Trust and Consistency

When we talk about trust, we often think of honesty — telling the truth, saying the hard thing.​​​​​​​​

But another important aspect of trust is consistency.

Think of how toddlers learn how to trust gravity: by dropping food from their high chair over and over (and over) again — an experiment that eventually creates trust that the food will always fall towards the floor and not somehow float up to the ceiling.​​​​​​​​ 🚀

How do you help the people around you learn that they can trust you?

Are your decisions consistent with a core set of values? Can the folks who work with you trust that your actions are grounded by something solid — data, best practices, commitment to the team?​​​​​​​​

Or ... are you mercurial, temperamental, idiosyncratic, inconsistent?

🚀 Does the food sometimes float up to the ceiling in your world? 🚀

My responsibility as a leader is to help those around me do their very best work. Within the orchestra, for example, my consistent artistic choices allow my colleagues to make their own best artistic decisions.​​​​​​​​

I am not a robot — I am responsive, I value creativity and flexibility, and my choices sometimes evolve. But in the end, those choices are always grounded in a consistent set of artistic values.​​​​​​​​

My colleagues can trust me in this way.​​​​​​​​

This same principle applies in any work environment, whether deciding how to shape a musical phrase, how to respond to an unhappy client, or how to apply personnel policies.​​​​​​​​

Act with consistency and you will start to build trust.

INVITATION TO REFLECT: Think back to the times you may have been inconsistent in your professional life. Did you help your coworkers understand your thinking, or did you leave them wondering whether they can trust you going forward?