By Amy Holloway
Increasing intracommunity trust is possible when local leaders take intentional steps to do so. Tactics like regularly convening with others, proactively sharing information (even bad news), and simply following through on promises, are proven to form bonds that help accelerate economic and community development. These tactics are explained in more detail in the second article in this series and in Trust Builders: The Key to Thriving Communities.
These tactical steps are even more impactful when leaders pair them with their own personality characteristics. My interviews with thirty-one local leaders across the country revealed that individuals who excel at building trust share at least one of eight traits. These Trust Strengths, either intrinsic to the individual or earned through practice, help them build bridges and engage with other leaders in more meaningful ways. They are also strengths that many people already possess, but they may have never viewed or applied them through this lens. They include active listening, authenticity, competency, empathy, integrity, reliability, respecting differences, and transparency. I explore each one and how they show up in action below.
Trust strengths
Active listening
When he was CEO of the Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce, Harvey Schmitt would host the mayor, city manager, county commission chair, county manager, superintendent, visitor’s bureau, downtown alliance, airport director, and others in his conference room on the first Friday of every month. Each person was given time to provide an update or air grievances. During our interview, Harvey described those meetings as safe havens where people with differences could connect. Regularly scheduled meetings continued for years, even when leaders in those partner organizations changed.
This is an example of active listening at work. As a leader, Harvey employed his listening skills to foster trust. Trust was nurtured because he and other Greater Raleigh leaders dedicated time to be wholly present with one another. I could argue that the region’s continued economic growth can be partly attributed to their commitment to listening to each other, which enabled them to work more closely together on community projects.
Authenticity
Leaders with this Trust Strength are completely themselves, whether they are at work or home. They are honest with others about their beliefs. Authenticity signals that they are consistent between their actions, values, and words. Trust grows because people know that they are the same in action as when they aren't present.
In my interviews, authenticity showed up in numerous ways – the way someone dresses or communicates, invites people into their homes, or says “I don’t know” when they don’t have an answer. One Trust Builder, Ed Gardner with Entergy Mississippi, said that he loves to travel in his free time. He brings that spirit to his work by frequently leaving his office to meet people in their own communities. People he works with know he is adventuresome, so they don’t expect his work life to involve sitting behind his desk all day. Another interviewee, Meera Raja with P33 in Chicago, said that her background is in science and that her style of asking many questions reflects a scientific process. She reminds people of that so that they know she’s not being critical, just curious.
Competency
Leaders who are highly competent in a specific topic or skillset build trust because others feel confident that their decisions are informed and credible. Trust Builders with this skill are often the “go-to person,” particularly in times of crisis. Several leaders I interviewed remarked that competency might be the earliest Trust Strength that one develops in their careers and that is also helps to quickly foster trust when someone is new to a community or role.
For example, John Hull, who leads the Roanoke Regional Partnership, served as research director of his organization before stepping into the CEO position. He described how he “had a long runway to exhibit and display technical ability.” Area leaders already had experience working with him and observed him to have an “objective voice, providing truth, by way of data.” People knew that he was honest and objective, and that strengthened trust.
Empathy
Adam Knapp, CEO of Leaders for a Better Louisiana, shared how empathy is a critical skill for building trust. During our interview, he said, “empathy is critical to connecting with people and building relationships, and that is key to what economic developers do.”
Leaders who are empaths deeply understand others, sensing their emotions, and feeling compassion. Empathy signals that they care about people and their perspectives. Trust grows when people feel more connected to them because they strive to understand them as human beings. In action, this Trust Strength is valuable in helping leaders find common ground and bring people together. I have also observed that leaders with this trait tend to care even more deeply about the well-being of their communities. They form close bonds with others and will go to incredible lengths to support them.
Integrity
Integrity is one of the cornerstones of being a trusted local leader. Integrity signals to others that a leader’s actions align with their values. Trust grows because people know that leader will not trade long-term community impact for short-term, personal gain.
I can say that every leader I interviewed for Trust Builders exhibits integrity as a trait. They often model long-game thinking and intentionally hire team members who also operate with integrity. The optimist in me hopes that integrity is part of the character of everyone in a community leadership role. (Without editorializing, I recognize that this is not always the case. Perhaps that is a topic for a future article on trust breaking.)
