3 ways to tarnish your trust

The concept of “trust” is as old as dust and often just as gritty and ephemeral. We all have an external trust-quotient be it as individuals, organizations, or professions. There’s a mountain of how-to books and a cyber-ocean of web sites about how you can build trust. Here’s three ways you can quickly lose it:

Be arrogant: Trust occurs when there are open communications, empathy, and collaboration. A good way to lower your trust quotient is to ignore others, talk down to them, and leave the impression that you are a far better human because you are smarter, better looking, and well–just a much superior being.

 Be secretive: Trust involves a display of competence/skills and a track record of achievement. So sink your trust by refusing to share information, not bothering to answer questions, and speaking in tongues (multisyllabic babble, acronyms). Make it really hard for others to figure out how you are capable to make them feel safe, secure, and empowered and why they can trust you.

Display bizarre values: Trust involves a sense of shared values especially core things like honesty, integrity, compassion. So drop your trust quotient to zero by appearing dishonest, lacking whatsoever in any compassion for others, and putting the material, flashy things in life ahead of emotional bonds like love.

Of course doing the opposite to the above three sinkers/stinkers can both maintain and elevate your trust quotient.