• Remember, developing trust within is “job one,” your first responsibility; it is most often termed as being “trustworthy.”
• Trust is a way of life before, or at least parallel to, trust in the practice of leadership. Think in terms of the climate and the systems of the congregation as well as your inner experience of its members and leaders.
• Trust may be partially explained by human genetics, that is, passed along through your family; it may also be affected by your environment. But it is a behavior skill to be developed and practiced.
• Trust is a key component of servant leadership, even though the precise language is not used. In your effort to develop servant leadership in your life and ministry, trust is an absolute and worthy ally.
• Biblical study must be prominent in pursuing authentic trustworthiness, and its parallel task of trust-building.
• It is also a subject for psychological and sociological studies, such as those reported here; you may want to glean lessons from these studies and apply them to your life and ministry.
• Leadership studies, as seen in these study resources, examine trust as a critical component of the behavior and practice of leaders.
• The study of trust must involve heart and soul, as well as the power of the mind! People have enormous capacity for trustworthiness, for trusting, and for growth and enrichment.
• Trust and trustworthiness are all mixed together in the personal, family, social, work, and spiritual conditions; by its very nature, trust is no solo performance.
• So, let's turn to these three abstracts for an expansion on such themes. This series of Library articles on trust-building are intended to benefit your Christian ministry leadership.

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A. Study Resource Abstract: Prepared (June, 2007) by Lloyd Elder, Th.D.
“Developing and Maintaining Interpersonal Trust”
from Reaching Out: Interpersonal Effectiveness and Self-Actualization (6th edition)
by David W. Johnson. Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 1996 (Chapter 3, pp. 73-103)

David Johnson treats trust and trustworthiness as components of internal wholeness and healthy relationships--about who you are and what you do as a person, not primarily as a leader. In chapter 3, Reaching Out includes “trust” as one essential interpersonal skill--its definition, development, practices, and personal assessment. Johnson's book is a most valuable resource by a practicing, teaching, consulting, and research authority with more than 300 publications to his credit. Key insights are reported for personal reflection and application:

• To develop and maintain good human relationships, interpersonal trust must be established; and trust is constantly changing as people interact.
  
• Trust is hard and time-consuming to build, but far too easy to destroy--even by one destructive act.
  
• The key to building and maintaining trust is trustworthiness. Trust exists in relationships between persons; trustworthiness exists within a person.
  
• When you choose to trust another person, it can lead to gains or losses, based on the behavior of the other person; you anticipate gain rather than loss.
  
• You are trusting:
  • When you risk consequences by being vulnerable to others.
  • When you are openly self-disclosing your information, ideas, thoughts, feelings, and reactions.
  • When you are sharing your resources toward their goal achievement.
    
• You are trustworthy:
  • When you are willing to respond to another person's risk in beneficial ways.
  • When you express unwavering acceptance and high regard for statements.
  • When you recognize and support their strengths and capabilities to achieve.
  • When you express cooperative intention to work toward mutual goals.
    
• Trust is established through a sequence of trusting and trustworthy actions:
  • Person A takes a risk by sharing his thoughts, information, conclusions, feelings, and reactions to the immediate situation and to Person B.
  • Person B responds with acceptance, support, and cooperation; and reciprocates Person A's openness by sharing his/her own thoughts, information, conclusions, feelings, and reactions to the immediate situation and to Person A.

  An alternate way would be the reverse of this Person B to Person A first.

• Reestablishing trust after it has been broken can be achieved by the same process--but with added emphasis on sincere apology, open communication, mutual goal setting, and promise keeping.
  
• Trusting appropriately: never trusting and always trusting are inappropriate. You should have reasonable confidence that you will benefit and not be harmed by your risk, and that the other person will not exploit your vulnerability. Examples: competitor, adversary (hostile to you) or even one given to rumors and gossip.
  
• There is a lot to be said for assuming that other people are trustworthy. It can become a self-fulfilling prophecy.

  (Adapted from: SkillTrack® 7.2, Trust-Building)

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B. Study Resource Abstract: Prepared (June 2007) by Lloyd Elder, Th.D.
“Trust: Unlock Your Vast Untapped Potential”
from The Other 90%™: How to Unlock Your Vast Untapped Potential for Life and Leadership by Robert K. Cooper. New York: Crown Business, 2001

Robert K. Cooper has lectured widely and designed leadership development programs for nationally recognized business organizations. When he was 14 years of age his grandfather, Hugh Cooper, Sr., gave him a framed memorabilia, a challenge and a living example that changed his life henceforward:

“Give the world the best you have and the best will come back to you.”

1. The Four Keystones of The Other 90%™

That is, every day keep on living up to your full potential. Through the years Cooper has developed and passed on to others “the other 90% concept” based on his grandfather's premise. Human intelligence and spirit are two of the most amazing creations we know, yet “we use only about 10% of our potential in the course of a lifetime.” Later studies indicate that we use not one-tenth but one ten-thousandth of our capabilities (p. xvi).

• Trust: Building and Sustaining Exceptional Relationships
• Energy: Increasing Your Calm Effectiveness Under Pressure
• Farsightedness: Creating the Future
• Nerve: Exceeding Expectations

2. The First of the Four Keystones Is Trust

Trust is expressed in specific daily actions, not just good plans. Cooper provides cogent insights as a part of the total life experiences and contributions (pp. 1-62):

• Be an original--if everyone is doing it, don't; such was the response of Rosa Parks on a bus in 1955; Thomas Edison in deafness and a slow start; and Charles Lindbergh as pilot of the Spirit of St. Louis; do something exceptional every week. (pp. 3-11)
  
• Use your brains--all three of them: in the head (thinking), the gut (reacting), and the heart (feeling). (pp. 12-25) You have more hidden intelligence than you ever knew.
  
