Supports the slide pack, "Leading Change: Processes and Tools, Trust and Coaching"

1. Building Trust Worksheet
Trust is critical in any working relationship. When someone trusts you they are more likely to seek your input,
communicate their concerns and opinions, listen to you, and help you when you need help.
In all your relationships, you can think about having a personal Trust Score that indicates how much the other
person trusts you. Imagine a scale from minus 10 (deep distrust) to plus 10 (complete trust). At any point in
time, you fall somewhere along that scale in each of your relationships.
-10 0 +10
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350000006f00000000000000000000007e400000ca02000020454d460000010000030000100000
00020000000000000000000000000000005613000032190000d200000011010000000000000000
0000000000008e3203009a2a0400160000000c000000180000000a000000100000000000000000
00000009000000100000003c0f0000aa000000520000007001000001000000a4ffffff0000000000
00000000000000900100000000000004400022430061006c006900620072006900000000000000
000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
000000000000003600e09336001000000044973600c4943600fd519e5e449736003c9436001000
0000ac9536002897360094519e5e449736003c943600200000009f71575c3c94360044973600200
00000ffffffff1c85a7001a72575cffffffffffff0180ffff0180ffff0180ffffffff000001000008000000080
00005b84e5c01000000000000005802000025000000552e90010008020f0502020204030204ff02
00e1ffac004009000000000000009f01000000000000430061006c0069006200720000000000430
065006e007400750072007900200047006f00709436009c2d505c1f00000001000000ac943600ac
943600087a4e5c1f000000d49436001c85a7006476000800000000250000000c00000001000000
250000000c00000001000000250000000c00000001000000120000000c00000001000000180000
000c0000000000000254000000540000000000000000000000350000006f00000001000000f0c18
7401e7187400000000057000000010000004c0000000400000000000000000000003c0f0000a90
0000050000000200000003600000046000000280000001c0000004744494302000000fffffffffffff
fff3d0f0000ab000000000000004600000014000000080000004744494303000000250000000c00
00000e000080250000000c0000000e0000800e0000001400000000000000100000001400000004
00000003010800050000000b0200000000050000000c021400d401040000002e0118001c000000
fb02f5ff0000000000009001000000000440002243616c696272690000000000000000000000000
0000000000000000000000000040000002d010000040000002d010000040000002d0100000400
000002010100050000000902000000020d000000320a0a0000000100040000000000d50114002
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3f3f0000000000000000000000003f3f3f3f3f00040000002d010100040000002d01010003000000
0000
Deep Distrust Neither Trust nor Distrust Complete Trust
Trust Scores are based on perceptions and interpretations. In general, your personal Trust Score is influenced by
the other person’s perceptions of your:
• Ability – Does she think you are capable of “delivering” on your commitments or meeting her expectations?
• Integrity – Does she think that your principles/values are acceptable?
• Intent – Does she believe that you will look out for her interests and needs?
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2. Trust Table: You can’t “control” your Trust Score, but you can “affect” it through your actions
You will usually gain trust points when you are You can expect to lose trust points when you are
perceived as... perceived as...
• Meeting a commitment - doing what you said you would do • Failing to live up to a commitment or saying one
• Not taking advantage of someone’s vulnerability thing and doing another
• Showing that you care about a person or understand them • Blaming others when you should be taking some
• Sharing information and your rationale for your actions personal responsibility
• Being honest and authentic • Demonstrating a pattern of not seeking input or
• Not punishing well-intended dissent or a different opinion ignoring input from others
• Emphasizing shared goals, principles, or values • Looking out for yourself to the detriment of others
• Taking an action that is not in your own self-interest • Having different values or pursuing goals that
• Seeking input or feedback and then making adjustments conflict with someone’s goals
• Accepting responsibility for your actions • Lacking the skills, ability, or motivation to take the
• Performing competently right action and/or make it work
• Showing some vulnerability • Taking advantage of someone’s vulnerability
• Acting in a reliable and understandable manner • Acting unpredictably or irrationally
• Apologizing and trying to fix your mistakes • Spreading gossip or rumors or revealing private
information
On the next two pages of this worksheet you can conduct a quick trust analysis and identify a few actions that
you will take to build trust with a person or group with whom you work. You can complete the worksheet for
any of your important work relationships and re-visit your notes periodically to see if you are making progress
in building trust.

3. Trust Analysis and Action Planning
1. Identify a person or group with whom you want to build or maintain trust.
2. Estimate your current Trust Score with this person/group on a scale of -100 (they deeply distrust you)
to +100 (they completely trust you):
As you estimate your score consider what they would say about your ability, integrity, and intentions.
Remember, trust is based on their perceptions and interpretations, so don’t write down what you think
your score “should be” but instead think about how they would score you...even if you think that is
unfair.
3. What are some things that you have done that have probably increased your Trust Score with this
person/group? You can review the table on the prior page to stimulate your thinking.
4. What are some things that you have done that may have lowered your Trust Score? Again, remember
this is based on the other person’s perceptions. Review the trust table to stimulate your thinking.
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5. 5. Identify an example of something you intended to be an addition, but might have been perceived as a
subtraction? Remember, the lower your current Trust Score the more likely the other person is to view
an action you take as negative.
Revisit your estimated Trust Score in Question 2. After completing questions 3-5, would you change your
estimate?
6. What challenges do you face in building trust with this person or group? What may be interfering with
or creating obstacles to building trust with them?
Some common obstacles to building trust include (e.g., working at a distance, spending too much or too
little time together, your own distrust of them, a lack of understanding about them, conflicting goals,
historical problems, differences in background or experiences)
7. Review your prior answers and the trust table on the first page of the worksheet. Then identify a few
actions that you will take (or intentionally avoid) to try to increase your Trust Score with this person or
group. How could you increase their belief in your ability, integrity, and/or intent? What is your plan
for building their trust in you?
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