The second key to building trust is motive. “We feel people’s motives,” said Cloud. We sense when someone is approaching us with their own agenda as a priority. Yet the Bible tells us, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves.”
The third characteristic of trust is ability. A surgeon can be empathetic and have Cloud’s best interests at heart, but if he or she does not have the necessary skills, there is no way Cloud would allow that person to operate on him.
The final two qualities of trust-building are character and track record. What if Cloud’s potential surgeon has a habit of panicking at the sight of blood or a track record of killing his or her patients? That surgeon would not be a person worth trusting for a knee operation. Regarding track record, Cloud said, “The best predictor of the future is always the past, unless something changes.”
Cloud encouraged leaders to keep these five qualities of trust in mind because “people are building maps of you based on every interaction.” That does not mean that we cannot overcome failure, but that it is wise to evaluate whether we have a habit of building trust with others.
Cloud recently joined Ed Stetzer and Daniel Yang on “The Stetzer ChurchLeaders Podcast,” where he elaborated on these five qualities and more. Look for their conversation on the nature of trust to release this September.
