Do You Trust Me?

“Trust is to human relationships what faith is to gospel living. It is the beginning place, the foundation upon which more can be built. Where trust is, love can flourish.” (Barbara Smith)

Today's blog entry is about trust and how, just as it is crucial to the foundation of a good relationship, so to, is it crucial to good Project Management. In my experience as a Project Manager, I have come to realize how critical trust is, to delivering a successful project, not only with regard to your client relationships, but in respect to your internal relationships as well.

Looking first at the relationship between you and your client, we see that the component of trust is apparent from beginning to end. In fact, by your initial meeting, your client has already taken that first leap, in that they are trusting you to develop a successful solution that will not only answer their immediate needs, but that will benefit their company in the long run as well. That trust then continues to grow through the life cycle of the project, in that both parties trust each other to work in an open and honest manner, with respect to communication and deliverables. And finally, the project comes full circle with your client trusting you to deliver on what you initially promised, and in turn you trusting your client to be appreciative of your final deliverable.

And then there is the aspect of trust and the internal relationship. Now, it is in my opinion, that it is this trust that is ultimately the more important of the two relationships, since it is this internal trust which can affect how one perceives themselves and without self-trust, all other types of trust are unattainable. So how do we see trust in internal relationships? Easy...between you and your superiors, there is the trust that you will successfully sustain your relationships with your clients. Between you and your colleagues...there is the trust that you can depend on one another to be supportive and help guide and answer questions that you may face on your corporate journey. Between you and your team...that they trust you to successfully manage and lead the project from start to finish and that in turn you trust them to work together and deliver a final product that not only meets the original goal but if possible exceeds the client's expectations.

So how do we develop this trust? How do we get to a point where we trust others, that others trust us, and that most importantly we trust ourselves? The answer as I'm sure you've heard before, is that trust isn't just given, but rather it is earned. So in order to earn our trust, I've listed below a few helpful hints...

• Do Your Homework ~ True to any relationship, you need to do your homework before jumping in. In a personal relationship, it might be the type of music that she likes? In an internal relationship, it could be what type of personalities are going to clash when working together? In a client relationship the questions are deeper, what is the client's background, what are their needs, who are their competition... Doing this type of research shows that you are not in the relationship for a quick win, but rather that you truly care and are in it for the long run.
• Pay Your Dues ~ As mentioned previously, trust is not given, it is earned. Don't expect to gain someones trust right off the bat, but rather put in the work, make the effort, and over time you will see the trust begin to develop. Keep in mind, that earning someones trust is a long and often uphill battle, but one that is well worth it in the end.
• Communicate, Communicate, Communicate ~ If trust is the foundation to a relationship, then communication is the foundation to trust. When trying to gain someones trust, good communication is the best way to go. Be honest in your relationship, come clean if you are at fault and stand your ground if your not. Share your opinion, let the other people involved know that you bring value to this relationship, that you are here to listen as well as provide insight. (For more on communication please read my entry "What We Have Here Is A Failure To Communicate")
• Follow-up ~ I just attended a networking event a couple of weeks ago, which was being run by a group called "Follow-up Systems" and basically what they spoke up about was the importance of following-up and how a simple phone call or email can make a huge impact and that it is often all it takes to set you apart from your competition. This point goes back to what I previously mentioned about doing your homework, in that it reinstates the fact that you care. Taking time to follow-up shows the other party that not only do you value the relationship, but that you are invested in it as well.
• Walking The Walk ~ All of the other tips mentioned are great in building up a sense of trust, but the the true test isn't whether you can "talk the talk" but whether you can "walk the walk". Do you deliver on your promises? Do your end results equal or surpass your original goals? No matter how great your PR is, if you can't deliver, that sense of trust disappears quickly. As they say, "the proof is in the pudding"!

My hope is that wherever you are working, and whomever you are working with, that you have already established a sense of trust and that this entry was nothing more than a light read to help pass the time. But if you are still searching for that trust factor, than I hope that the above tips will help guide you in your quest. And remember...

"Self-trust is the first secret of success." (Ralph Waldo Emerson)