Trust, as defined by Merriam-Webster, is assured reliance on the character, ability, strength, or truth of someone or something; one in which confidence is placed.

What are the costs of trusting too much? “Under-trusting? We discussed this at our Coaching at The Corner chat today. A lot of good comments…

• Does “being burned” warrant an escalation of your future mistrust?
• Can over-trusting lead to your being taken advantage of?
• Can your trusting attitude attract trustworthy people to you?

My take: it is more useful to err on the side of over-trusting than under-trusting. The downside of under-trusting is that it can become a self fulfilling prophecy, and/or impede a synergistic relationship. Note that low trust (just as high trust) is partly a self-fulfilling prophecy; people tend to live up, or down, to our expectations of them. Which would you prefer? And to protect yourself from the challenges of over-trusting, consider Ronald Reagan’s “Trust but Verify” challenge. Kathleen shared these words that can be useful in challenging situations: “Assume positive intent.” I really like that one…

So, a few pointers on how to be more trust-ING.

Henry Stimson once said, “The fastest way to make a man trustworthy is to trust him.”

1. Remember That Most People Mean Well
2. Embrace your Vulnerability
3. Find The Root Of The Problem; Confront the Fear.
4. Leave the past behind. Learn the lesson.
5. Learn to trust yourself.
6. Listen To Your Intuition
7. Practice Using Boundaries
8. Know When To Pull The Plug.
9. Consider the alternatives.
10. Assume positive intent (thanks, K!)

How to be more trust-WORTHY

1. Tell the truth. Every time
2. Demonstrate that you trust others.
3. Directly address issues
4. Deliver the unexpected.
5. Demonstrate that you trust others

George MacDonald, the nineteenth century Scottish author and poet, said “To be trusted is a greater compliment than being loved.”

Let us know what you think…