The Thin Book of Trust

“It has been twelve years since The Thin Book of ®Trust was first published. In that time, it has found a wonderful audience of coaches, consultants, facilitators, leaders, managers, boards, church congregations, and many others who have used it to strengthen, sustain and sometimes repair trust in their relationships, both in and beyond the workplace.

I have continued to use the framework set out in the book to support my clients as they’ve sought to improve performance, achieve exceptional results and increase well-being by fostering strong trust at work. Along the way I’ve seen countless examples of the significant role trust plays in our work lives. Trust by itself is not sufficient to produce exceptional results, but it is a necessary condition. I’ve become even more convinced than ever that trust is foundational for success and satisfaction at work. With strong trust, people, teams and companies can fully leverage their strengths to thrive in today’s complex business environment.

I’ve also learned more about how trust works at the micro level, in the daily interactions between people. In her book Dare to Lead, Brené Brown says, “trust is earned in the small moments.”1 This is something exceptional trust-builders understand implicitly. Every conversation – in person, by phone, video, email or text – is an opportunity to strengthen trust in a work relationship. But those daily interactions can also damage or even completely destroy trust. This book helps you become more aware of the impact of what you say and do.

The Thin Book of ®Trust offers a framework that supports trust building as a workplace competency. It is based on the idea that building trust is a competency, a set of skills that can be learned, improved and practiced. It will help you continuously improve your ability to build and maintain trust with others. It can also help you create and contribute to a high trust culture at work. In this new edition you will find more clarifications, ideas to practice, and other additions including a new chapter on how to build trust on a team.

Whether you lead others, contribute individually, or serve as a coach, consultant, facilitator, HR or OD professional, your ability to generate and sustain strong trust is critical to the success and well-being of your enterprise. It is my hope this new edition serves you well in becoming an exceptional trust-builder.

— Charles Feltman, January 2021