The Trust equation

Written By Sarah Philp

I've often described trust as the glue or connective tissue that holds a team or an organisation together. According to Deloitte, trust is no longer a nice to have, it's a must have, it's a invaluable catalyst (The Future of Trust, 2020).  Trust is the basis for connection and it's all encompassing, it's physical, emotional, digital, financial and ethical. This means we all need to think about and be intentional about trust. 

The Trust Equation 
With that in mind I want to share with you the trust equation. 

Trust = Credibility + Reliability + Intimacy / Orientation 


Trust is what exists in the mind of the individual and relates to a specific individual or organisation. One of the things I notice is that we use the word trust we are often meaning something else - psychological safety. Psychological safety is a property of the group rather than the individual.  In September I'll be sharing more about psychological safety.  

Let me explain the equation further...

  • Credibility is about the words we speak

  • Reliability is about our actions 

  • Intimacy is the safety or security we feel when we entrust something to someone

  • Orientation is the focus on self or others

It might or might not surprise you to hear that the most influential variable is reliability and credibility the least influential. 

Thinking about your relationships, does this resonate?

Applying it...

  • Choose a relationship you would like to strengthen, it doesn't have to be 'bad', just the potential to be better. 

  • For each component, from the other person's perspective, assign a rating from 1 - 10.

  • What can you do to  

    • demonstrate credibility? 

    • increase reliability?

    • work towards greater intimacy?

    • reduce self-interest ?

One thing to remember is that trust is build in the small daily moments.  Every interaction is an opportunity to build trust.

Sarah Philp
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