The Counter-Intuitive Truth About Trust In Teamwork

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• Showing warmth conveys that your intentions are probably good. All things being equal, a person who is seen as having good intentions will gain more trust than a person who is seen has having good ability.

• Studies indicate that conveying benevolence is much more likely to earn you trust than conveying how competent you are.

• The model says that people judge other people’s trustworthiness on three factors: Ability Benevolence Integrity

• fourth factor that buttresses the other three: Predictability/Consistency.

• Another counter-intuitive thing about trust is the fact that you can’t know that you truly trust someone if your interests never diverge.

• It's because, if you can successfully convince a person that you are smart and skilled, but you don’t manage to convince them that you’ll behave benevolently toward then, they’ll be likely to think that you'll use those great abilities of theirs... to take advantage of you.

• Develop a habit of active listening. Smile more and look people in the eyes. Remember people’s names. Notice people and give them sincere compliments. Develop a reputation for taking care of people and sacrificing your own interests for the good of others. Give benefit of the doubt. Assume the most charitable explanation when people make mistakes—and stand up for people when others do not. Take responsibility for negative externalities that you create—and make them right. Practice intellectual humility.

• Now let's say that you do something dishonest. You have a lapse of integrity. This is more serious, but you can still get trust back... if you can prove that you have benevolent intentions.

• But in the absence of benevolence, a breach in ability or integrity means the trust ship has sailed.