Trust but verify
"I don't trust them" means one of two things: they won't, or they can't. The remedy for a character problem is different from the remedy for a capacity problem.
Gamut Labs · Action learning projects
Trust and the TASTE Formula
Trust is an outcome, not an input. Truth, Accountability, and Support, practiced consistently, produce Trust and Energy.
Main questions
- What is the threshold for trust and how is it defined?
- Is one signal behavior of the formula more important than the others?
- Is it possible to measure energy lost/gained? What are the parameters?
The TASTE formula
Leaders often ask for trust as a precondition: trust me, they say. Game theory says the opposite. A group produces trust when three signal behaviors are evident in its relationships.
Truth: timely, accurate statements, disclosures, and invitations. Accountability: doing what we say, and owning our part when things don't go as planned. Support: safety and belonging, so we know we have backup when needed.
Truth
+Accountability
+Support
Trust + Energy
Relationship alchemy
The alchemists pursued the Philosopher's Stone to turn base metals into gold. They never found it, but they left a useful frame for trust: truth, accountability, and support are the base metals of great relationships and together they produce the precious outcomes of trust and energy.
Everyone brings energy to their work, but without trusting relationships it goes to defensive maneuvers like managing impressions, hedging commitments, and scanning for the next surprise. When the trust threshold is met, energy is freed for problem solving, overcoming adversity, and engaging in excellence.
The stag hunt
There are economics to trust, and they're explained in this game theory model of a coordination problem. Two hunters can hunt a stag together or go after a hare alone. Hunting stag feeds everyone, but hunting hare is the safer bet. Uncertainty about the other person's motivation leads to the safer bet.
Every team plays this game at work. Aiming for high-aspiration, collective work requires coordination and carries big rewards. But often it's safer to stay in our own function and do the minimum in the face of uncertainty. It takes strong signals of truth, accountability, and support to tip a group into hunting stag.
Trust issues
Trust is not control
Trust is about being careful. Control is about being clear who does what, and by when. A team can have both if each is managed with intention.
The energy crisis
When we face uncertainty, much of our energy goes to defense. Psychological safety is the strongest predictor of team success in Amy Edmondson's research. How much energy we produce in a high-trust moment versus a low-trust situation is an open question.
Writing
What (Really) Motivates People: Reciprocity
The heroic leader is a twentieth-century image. Reciprocity, built on trust, is the next generation leadership model.
Love Is a Two-Way Street
Love is built on respect, trust, and reciprocity, not trickery, annoyance, or contracts.
