Big Think video | Developing high-trust organizations: Four principles for creating a climate where trust can thrive with Joel Peterson, Chairman, JetBlue Airways, and Author, The 10 Laws of Trust

If one word could sum up the basis of trust, ‘respect’ would be a good candidate. When people are treated with respect, they tend to become their best selves. They become more trustworthy and, in turn, more likely to build trusting relationships with others. But respect isn’t simply a matter of letting people be or treating them with superficial kindness. It’s a practice that relies on empathy, honesty, and a willingness when necessary to have difficult conversations.

Positive always beats negative

• People tend to be sensitive to negative feedback. Offer positive feedback first in order to set up a piece of negative feedback. This can allow a person to work on feedback without feeling overwhelmed.
• Find people who are approximating good, productive behavior and recognize them. Recognition is a powerful motivator—often more so than titles or money.
  
  

Respect is a high-yield investment

• Anytime you feel respected, you’re more likely to perform.
• Everybody wants to be a respected member of a winning team doing something meaningful.
• We’re respected when our ideas are taken seriously and people listen to us without agenda.
  
  

Showing respect isn’t the same as being nice

• Having difficult conversations is crucial for building trust.
• Give direct, clear, specific feedback. When we sugarcoat communication the message can get lost. When we tell people the truth, we’re actually being kind.
  
  

Tolerating disrespect allows it to spread

• When employees hear disrespectful comments about others that go unchallenged, they assume that people also speak poorly of them when they’re not there.
• When disrespect is allowed, it tends to multiply and sow the seeds of low trust. As a leader, don’t allow disrespectful comments.