The Trust Factor By Olan Hendrix   There may be no more important component in an organization than trust among its people. Without trust there can be little teamwork. With trust there is the potential for great synergy. A leader must trust his or her people. The people must trust their leaders.   I once knew a development consultant who made a great first impression on potential clients. Once he began working with the client, trust quickly eroded because of his distortion of facts. A pastor friend found himself having to frequently move from church to church because he could not control his tendency to exaggerate almost every subject. In both these cases trust was granted initially but later withdrawn, as the individual became known. In neither case was there doctrinal error nor blatant law breaking but trust was none the less eroded.   Fellow workers who have betrayed our trust have hurt all of us at one time or another. The pain of these experiences has caused us to vow and declare that we will never again allow ourselves to become vulnerable. Sooner or later we come to our senses, realizing that life and work apart from trust is just not possible.   Edwin Dummer wrote, "Man's life would be wretched and confined if it were to miss the candid intimacy developed by mutual trust and esteem."   Robert Bruce Shaw has written a most helpful book entitled, Trust In The Balance, published in 1997 by Jossey-Bass. Shaw says that people in our organizations trust us because of our results, integrity and concern. Here is a summary of Shaw's three points. Achieving Results This is the most important imperative in earning trust in an organizational setting. This involves meeting obligations and keeping commitments. Trust will not be retained if we are incompetent or powerless to fulfill the expectations of our people. In such cases we deem people unworthy of trust, not because they are malicious, but because they can't deliver.   John J. McGuirk observed, "The ability to form friendships, to make people believe in you and trust you is one of the few absolutely fundamental qualities of success." Acting with Integrity By integrity Shaw means honesty in one's words and consistency in one's actions. Gaps between what our people anticipate and what actually occurs give rise to distrust. Demonstrating Concern We trust people whom we believe understand our concerns and will not take actions that conflict with those concerns. Principles of Trust Another valuable work just out is Charles Handy's, The Hungry Spirit, Beyond Capitalism: A Quest for Purpose in the Modern World. (Broadway Books, 1998.) Handy, the son of a pastor from Britain, lists seven principles of trust:   Trust is not blind Trust needs boundaries Trust requires constant learning Trust is tough Trust needs bonding Trust needs touch Trust has to be earned   Handy says, "Trust sounds like a nice motherhood term, something no one could be against, all warm and wooly. In practice, however, it is difficult and tough."   Dr. Frank Crane said, "You may be deceived if you trust too much, but you will live in torment if you do not trust enough." DePree on Trust One of my clients, Greg Michael, Executive Pastor of Woodstock Community Church, near Atlanta, presented in a staff meeting the following summary of Max DePree's, Leading Without Power:   Trust begins with a personal commitment to respect others, to take everyone seriously Trust grows when people see leaders translate their personal integrity into organizational fidelity The moral purpose of our organization and of our personal commitments is the soil in which trust can take root and grow Trust is built on kept promises (I like to remember that to be chosen means to be entrusted) Trust in organizations depends on the reasonable assumption by followers that leaders can be depended on to do the right thing The building of trust in organizations requires leaders to hold the group accountable For trust to be maintained over time, leaders must demonstrate competence in their jobs--just like everyone else Relevancy to the Christian Organization While reading Shaw I kept wondering why all of this seemed so valuable to me. Are these qualities not taught clearly in the Word of God? Are these not the ideals that all believers should embrace? Indeed! And yet, all of us are capable of actions and words that cause our people to loose trust in us. No amount of right doctrine or spiritual exercises can compensate for the loss of trust.   Trust is the vital element in the very beginning of the Christian life. We believe in or trust Jesus Christ to become a Christian. It is trust subsequently that enables us to claim God's promises. How can trust be so emphasized in our spiritual lives and so neglected in organizational life?   Our people trust us because of our results, our words and our display of concern for their well being. We must be diligent at learning how to succeed in our role as a leader. We must guard our words to insure that we speak honestly even concerning the most insignificant subjects. We must strive to express genuine concern for the well being of our people. We must aim for trustworthiness in our leadership.