No More Burning Bridges You Didn’t Know About: Here Are Our Top 3 Ways to Build Trust Quick

Building a trustworthy relationship with others requires several components, including consistency, open communication, honesty, and most importantly, staying true to your word. Trust can be difficult to build, but it’s easy to crack.

 

To demonstrate to your investors, friends, or family that you’ll do what you say… practice what you preach.  This will also create a foundation of trust for future business or personal relationships by demonstrating examples of past relationships you’ve pursued with consistency and trust. No one wants to befriend or invest in someone with a history of cheating, lying, or making crooked deals. 

 

But you might be wondering... how do I prove to people that I’m trustworthy? The answer is simple: continue to stick to your word. Having a good reputation will proceed you. However, there are a few strategies you can use to build trust with someone quickly. Here are my top three tips to build trust quick. 

1. Stick to Your Commitments 

Easier said than done, but do what you say you’re going to do. According to The Speed of Trust by Stephen M. R. Covey, “making and keeping commitments [is] the number one behavior to either build or destroy trust.” He gives an example of a story shared with him during an interview. The interviewer excitedly shared with him how he had built trust in the multi-million dollar company he had recently purchased. 

 

It was the third time the company had been sold in the last four years, and the managers and employees were very skeptical because they had seen other buyers make a lot of promises that were never kept. However, this new leader brought everyone together and listened to the employees express their frustrations and concerns. 

 

After asking for and listening to their suggestions, he made 14 commitments to the employees concerning improvements he would make, and he assigned deadlines to each. Within a week, he delivered on every commitment he made! He came back to his people and said “I told you I’d do this, and I’ve done it. What else needs to be done?” His credibility instantly skyrocketed. 

 

Overnight, he created an environment of trust and the results quickly followed. When people know you stick to your promises, the trust follows. It involves integrity and your ability to do what you say what you’re going to do. 

1. Have Cultural Intelligence 

 

Everyone was raised with different values and expectations. What may be deemed important to one person, may not be important to another. In a global economy, you have to understand that different cultures view commitments differently. This isn’t exclusive to ethnic or geographical cultures, but company and family cultures as well. 

 

In The Speed of Trust, Stephen M. R. Covey shares he’s been in cultures where the nature of commitment is best reflected by a clock that shows the hours as “one-ish,” “two-ish,” “three-ish,” and so on. In some cultures, when you set up a meeting at 2 everyone is expected to be there promptly and ready to go, while this isn’t the case for others. 

 

Stephen also shares about a meeting he had after the FranklinCovey merger. The Franklin people were there in the formal boardroom dressed nicely in suits and right on time. Those from the Covey group arrived in Khakis 10 minutes late. The Franklin company culture was “manage your time,” while the Covey culture was “lead your life.” Talk about a cultural clash!

 

Keep in mind: different people have different priorities. Have the clarifying conversation before you make commitments. This avoids disappointments and ensures both parties meet expectations.. 

 

In a Mastermind, your fellow members may believe, expect, or need differently from one another. Be mindful of what your peers need or expect from you in order to successfully establish a trustworthy relationship. 

1. Always Underpromise and Overdeliver 

 

People often make the mistake of overpromising when they make a commitment. Some examples are, “I’ll get that to you by Friday” when you know that’s a stretch... or underbidding a job that later keeps having “unexpected” expenses. When making a promise, only commit to doing what feels realistic. People often make the mistake of overpromising with good intent. 

 

Overpromising is typically a result of wanting to make the other person happy, trust you, or choose you. Unfortunately, this often has the opposite impact because overpromising tends to result in disappointment for both parties. The best way to build trust is to promise the bare minimum and overdeliver. 

 

If you always get work done sooner than you say you will, volunteer for more time than you signed up for, pay back your investors more than you were expected to, and are always the first person there, people will always trust you. Overpromising minimizes the impact of overdelivering, even if you went above and beyond. 

 

Give people realistic expectations for what you’re going to do and then exceed them. This will prove to establish a deep well of trust time and time again. Also be wary of not expecting others to always do the same. Just because you go above and beyond doesn’t mean others always will for you, but it will attract the right people. 

 

Creating trustworthy bonds benefits all parties involved. The more you nurture and supercede expectations in your relationships, the more opportunities will arise for you. Continue to honor your word and stay consistent and the right people will cross your path. 

 

An excellent way to experience strong relationships on a regular basis is by joining a like-minded group of professionals who will challenge you to build a lifestyle of trust. Reach out to us at our website and apply to join one of our mastermind groups online.