In Practice: Tactics for Building Community Trust

While trust may seem like an abstract concept, through my interviews with local leaders across the country – whom I call “Trust Builders” – I have discovered that there are tactics that many people in a community can use to contribute to a more trusting culture. And that trusting culture translates into more robust economic growth than in places without it. 

My research for Trust Builders: The Key to Thriving Communities revealed that tactics are consistent across leaders whether they are in a rural town, suburb, or major metropolitan area.  They are relatively simple to execute, although doing so requires more courage than capital.  These are daily leadership practices that can be replicated no matter where one is located.

What specifically can you do to improve local trust that results in community progress?  I’ve summarized six trust tactics that consistently surfaced during my interviews:

1. Show up and follow up.  This is the most frequently cited advice shared during my interviews. They do what they say they will and do so in a timely manner. Small gestures like following up with information they promised during a phone call and attending meetings in-person when they say they will reinforce trust with others in their community. Reliability also means that they are a steady influence when they are around others. Showing up means being a stabilizing force. In contrast, failing to meet commitments erodes trust quickly even if relationships are strong to begin with.
    
2. Regularly convene local leaders.  In one form or another, Trust Builders establish a cadence for meeting with other leaders in their community. Whether there is a pressing issue at hand or they meet to simply commune, these leaders adhere to a schedule – for example, weekly, monthly, or quarterly. Convenings include leaders from the public, private, nonprofit, and education sectors – groups that typically involve 10-20 individuals depending on the place and often take place for years even when there are changes in leadership.  In these meetings, they strengthen bonds as well as solve problems, create safe spaces for debate, and adhere to set agendas.  
    
3. Proactively share information. Trustful communities engage in timely and honest conversations. The culture expects that information is readily shared, even when it is negative.  Leaders in these places adopt “no surprises” mindsets. If something new crops up that could impact a local organization, they are alerted before the event takes place. To help, there are deliberate, strategic communications efforts that consider the audience. For example, a weekly email update might be best for one group while social media posts or in-person meetings might work for others.
    
4. Find common ground.  This may feel like a challenging tactic, but the Trust Builders I interviewed offered some variation of this advice. One said that they often start with the question, “Could we all agree that…?”  What is one statement, no matter how basic, that all local stakeholders can agree to? Can we all agree that we want quality education for our children, a healthy community, vibrant neighborhoods, or higher income levels?  Once that common ground is established, then they build it into communications and community vernacular.  Then they proceed into discussions around “how” to achieve that “why?”  (The “how” is where many leaders get tangled.)
    
5. Give others the spotlight.  A quick way to break trust with someone is to take credit for their work. Or even step into the spotlight when someone else believes it’s theirs. For some, this can be a tough tactic to implement, especially when an organization may spend extraordinary effort to bring a community project to fruition, yet another leader might take the podium at the groundbreaking. I asked interviewees to share their approaches to situations like this, and especially, how to maintain team morale when it happens. They discussed how they build humility into their organizational values and celebrate wins in-house even when they aren’t the ones making headline news.
    
6. Focus on long-term outcomes. An important part of trust building is the willingness of leaders to set aside their personal agendas for long-range community outcomes. When you consider local economies that consistently outperform others, often you’ll find that progress has evolved over decades of collaboration. Trust Builders see the long game, they act with integrity and admit mistakes so that momentum can continue. Many work diligently to adhere to a shared community vision and strategy. They also mentor next-generation leaders to ensure the aptitude and passion continues past their tenures.

These tactics are echoed throughout the 31 interview transcripts shared in Part 2 of Trust Builders. 

Self-reflection

As you reflect on this topic, ask yourself the following questions: 

• Which of these six tactics are consistently executed in my own community? What do I do well?
• Which ones need improvement?
• What other essential actions would I add to this list that might be unique to my locale?

Conclusion

This is the second of four articles featuring my research around trust in economic development. The accompanying articles examine the premise of trust as a competitive advantage, traits of leaders who build trust, 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.