• No one has to lose for you to win; free yourself from constant comparisons and competition; excel! (pp. 26-36)
  
• Be a lighthouse, not a weathervane; rate how you are doing when no one is looking; keep demonstrating your values. Be aware of the distinguishing values of each important person in your work and life. (pp. 37-44)
  
• Dare to trust. (pp. 45-51)
  • Trust is an emotional strength that begins with a feeling of self-worth and purpose--a gut feeling of trusting yourself and being trusted by others.
  • We trust others when we feel they really understand us and care about us.
  • Notice what truly matters to others. Slow down to show that you really care. Trust advances one small step at a time.
  • Trusting relationships expand and extend our capabilities--so we must risk and affirm trust. Trust enough to be trusted; we must affirm and initiate trust. “Among the most essential qualities of human spirit are to trust oneself and build trust with others.”--Gandhi
    
• Honor the greatness in others--and ask for the recognitions you deserve. Acknowledge it genuinely, giving it the honor it deserves. Be specific and personal--make it a regular habit. (pp. 52-62)

3. The Other Three Keystones for Unlocking Your Potential

The other three keystones interact with “trust” to expand your larger leadership and life experience.

• Second Keystone is Energy--Increasing Your Calm Effectiveness Under Pressure. “Calm energy” is synonymous with the “zone” or the natural flow of your life. High levels of calm energy are characterized by low muscle tension, optimistic presence of mind, peaceful body feelings, and physical stamina. (see pp. 63-131)
  
• Third Keystone is Farsightedness: Creating the Future. Among other futurist concepts, Cooper admonished leaders to “align your life with your biggest dreams”; and, to keep glancing ahead from remembrance to current reality to desired results. (see pp. 133-194)
  
• Fourth keystone is Nerve--Exceeding Expectations. There are catalysts that challenge us to reach deeper, look farther, search harder, and discover more ways to make every moment count. Unwanted mistakes and setbacks teach us unexpected lessons about dealing with our spirit or the future. “Raise a banner” because this is your time, your chance. (See pp. 195-274)

4. Reflection: Your Own Case Study

What great, life-changing “sayings” or concepts have been passed along to you by your grandfather or others? How have you built your life around them? Will you use those sayings and this “abstract” to describe how you will build trust? Cooper affirms a lofty challenge for us all: “The next frontier is not only in front of you, it is inside you. You have a vast hidden potential and a destiny beckoning to be lived. So do we all. No one else can live it in your place.” (p. xvii)

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C. Study Resource Abstract: Prepared (June 2007) by Lloyd Elder, Th.D.
“Trust: Lessons In Search of Honor”
from In Search of Honor: Lessons from Workers on How to Build Trust
by Adele B. Lynn. Belle Vernon, VA: Bajon House Publishing, 1998 (See pp. 3-91)

In Search of Honor addresses the cumulative voice of a thousand employees of all kinds. It reports the common wisdom and experience of one thousand everyday workers and becomes a practical philosophy for leaders who care about people and institutions. Lynn presents four keys “in the workers' search for honor.”

The first key, “Trust Comes First” presents four elements of trust defined by the interviewed employees. Lynn summarizes these as “four factors that build trust.” Her graphic analogy shows an hour glass with the sand of these four elements flowing through the glass neck to become trust:

• Importance (see pp. 7-20): a sense of importance, directed at both the work and the people. Each of us wants to believe we make a difference in achieving a larger purpose. Attaching importance to a task says: “I care about what you do every day. I am happy that you are here to do it. It makes a difference; you make a difference.” In concert with attaching importance to your people is a mind-set and tone that places you at the bottom of the team--not at the top. You must serve your team. The leader must firmly believe and express:
  • The tasks that the team is working on are important.
  • Each member of the team is important.
  • The leader is there to serve the team.
• Touch (see pp. 21-44): not the physical kind, but rather, genuinely caring and treating people like human equals despite status. Such a touch does not cost money, but it does take time. Nurture the workplace spirit: genuine, active listening; fostering a no-blame culture; and a belief that your people will come through. People do respond.
• Gratitude (45-62): expressed, sincere gratitude. People want to receive more than pay for their work. They want appreciation. A sincere, timely “thanks,” not mixed with criticism, makes people: 1) want to do more; 2) feel good about themselves; and 3) feel good about the person who delivers the thanks. That's it: performance, self-esteem, and relationship.
• Contributions (63-92): fair and equal contributions in the workplace. The astute leader brings harmony and understanding so everyone in the workplace believes everyone is contributing equally. “Equal” does not mean the same. It does mean that each has meaningful work that contributes to the larger purpose; is guided by clearly stated and consistent expectations and values; and is provided mutual respect, resources, coaching, and training to do the job expected.
  

  These are the four elements of building trust; each element can be applied to our work as leaders in the service of Christ. Actually, the whole congregation should be deeply invested in building nurturing, bonding, working trust.
  

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© 2007 servantleaderstoday.com; hosted and copyrighted by Lloyd Elder & Associates, Inc.
For full citation of referenced works, see Bibliography/Links at www.servantleaderstoday.com
Adapted by Lloyd Elder, Th.D., Founding Director, Moench Center for Church Leadership