Chapter 20

BUILDING TRUST ON PURPOSE

Character is like a tree and reputation like a shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing.

—ABRAHAM LINCOLN

Trust is an outcome, not an event. Trust may form or fail to form out of our experiences (for example, “he was late three times in a row, so I don’t trust he’ll be on time for dinner”), or we may trust unknown others through reference trust (for example, “my best friend trusts this doctor, so I’ll give her a try”), or sometimes we find it necessary to use “blind trust” (for example, “my car broke down while I was on vacation, and I have to trust the closest repair shop to fix it”). Trustworthiness for any of us depends on the degree of confidence others have in both our character ...

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