 🧮 Trust = (Credibility + Reliability + Intimacy) ÷ Self-Orientation But what does it mean? • Credibility: Are you knowledgeable and competent? Do people believe in your expertise? • Reliability: Do you follow through on promises? Can others count on you to deliver? • Intimacy: Do you create a safe space for open, honest conversations? • Self-Orientation: Are you focused on others, or are personal motives getting in the way? As part of the trainings we asked leaders to use the framework to reflect on specific relationships they would like to work on. It was amazing to see how tangible trust all of a sudden became and how this helped them build awareness about trust “gaps” and what deliberate steps they could take to strengthen their relationships. My learning, that I have brought with me since then is that trust isn’t just built by accident—it’s something we can actively work on. How do you approach trust in your own relationships? Would love to hear your thoughts! #Leadership #Trust #Collaboration #PersonalGrowth