Trust: What is your Definition?

I recently read Justin Patton’s new book “Your Road to Yes!” that addresses the issue of trust. 

For a copy of the book go HERE.


My definition of trust is very simple.  Tell the truth and do what you say you’re going to do.


The book goes deeper into the building of trust and how to repair trust if it is broken.


Justin’s definition is “the unwavering belief that you will have my back and I will have yours.”  To me, that sounds like a version of my definition, albeit using different words.


While I don’t want to detail every chapter of the book, he touches on trust won, lost, and how to get it back once you’ve lost it.


What a great read and thank you Justin for being part of the IOM faculty family.


For more information on Justin Patton go HERE and to purchase his book go HERE.

Your Road to Yes! How the Best Leaders Create a Culture of Trust & Belonging

Justin Patton, President and CEO, Justin Patton, LLC, is one of my favorite presenters and this blog post are based on my notes from his session at the recent ACCE Annual Meeting in Indianapolis.

He started by asking the question “What is Trust?”  The unwavering belief that you are going to have my back.

Trust is money.  Not time is money!  Trust is your biggest competitive advantage.

When you have trust you have:

  • Candor
  • Security
  • Productivity
  • Engagement
  • Loyalty
  • Opportunity

Trust is what keeps people coming back!

Trust is about:

  • Transparency – do you take people with you along the journey?
  • Emotions - I feel, Thoughts - I believe, Decisions - the reason I/we
  • Tact – do we create a safe space for people to open up?
  • Togetherness – do you take people feel less alone in the world?

The toxic five that ruins a culture:

  • Disrespectful
  • Non-inclusive
  • Unethical
  • Cutthroat
  • Abusive

Emotional Bank Account

  • Put empathy before information
  • The best leaders communicate to build trust!
  • “Trust is built in the doing.  One yes at a time!”

For me, trust is about telling the truth and doing what you said you were going to do.  To me, it’s that simple!

For more information on Justin Patton go HERE and for a copy of his book Your Road to Yes! go HERE.