Trust and Collaboration

A simple but useful definition of trust is "Confidence in your relationships with others." When you have high trust, or high confidence, in your work relationships with others, you can become a high-performing team and organization.
Follow us have felt vulnerable before – dependent upon someone else and open to being hurt or burned. When thi happens, let's suppose you take a risk, sharing and opening yourself up to the other person. He/she response with respect.  Your relationship is strengthened, and your mutual confidence and trust grow. Your desire to share more goes up also Your relationship is in a positive risk cycle.

Now let's suppose a open yourself up one day and your friend does not treat you with respect. Instead, your friend gives you a "knife in the back".  Your confidence goes down, and your relationship is weakened.  Your desire to risk more goes down.  When you are caught in a negative cycle, the real test begins. What will you do next?

Now, you'll both need to rebuild that trust.  Sit down and talk with your friend.  Forgive.  Look for similarities and areas of commonality . Respond with respect, confidence, and appreciation.  Act with trust and confidence.  Make consensus or collaborative decisions.

Of course, all of this is easier said than done.  Once a positive risk cycle is broken, it will take a lot to get the trust back.  Make sure that both of you continue to work on it to strengthen your relationship and trust.

Until next time...

Sheryl Tuchman, SPHR
http://tools2succeed.com/