How Can You Know That Your Co-Workers Trust You?

If someone doesn’t trust you, they won’t tell you. Trust me. So how can you know if you’ve earned someone’s trust – particularly the trust of a co-worker? There should be a way to measure trust, before we experience its absence (which is called lack of confidence, doubt, betrayal, mistrust and many other things that no one wants but that every organization has). Trust among co-workers is important to the functioning of any team and any company. So, how do you know when you have trust – and what do you do when you don’t?

According to a PwC’s 2024 Trust Survey, 93% of business executives agree that our ability to build and maintain trust improves the bottom line. Harvard Business Review reports that trust affects two measurable outcomes in business: speed and cost. Operations experts reading this post will instantly see the correlation between trust and profitability – because, when business slows down and costs go up, the bottom line gets worse. Profits suffer. What’s more, high-trust companies (where co-workers can trust one another) are more than 2.5 times more likely to be high-performing revenue organizations, according to HBR. Fortunately, there’s a simple test to uncover if your co-workers trust you – and if you can trust them.

Two Simple Questions: The Test for Trust

Working with a hard-charging CEO client, I was explaining that I knew some people whose expertise might be of benefit to his organization. I was almost entering “name-dropping territory” when my client interrupted me.

“Yeah, OK, you know him and you know her,” the CEO said, narrowing his gaze. “But will they help you?”

Knowing somebody and helping somebody are two different things. Which one conveys more trust?

In that moment, I realized that this executive was offering me some insight into the real value of my relationships. Beyond colleagues, we have trusted colleagues. And the way that you know they trust you?

They will help you. And they will ask you for your help.

As a coach to executives around the world, and as a ghostwriter on eight books since 2021, I’ve been trusted with helping companies and individuals in many many ways. I’m grateful for my clientele – and the fact that trust is the foundation of my business.

So, if you are curious about how to access the vital soft skill of trust, especially with your co-workers, you have to ask yourself two simple questions:

1. Who is willing to help you?
2. Who are you helping, and how?

David Horsager, Ph.D., is one of the foremost experts in the world on the subject of trust. According to a global survey, conducted by the Trust Edge Leadership Institute in 2023, the number one reason people go to work for a company is “trusted leadership”. In a famous study conducted by Dirks and Ferrin involving over 27,000 people, researchers discovered that employees who trusted their leader were less likely to quit. Where would you rate your own trustworthiness, and the trustworthiness of your leadership team? How does your assessment compare to your employee retention rate?

Going Beyond Beliefs, to Find Trust

Without trust, collaboration suffers. If you are untrusted, you will lack the resources necessary to move forward in your career – and to advance your ideas within your company. Because people will not help you. You will not be asked to take on new responsibility. That means that a lack of trust can hinder your professional growth.

Trust isn’t a matter of faith, or belief, it’s a matter of demonstrated behavior – and often, a function of time (how long you know someone).

Qualities of Trusted Co-Workers and Trusted Leaders

Trustworthy leaders – and trusted co-workers – have your back. Untrusted co-workers will stab you in the back. Trusted leaders give credit. Untrusted leaders take credit. Trusted co-workers are transparent – you know where you stand, and where they stand. Trusted co-workers are real and consistent – not performative and shifty, changing their personality to flatter the executive who just walked into the room.

Fortunately, there are several ways to increase trust – or rebuild it, when it is lost.

1. Declaring Intent: making people aware of your intentions is another way to say “share your agenda”. What are you trying to create, for the team and the organization? Are you all about “I, me and mine” or is there a broader goal that others can see? Former GE CEO, Jack Welch, says that “trust happens when leaders are transparent, candid and keep their word.”
2. Honor Your Commitments: Trust is a promise delivered. Keep your word, if you want to build trust. What is the biggest promise you can keep?
3. Start with Why – But Don’t Stop There: Consider the classic answer when a child asks, “Why?” It always begins with “Because…” While it’s not a good idea to treat your teammates like children, notice the bigger lesson here: showing your reasoning helps others to see your thought process. That understanding offers insight into trust, because you trust people whose reasoning is valid. The Myers-Briggs company says that transparent reasoning is key to open communication and trust.
4. Close the Loop: let people know that you are listening, in action. Share what you did, and why (see point #3 above) – so that people know that you are listening. Closing the loop is a key element in accountability – something that helps to build trust. And, when you choose a different direction than the one suggested by others, it helps if you own your decision. Even when you don’t owe people an explanation, a respectful understanding of what you did will help everyone to collaborate with clarity. Agreement isn’t always possible, but you can always own your decisions. If you want to be trusted by your co-workers, accountability is key. Do people know that you did what you said you were going to do?

Trusted co-workers seek out feedback, and opportunity. Not because they are desperate careerists, out of their depth, or needy, but because listening matters. Share your accountability, to close the loop and let people know that you keep your word. Consider who you are helping most, and who is willing to help you. Even those who share their stories with you are willing to trust you, on some level. Can you do the same, accessing the human connection that seems to be missing in so many teams these days? That connection is the foundation of trust.