The significance of trust is critical to building a relationship that furthers improvement, growth, productivity, involvement, high energy and a unified team.   This applies to business and personal relationships.  Think about a relationship or organization where the trust among people was cherished and valued.  More than likely, that relationship resulted in an efficiency and effectiveness of furthering the work of the organization and the energy level was positive and high.  Everyone on the team was kicking it in high gear!  This typically results in high performance and satisfaction among those where the trust is highest.  Ken Blanchard provides great advice on building trust in this article.  In providing legal counsel to clients, I often see relationships where trust is valued and encouraged or where it has fallen apart.  The following three factors typically are crucial in trust development.

Building trust in large part is dependent upon effective communication.  Being able to effectively communicate with others is key to building trust.  You know the message you want and need to send.  Think about the best way to deliver the message for clarity and building trust.  Communication is so important in every relationship.  If you fail to communicate, others around you start “filling in the gaps” with inaccurate information which often times is harmful.  Often times, this inaccurate information begins to break down the trust that has been established.

Listen to others around you.  Listening to others shows respect to team members which builds them up too.  Valuing the opinions and thoughts of others around you will often result in providing important information you may not have.  Listening to others builds trust among the team.

Another critical element the significance of trust is being honest with each other.  Being straightforward about the facts and circumstances is evidence of a strong relationship.  Relationships often times presents circumstances where honesty could be compromised.  We all know the value of remaining on the side of honesty.  It builds trust!

Working with others where trust is valued and encouraged furthers the trust factor even more.  Think about your personal and business relationships.  Where is trust the highest and why?  What relationships do you need to work on?  You know how.