In this episode of Transform Your Workplace, Charles Feltman dives into the essential role trust plays in workplace success and well-being. From building trust in small moments to repairing breaches through honest conversations, insights from his book, The Thin Book of Trust, can help listeners strengthen relationships, enhance productivity, and foster a positive workplace culture. Tune in to the full episode and discover practical strategies for building a solid foundation of trust.
GUEST AT A GLANCE
For over 25 years, Charles Feltman has coached leaders and teams, delivered leadership development programs, and spoken globally on building trust as a foundation for workplace success and well-being. He is the author of The Thin Book of Trust: An Essential Primer for Building Trust at Work.
A QUICK GLIMPSE INTO OUR PODCAST
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🎙️ Host: Brandon Laws
📋 In his own words: “The Transform Your Workplace podcast is your go-to source for the latest workplace trends, big ideas, and time-tested methods straight from the mouths of industry experts and respected thought-leaders.”
BEHIND THE BOOK
Charles Feltman’s experiences in various workplaces shaped his passion for writing The Thin Book of Trust. He’s seen firsthand how strong trust can fuel productivity and well-being, while a lack of trust can derail both. These contrasting experiences inspired him to share practical insights that help individuals and organizations build a solid foundation of trust.
In the book, Charles introduces a framework he’s successfully used with clients for years, offering clear distinctions and actionable strategies. By putting this knowledge into a concise, accessible book, he hopes to reach more people than he ever could through one-on-one coaching or team workshops.
PODCAST EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS
Trust and Vulnerability
“When we trust someone, we’re, in effect, giving them some amount of control over something that’s important to us, something we value. Let’s just say I’ve done some work on something, and I think it’s really good work. I share it with a colleague, or, sometimes a bigger issue is when I share it with my boss. In doing so, I’m assuming that my boss is going to give me credit for it. In places where I would like to have credit for it—such as when my boss talks to their boss and peers about it but presents it as if it’s their work—that’s an example of someone not taking care of or being considerate of what I value. They have, in a way, damaged what I value in this situation, and I have no control over that other than asking them not to do it.”
Stacking Trust Over Time
“We go through our work lives together, risking smaller things, and eventually, we get to the point where we feel like we can risk larger things — things that are more important to us, things we feel more vulnerable about.”
It’s the Little Things
“Generally, I think, just as trust is built in small moments, it can also be damaged in small ways. If the foundation of trust is strong in the first place and the people involved are willing to confront it and say, ‘What’s going on? You did this, and I see that as kind of untrustworthy. Tell me about it — what was going on for you?’ and have a conversation about it, the purpose of which is to restore trust, then those smaller things — and even sometimes pretty big breaches or betrayals — can actually be repaired fairly quickly. In fact, if handled well, the trust between those people can even be strengthened.”
Good Intentions
“I want to step back and define what I mean by ‘care’ in this sense. It’s the assessment that I can trust you to have my interests in mind as well as your own. It doesn’t mean I expect you to put my interests above yours, but that you consider my interests alongside yours when making decisions and taking action — that you’re thinking about me. It also means you intend good for me when you act, coming from a place of good intention. Now, that doesn’t always work out that way in practice, but at least your actions are guided by the intention of doing good for me.”
Walking the Talk
“Sincerity is a really important one because, for me, it’s a combination of honesty and integrity. That is to say, when you tell me something, I can believe it. I don’t have to fact-check you because you’ve already fact-checked yourself, and what you’re telling me is true to the best of your knowledge. It also means you act with integrity. When you say something, you follow it up with actions that support it and avoid doing things that would contradict it.”
The Follow-Through
“[Reliability] is very specifically about keeping the commitments you make to other people. If I say, ‘Okay, Brandon, I’m going to show up at two o’clock on the 4th of November and be ready to do a podcast episode with you,’ then I do it. I’m there at two o’clock, I have the equipment you asked me to have, and I’m ready to jump in and have the conversation. If I don’t show up, show up 15 minutes late, or show up unprepared — maybe my tech isn’t ready, or I haven’t really thought much about it — then I’m not meeting the commitment I made to you. This may seem like a straightforward thing, but it’s one of the ways people constantly undermine how others perceive their trustworthiness.”
The Importance of Competence
“It happens all the time on teams where some people judge others as not sufficiently competent, but they haven’t clearly determined the standards they’re holding each other to. Then there’s the piece about being honest about what you can and can’t do.”
LEARN MORE
Grab your copy of The Thin Book of Trust on Amazon or wherever books are sold. To dive deeper into the topics we’ve covered above, visit Charles Feltman’s website at insightcoaching.com or connect with him on LinkedIn.