Is ‘Trust’ Soft, Squishy? What We Learn From Hard Data

As thought leader Frank Sonnenberg has said, trust is like blood pressure. It’s silent, vital to good health, and if abused it can be deadly.

Sure, most people will acknowledge that trust is important—in personal relationships, in business, in politics, in everyday commerce. In everything. Yet many people regard trust as a nice-to-have virtue that’s soft and squishy and hard to quantify.

Dr. Joseph Folkman would agree with that first part: trust is certainly a crucial virtue. Trust is the lubricant that makes things work in our world. But he would not regard trust as soft and squishy and hard to quantify. In fact, he’s spent his long career measuring a wide range of behaviors and their impact on performance.

Joe Folkman is a data guy. He’s collected data from millions of assessors and hundreds of thousands of leaders from across the globe. After decades of analysis—in what he calls his own version of the Manhattan Project—he’s discovered that the atom of leadership is trust. And he’s found that three specific elements either build trust or destroy trust.

In The Trifecta of Trust, Folkman unveils simple but practical things to do in building and maintaining trust—and restoring it when lost or damaged.

Rodger Dean Duncan: What have you found to be some of the important behaviors for building skill in technical and professional expertise?

Joseph R. Folkman: The two behaviors that can help technically capable people demonstrate their expertise are relationship building (relating well to others and building positive relationships) and communicating powerfully.

A study done at Bell Labs identified the most productive scientists. In the 1980s and 1990s, Bell Labs was full of the brightest and most talented scientists. Those who were most productive had good interpersonal and networking skills. Often you think of a great scientist as the introvert who never talks to anyone, but the most productive scientists were skilled at connecting and networking with others. In our research, having the ability to communicate well is a skill that helps technical professionals get the resources they need.

Duncan: What’s the connection between expertise and judgment?

Folkman: Having deep expertise is key to helping a person make good decisions and correct judgments. In the pandemic, we occasionally saw politicians make poor decisions because they didn’t consult with the technical experts who knew the facts.

Duncan: What does consistency “look like” in a leader’s day-to-day behavior?

Folkman: Walking their talk and being a role model.

Leaders occasionally ask others to do things they feel justified in not doing themselves. For example, asking others to cut back on expenses and then taking a customer out to an expensive dinner. This makes them inconsistent. Leaders sometimes make promises they can’t keep—such as when a direct report asks, “Are we ever going to have a lay off in this organization?” and the leaders says, “No, that will never happen here!” Or when a direct report asks, “How am I doing?” and the leader says, “You are doing great.” What the direct report hears is that they are going to get a raise and a promotion when the leader is just saying they’re okay.

Duncan: For leaders who sincerely want to establish and maintain positive relationships with their people, what are some of the “best practice” behaviors you’ve identified in your research?

Folkman: I looked at data from thousands of leaders and found some behaviors that are key to establishing positive relationships with others. One behavior that’s very helpful is finding development opportunities for others. Helping others develop a new skill is always appreciated and valued. As you think about someone who has been a coach or mentor to you, typically this person is highly valued.

An easy behavior to perform that enhances relationships is being an effective listener. It’s easy to do but too often we don’t take the time and make the effort to really listen to others.

A third behavior that builds relationships is recognizing others. Most everyone appreciates being recognized for their efforts and accomplishments.

Duncan: What role does trust play in a leader’s ability to manage change successfully?

Folkman: A leader who is rated at the 10^th percentile on trust is rated only at the 24^th percentile on their ability to be a champion of change. A leader in the top 10% is rated at the 78^th percentile on change. Trust is the grease that makes it possible to move an organization forward.

Duncan: Emphasis on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) seems to be all the rage these days in corporate America. Many people regard that emphasis as capitulation to political correctness, yet they fear that speaking up could get them “cancelled” or branded as racist. What effect is this having on trust in the workplace?

Folkman: Most people want their leaders to value the differences they have from others regardless of their gender, age, ethnicity, skills, or beliefs.

Most every manager has heard from multiple sources multiple times the importance of valuing diversity. They know they are expected to value differences in others. Those who are rated in the bottom quartile on valuing diversity rate themselves at the 42^nd percentile (in other words just slightly below average). So, they think they are okay when actually they are doing poorly because others rate them at the 25^th percentile. Leaders who are in the bottom quartile on both trust and valuing diversity are rated at the 19^th percentile on leadership effectiveness while those in the top quartile on both traits are rated at the 84^th percentile.

Trust and valuing differences in others are highly correlated. If you want others to trust you, then you need to show that you value their diversity.

Duncan: How can leaders promote DEI in a way that fosters trust rather than fear?

Folkman: DEI should not focus only on ethnicity, gender, or age but rather it should be about understanding and appreciating any of the differences between ourselves and others. That attitude can create organizations where every person feels appreciated and their contribution to the success of the organization makes a difference.

Duncan: When a person receives 360-degree feedback, what’s the key to using that feedback for behavioral course correction and performance improvement—especially if there’s a perceived deficiency in trustworthiness?

Folkman: The three behaviors that cause a loss of trust are first, poor relationships; second, inadequate expertise; and third, inconsistency. These three behaviors are the trifecta of trust.

To have trust at the 80^th percentile, all a person needs to do is to be at or above the 60^th percentile on all three of these dimensions. The 60^th percentile is just slightly above average. To raise the level of trust, a person should first identify which dimension is low and then work to improve.

Duncan: When a leader delivers feedback to a direct report, what’s the key to inspiring effective follow through on improvement opportunities?

Folkman: The key is making sure the direct reports feel that the leader has their best interest at heart. If they feel the leader is out to get them or does not want them to succeed, that often leads to very little improvement.

Leaders need to balance the feedback to ensure that there’s both positive and corrective feedback. If a leader is perceived as giving only negative feedback, then the leader will be rated as less effective by the direct reports and the direct reports will be less motivated to improve.

Duncan: How can trust be restored when it’s been violated?

Folkman: Trust can be restored, but it takes dedicated effort and time. I studied 919 leaders who were initially rated at the 31^st percentile on trust and over 18 to 24 months were able to improve to the 67^th percentile. A journey to restore trust starts with an apology for past mistakes followed by work to improve the relationships, improvement in expertise, and good judgment and finally better consistency.

Duncan: While the degree to which a leader is trusted has a profound impact on a range of performance issues, why don’t more organizations emphasize trust in their training programs?

Folkman: I found that 45% of the leaders overestimated their level of trust. In other words, a high percentage of people thought they were more trusted than they really were. Because so many factors are highly correlated with trust, it can seem complex to change and improve. Doing the trifecta elements just at the 60^th percentile moved trust to the 80^th percentile.

Duncan: What other insights has your research on trust revealed?

Folkman: I was surprised that by simply asking people across the world, “Can most people be trusted,” the percentage of people that agree with that statement can predict the GDP of that nation. The correlation between the two variables is .86.

I also found that trust is contagious. If your peers trust you, then you tend to trust them. But if your peers do not trust you, you tend not to trust them.