1. WSU Superintendent Certification program
November Seminar

2. You are honest,
straight forward, and
competent. So why
don’t people trust
you?

3. What does “trust” mean
to you (define)?

4.  TRUST is the decision I make to let myself be
vulnerable because I believe:
 You care (benevolent)—caring, good will, positive
intentions
 You are honest—integrity, good will, telling the truth
 You are open—sharing information, delegating
 You are reliable—consistency, dependable,
commitment
 You are competent—problem-solving, set standards,
knowledgeable
(Trust Matters)

5.  As a leader how do/would you:
◦ Measure (know that trust is present or know that
trust is lacking) in your organization?
◦ Maintain and/or build trust within your
organization?
◦ Build organizational trust if it were missing within
your organization?

7.  Inconsistent messages
 Inconsistent standards
 Misplaced benevolence
 False feedback
 Failure to trust others
 Elephants in the parlor
 Rumors in a vacuum
 Consistent corporate (school)
underperformance

8.  Figure out what happened (what, when,
cause)
 Determine the depth and breadth of the
loss of trust
 Own up to the loss quickly
 Identify what must be accomplished to
rebuild trust

9.  There is no such thing as a private
conversation
 There is no such thing as a casual
conversation
 People sometimes hear what they most fear
 Trauma has a long half-life
 No good deed goes unpunished
 There is not always an equal and opposite
reaction

10.  Trust takes time, patience, shared investment and
must be two-way
 Have to be able to live in a non-trusting way to
build trust
 Deep trust can only be built by people who interact
within a distance of six feet--the “six foot rule”
 Mistrust is part of today’s life. It may not be
personally based, but must be personally
overcome.

11.  Why does relationship-based, structural
trust change depending on where you are in
the organization?
 What is a “kitchen cabinet”? Do you have
one?

12.  Has “transparency, technology, and data”
impacted trust within your organization?

13.  Are you a trustworthy leader?
 How do others know if you are/are not
trustworthy? (define trustworthy)

14.  Share a professional scenario you have been
involved with where trust was an issue. What
caused trust to be an issue?
 How was it resolved? Was trust restored—
how?

15.  When interviewing for the position of
superintendent you were asked if you were
trustworthy. How did you respond?
 As the superintendent how would you convince
your employees that you are a trustworthy
leader?
 As the superintendent how are you going to
ensure the community believes the district is
trustworthy.
 As the superintendent how are you going to
build/maintain a trusting relationship with your
school board?
 As the superintendent how would you restore
trust with your principals if it were broken?

16.  As an educational leader what are your most
important “take-aways” from the book and
articles?

17.  On a daily basis, trust is raised or diminished
depending on whether the way we act– and why– is
consistent with the expectations we have agreed to.
 In other words, through our words and actions we
show our sense of obligations towards others- and
others discern these intentions…
 Trust grows through exchanges in which actions
validate these expectations.
 Even simple interactions, if successful, can enhance
collective capacities for more complex subsequent
actions… (Bryk & Schneider)