I particularly like the way Chris Fraser, a businessperson and volunteer leader in South Carolina who I interviewed for Trust Builders, described how integrity plays out in practice. “I’m in the commercial real estate business. Integrity means that I’m willing to advise a client not to buy a property even if it costs me money in the moment. If I wanted to sell it to them without any thought of responsibility for what happens, my integrity would be at risk, and I would break trust. That’s a big price to pay in the long run.”
Reliability
This trait closely accompanies the Trust Tactic of showing up and following through on promises. As I say in the article In Practice: Tactics for Building Community Trust, I was surprised at how frequently those I interviewed discussed the importance of this seemingly simple characteristic.
Leaders with reliability as a strength dependably follow through on their commitments. Reliability signals to others that they will do what they say they will do. Trust grows because they are dependable even under pressure.
Debra Teufel, who leads the Hutchinson/Reno County Chamber of Commerce in Hutchinson, Kansas, discussed reliability this way: “We've all been in situations where someone who's extraordinarily talented only participates part of the time. It doesn't matter how brilliant they are; people start to lose trust in them because they aren't consistent.”
Respecting differences
These Trust Builders actively seek out people who aren't like themselves, and they are genuinely curious about others’ viewpoints. Respecting differences signals that they are collaborative. Trust grows because they open the table to other perspectives and are thorough in considering ideas that might challenge the status quo.
This might be one of the more challenging Trust Strengths to attain. I have observed that it can feel far easier (and faster in the short-term) to engage with other leaders and groups who are like-minded.
But Trust Builders with this as a strength have discovered more creative solutions to community problems and have had greater sustained impact, especially in places where trust has been systemically broken. As Tania Manesse, CEO of Cleveland Neighborhood Progress, said during our interview, leadership is “literally showing up” and meeting people where they are. She said that progress can take more time because they are starting from a different place, and that builds trust by being there time and time again to listen.
Transparency
How many times has a community’s progress been hindered because someone failed to share information in a timely manner? Proactively communicating and being upfront with others builds trust. Transparency signals to others that these leaders are honest. Trust grows because others know they communicate with candor, their motives are clear, and they don't obscure information even when it may be difficult to hear.
Stephen Causby described the importance of transparency in his role at Park Pride in Atlanta. “Have a regular timing for correspondence with stakeholders. If a building is going to be demolished, make sure the neighbors aren’t surprised when they see the bulldozer.” Whether it is a bulldozer physically moving earth or a new public policy is enacted that has implications for a segment of local population, transparent leaders make sure those who will be impacted are aware of the change before it happens.
Putting trust strengths into action
Identifying your top strength and recognizing how powerful it can be in connecting with other local leaders is a starting point for building trust in your community. It may also be a conversation starter for empowering your own team and board members. Perhaps as a leader you are highly competent, but you don’t always actively seek differing opinions. Or maybe you are in a community where local leaders reliably show up to meetings, but they don’t actively listen to one another. Could intracommunity trust be strengthened if those dynamics were acknowledged? What if local leaders, their staff, board members, and local partners individually improved skills in one or more of the Trust Strengths? Could a stronger community culture of trust evolve?
While this may seem easy in writing, the reality can be complex and psychological. These personality traits may be at work beyond just intracommunity relationships and show up within organizational management and personal relationships, too. Naming them in this article is admittedly easier than putting them into action.
I recommend focusing on one’s strengths versus weaknesses. For example, “I am an empathetic person, and I see that I can concentrate that empathy in my interactions with other local leaders to make progress happen.” Or “I am good at listening wholeheartedly to others, and I need to convene leaders more frequently to hear from them.” Even more impactful action is possible when someone pairs their Trust Strength with one of the tactics described in the article In Practice: Tactics for Building Community Trust. As one interviewee stated, “many of us think of ourselves as trustworthy, but effecting transformative community change requires us to be Trust Builders.” It starts with putting your innate talents to work, which starts with the eight traits described above.
Self-reflection
As you reflect on this topic, ask yourself the following questions:
- What is my top Trust Strength and how does that come into play within my community? (If you would like assistance homing in on your strength, you can take the online Trust Strengths assessment that I recently developed that is available at the book website.)
- How can I use this strength now to bolster trust with another local leader?
- Is there a strength I could improve upon, and what steps would I take to do so? What difference could that make in my community?
Conclusion
This is the third of four articles featuring my research around trust in economic development. The accompanying articles examine the premise of trust as a competitive advantage, tactics to build trust with other local leaders, and finally, how government policies impact trust. I hope that this series provides you with clear actions to strengthen trust and, most of all, inspiration to translate trust into greater prosperity where you live.
