Anatomy of Trust

 “Trust is the foundation of leadership. If people don’t trust you, they won’t follow you.” Sheryl Sandberg (COO, Facebook)

In my view, trust is foundational for success in any organization. Unfortunately, higher education suffers from a trust deficit. Not only has public trust in higher education suffered in recent years, but students also seem to lack trust in higher education administrators, including presidents. Why is this important?

Trust has been positively linked to students success (see Trust Matters). In this blog post, I undertake to briefly analyze the essential elements of trust. Having a better understanding of what constitutes trust is an excellent starting point for building a culture of trust.

What is trust? I identify two forms of trust: (1) interpersonal trust and (2) collective trust. Interpersonal trust is the trust between two people (trustor and trustee), such as two friends or two partners or husband and wife. Collective trust is the trust between a leader and his or her direct reports and/or employees that work under or for him or her. Here I will analyze the paradigmatic conception of interpersonal trust.

When one person trusts another, they “believe in” that person. It’s important to distinguish between believing in someone and believing that something. In the latter case, one simply has a mental disposition to assent to the truth of a statement. For instance, I believe that ‘the year is 2025.' However, believing in someone is inherently value-laden and entails a disposition of trust.

To believe in a person is to be committed to their integrity and honesty, and to have confidence that they will come through for you. In other words, the trustor believes that the the trustee will not let you down. They will deliver on their promises, fulfill their commitments, and safeguard your secrets, demonstrating consistency and reliability in their behavior.

But how does one person gain or earn the trust of another? How does one become trustworthy?

Earning Interpersonal Trust

Earning the trust of others—and convincing people to truly believe in you—is never easy. It takes time, consistency, and character. Think for a moment about the people you trust most and then consider those you find difficult to trust. Ask yourself: Why? What is it about the people you trust that inspires your confidence? And what is missing in those you do not?

These are questions I have studied and reflected on deeply over the years. Through that study and reflection, I’ve come to recognize four key character traits that consistently influence my ability—or inability—to trust someone: authenticity, reasonableness, discipline, and benevolence.

1.     Authenticity (Personal Integrity)

2.     Reasonableness (Intellectual Integrity)

3.     Discipline (Behavior Integrity)

4.     Benevolence (Ethical/Moral Integrity)

People who are authentic and honest in their dealings with me and with others tend to earn my trust and the trust of others over time. I come to see that their consistent behavior portrays their inner identity; they are exactly who they claim to be. They don’t hide behind masks or play roles to impress. Their thoughts, words and actions align; they speak from conviction and act with sincerity. They are consistent in the way they portray themselves to others.

On the other hand, when I sense that someone is being inauthentic, disingenuous, or projecting a false image of themselves, whether with me or with others, I find it much harder to trust them. Even subtle signs of pretense or deception can erode trust quickly. Authenticity, then, is not just a desirable trait, it is foundational. It is the starting point for building any meaningful, lasting trust.

The second trait that fosters trust is reasonableness. I find it far easier to trust individuals who are fair-minded, open to other perspectives, and consider evidence, data, and arguments thoughtfully and judiciously. These are people who are genuinely interested in understanding and obtaining truth. In contrast, it is difficult to place trust in someone who is dogmatic, closed minded, capricious, or intentionally biased. Trust grows in an environment where reason, dialogue, and openness prevail.

The third trait is discipline. It is hard to trust someone who is chronically disorganized, procrastinates, or consistently fails to follow through. Reliability matters. When someone says they’re going to do something, then actually does it, you begin to believe in them. Over time, their consistency builds credibility. These individuals earn our trust not only by keeping their word but by demonstrating the commitment and determination to see things through. They don’t give up when things get hard; they finish what they start. That kind of follow-through is essential to earning trust. This is often defined in leadership literature as accountability. An individual who holds herself accountable to herself not only builds trust but models the behavior.  

It’s important here to make a distinction between trust and love. We can love someone deeply, care for them, and desire the best for them, and yet still not trust them. Love is a moral commitment, something we choose. However, I cannot simply choose to trust someone who is inauthentic, unreasonable, or unreliable. I can choose to behave as if I trusted them, but genuine trust corresponds to an internal feeling that arises organically from my past interaction with a person. In this sense, trust is more like a belief. Just as I cannot command myself to belief that this year is 2020 when I know that it is 2025, I cannot command myself to trust someone who is untrustworthy. Trust, like belief, is involuntary; it arises from evidence and experience.

Nevertheless, we can provide opportunities to cultivate trust for people we love and who we want to nurture, such as our children, students, and mentees. By intentionally extending trust when it does not yet fully exist, we create conditions for others to become trustworthy.

The fourth essential trait is benevolence grounded in ethical integrity. We are naturally inclined to trust individuals who act with good intentions. In other words, those whose lives are guided by a commitment to doing what is right and just. These people consistently consider the interests of others as well as the common good in their deliberation and decision-making processes . Their actions reveal a sincere concern for others and a conscious refusal to engage in behavior that is knowingly harmful or malicious.

Importantly, benevolent individuals also possess a thoughtful understanding of ethical behavior and moral decision making. They do not act impulsively or selfishly; instead, they take the time to consider the moral weight of their choices. Their ethical awareness, combined with their compassion, creates a sense of safety for others who rely on their decision making. It is not moral perfection that is necessary to build trust, but rather the consistent orientation toward what is right, just and fair. When we sense this kind of moral responsibility in a person, we are far more willing to place our trust in them.

In my experience, when a person embodies these four traits, i.e., authenticity, reasonableness, discipline, and benevolence, they become trustworthy. Of course, no one exhibits these perfectly. Trustworthiness is built over time, and it grows, or diminishes, in degrees. But these four qualities form the foundation. They are the essential conditions for trust, and without them, even the most talented or well-meaning leader will struggle to earn it from others.