Today's Reading
Trust begins with your commitment to relationships.
But here's the truth—trust building isn't something you sit back and wait for. When it comes to trust, you can't be on the sidelines, hoping someone else takes the first step. With laser-like focus, you've got to align your attitude, intention, and behavior to an outcome that benefits everyone involved. When you do, trust building becomes a way of being—something you practice and carry with you and live every day as an expression of who you are.
Sounds simple, right? But it's not always easy.
We all want and need trust—and more and more people recognize how valuable it is. What's less understood is that just wanting or valuing trust isn't enough. Trust is earned through one thing and one thing only, your behavior.
Through our years of research and practice, we developed the Three Dimensions of Trust—a practical behavioral blueprint to help you build trust with the people you work with, live with, and love.
THE THREE DIMENSIONS OF TRUST: A BEHAVIORAL BLUEPRINT
Trust is inherently reciprocal: it grows when we give it, not just when we seek it. Likewise, when we take it for granted and abuse it, it withers and falls away. Built step by step over time, trust is nourished through mutual commitment and shared intention. The more we choose to give it to others and ourselves, the more it takes root and expands.
Yet, for many of us, trust remains an elusive concept. We know when it's present and feel when it's absent, but how often do we reflect on our role in building or breaking it?
How do we build trust? Is there an art to it? Something we can learn—maybe even master.
Just as a painter may start with a sketch on a clean canvas to guide their painting, building trust begins with a clear framework. For us, that framework is the Reina Dimensions of Trust—or what we call the Three Cs.
And, just as an artist uses technique to create height, width, and depth, so too do the Three Dimensions of Trust bring depth and shape to how trust is built. They offer a clear, behavioral road map for growing trust in any relationship. So, let's explore what brings trust to life.
TRUST OF CHARACTER CENTERS ON RELIABILITY
Do you do what you say you'll do? Do you keep your promises and honor your commitments? Do you consistently align your actions with your words? Because when you do, you build credibility and foster alignment.
Consider someone who consistently shows up and follows through on commitments—someone you and others can count on to contribute to the success of the team. People know they can depend on this person to deliver results, and that dependability fosters a sense of reliability, confidence, and capability.
Now imagine the opposite: a peer who frequently breaks promises, skipping scheduled meetings without notice and leaving their teammates uncertain and guessing. Over time this inconsistency chips away at trust. You and others become hesitant to engage, everyone begins to pull back, and collaboration breaks down. This is the invisible energy of trust at work—a force that when present, expands, producing results and connection, but when absent, contracts, holding back even the best efforts.
Take Kyle: brilliant but unpredictable. One week he delivered standout work; the next, he missed key meetings and deadlines. Over time, his team lost confidence, collaboration stalled, and his contributions held less weight.
Contrast that with a team that meets weekly, follows through on commitments, and trusts each other to show up. Their consistency creates clarity, alignment, and momentum. Ideas flow unrestricted, decisions move faster, and results exceed expectations.
What quickly becomes apparent is that when Trust of Character is present, people work with shared purpose, understand their roles, and stay committed to each other's success. That level of trust then becomes the engine of performance.
Key behaviors include consistency in managing expectations to meet needs; establishing boundaries; aligning words with actions; keeping agreements; supporting others' success while strengthening your own.
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