Forever Skills

8Trust

Your reputation is not what you say about yourself. It is what other people say when you’re not in the room.

In a New York Times interview published in April of 2016, Tobias Lütke, CEO of Shopify, describes a metaphor they use within the organisation to measure the level of trust that exists between team members. They call it a ‘trust battery’.

It represents something that we’re all familiar with but we may not always be consciously aware of or know how to describe or create: trust.

Tobias outlines the process like this: When you start work at the organisation your trust battery has a 50 per cent charge. Then, over time, the battery either gains or loses charge based on the interactions you have with other team members. Have you lived up to your word and worked efficiently and harmoniously with other members of the team?

Essentially, it gives the Shopify team a shared language and visual metaphor that allows them to discuss what human beings do intuitively in a highly practical and easily relatable way.

It’s a modern expression of a skill that has always been important. Trust solidifies our personal relationships, drives sales in our businesses and elevates our standing in our communities.

Ultimately, trust is informed by and maintains our reputation. Are we a trusted authority in our field? Someone who is count-on-able in our team? Are we the ‘go to’ expert others rely on when push comes to shove?

Trust is also a rather fragile thing, slow to earn and quick to lose. ...