Thread by @ryan_caldbeck

1/ I recently learned a way of framing trust – I don’t know who originally created this equation but I learned separately from @jorgestubbs and LifeLabs.

Trust = Credibility x Reliability x Vulnerability

Let’s talk about components of equation and I’ll explain why I love it.

2/ First- the variables are multiplied. Not a mistake. Implies a few things including that if any are absent, trust is impossible. For example, if you have Credibility and Vulnerability in a relationship, but not Reliability, trust won’t occur.

Lets go through each variable.

3/ Credibility- Is Person X able to do what they say? Does X have the experience, skills, qualities necessary to follow through on what she says she can do?

4/ Someone gains Credibility with me when they are ABLE to deliver on a project/task. I start with baseline assumption about Credibility- based on a combo of experience, intelligence, work ethic. More effectively they can deliver on what they say, the more Credibility w/ me.

5/ Reliability- WILL Person X follow through on what they say? Is the person dependable? They may have the ability to follow through (Credibility) but will they actually follow through (Reliability)?

6/ Ways I gain confidence in someone’s Reliability: Email/Slack responsiveness, managing expectations appropriately, showing up to meetings/calls on time, operating within the agreed upon roadmap or framework (i.e. OKRs).

7/ Vulnerability (also called Sincerity or Intimacy)- Do I feel comfortable entrusting a project with you? You could say “I can trust Person X with something sensitive because she understands me.”

8/ Do I feel comfortable being Vulnerable with Person X and will that person be Vulnerable with me? Will the person expose weaknesses?

9/ Can I feel confident that if I turn to Person X with a hard question, they feel comfortable saying “I don’t know” rather than trying to make up an answer? This is an ability to show weakness and build Vulnerability.

10/ Vulnerability for me is also being able to share fears, hopes, passion with someone. Familiarity, sincerity, unguarded. I’ve found the best relationships are those where the people can talk appropriately about their fears and weaknesses openly- with the hope to grow together

11/ In my career I’ve seen cases where I have developed 2 of the 3 variables with someone, but can’t build the full trust. I’ll lay out some examples.

12/ Ex: Teammate that is brilliant and experienced- can deliver on what she says (Credible). Able to talk about her fears, take/give feedback well, etc (Vulnerable). However, she often misses deadlines, goes MIA during critical times. She isn’t Reliable thus can’t build trust.

13/ Ex: VC that has great experience and is able to deliver on what he says (Credibility). He manages expectations and follows through- he is Reliable. But he is seemingly blind to his weaknesses- or certainly wont talk about them with others (Vulnerable). Can’t build real trust

14/ What I love about this framework is that it helps to dramatically deepen the conversation. Saying “I don’t trust Person X” stifles the conversation. It suddenly makes it hard to even engage on why.

15/ Perhaps if I ask you why you don’t trust them, then implicitly I am missing some integrity red flag? Now maybe I shouldn't be trusted because I couldn't see clearly why you don't find them trustworthy.

“I don’t trust Person X” is a bomb that is hard to come back from.

16/ But the framework above allows us to pinpoint what actions could be contributing to a lack of trust. Ex: By diagnosing that a person’s lack of appropriate Vulnerability is causing you to not trust them – now you can focus the conversation on that topic- and identify solutions

17/ The framework allows all sides to more constructively drive to solutions and build trust with our teammates, partners, investors, colleagues, etc that we all want.

18/ With some reasonable self-reflection, and perhaps input from feedback sessions, we can also identify ways that we ourselves are building/undermining trust with others.