Trust is the foundation of successful relationships. As I prepared the series “Directions to the GC Chair,” trust emerged as the prevailing theme in developing relationships with board members and colleagues in the C-suite. When trust is present, information will flow more readily, others will be more receptive to your guidance and you will receive more honest feedback.
Developing trust is not difficult. One of my early coaching clients and colleagues is Charles H. Green, co-author of “The Trusted Advisor” and author of “The Trusted Advisor Field Book,” along with numerous articles and blogs. While trust is often an emotional response, in “The Trusted Advisor,” the authors share a formula (the Trust Equation) for people to create and maintain trust. In the Trust Equation, “T” is trustworthiness; the other elements are defined below:
