You probably trust most of the people around you. You trust their character, morality and ethics. You would leave them alone with the cash register or let them watch your kids. This is what most of us have in mind when we talk about trust.
There is another type of trust that is just as important although rarely distinguished or discussed.
Where we frequently lack trust is in someone’s competence. We do not have confidence in their skills or abilities. We are not concerned they would steal or act immorally, but we are worried that they would mishandle the task or responsibility.
Whether you are the delegator, or the one being delegated to, we owe it to one other to actually talk through why there may be a lack of trust. Unaddressed, the assumption tends to be that there is a lack of trust in character, morality or ethics. If this is so, by all means address it, but it is a poor assumption to let fester if the lack of trust is actually rooted in uninspiring skills or abilities.
Discussing lack of trust in someone’s competence is healthy and constructive. Competence deficiencies can be improved upon or corrected in short order.
So the next time there is reluctance to trust, evaluate why. If competence is the issue, discuss it and identify how it can be addressed. The people involved will grow while preventing assumptions about lack of trust in character from festering and distorting a relationship.
Next steps: For more insight and tools on this topic, consider reading Stephen Covey’s book The Speed of Trust.
Comments are closed.