Stef Fleet · Practitioner toolkit

The Trust Equation

A one-page guide for leaders and teams building influence across boundaries. Model: Maister, Green & Galford, The Trusted Advisor.

Trust = (Credibility + Reliability + Intimacy) ÷ Self-orientation
Credibility
Words. Do people believe what you say? Expertise, honesty, track record.
Ask: Where do I state things I can't back up?
Reliability
Actions. Do you do what you said, when you said?
Ask: Which small promises have I let slip?
Intimacy
Safety. Can people share difficult things with you?
Ask: What do people avoid telling me?
Self-orientation (÷)
Focus. Is this about me, or about them? It divides everything above.
Ask: Whose interests does this conversation serve?

The visibility tension

In a UN Volunteers masterclass (80+ live participants), "making sure people know about your good work" got the least energy of any option. Many of us hold back because sharing feels self-oriented. But if nobody sees the work, credibility has nothing to stand on. The shift: share your work in a way that clearly serves the people around you.

Three practices for this week

  1. Share in service. Turn one update into a "here's what this means for you" note to a stakeholder.
  2. Close one loop. Find a promise you made and deliver it, or renegotiate it openly.
  3. Ask before you answer. In your next meeting, ask two questions before you offer a view.

Team reflection (15 min)

Each person rates the team 1–5 on the four elements, anonymously. Share the spread, not the average. Discuss: where is the biggest gap, and what is one thing we would do differently next week?

Stef Fleet · Team & leadership coach, Copenhagensf@steffleet.com · linkedin.com/in/stephanfleet