How Trust Shapes Company Culture: The Power of Character, Competence, and Clarity
What is ‘TRUST’?
We often use common words without truly understanding their deeper meaning. These words become more accessible when we juxtapose them with other familiar terms. For instance, how do we relate ‘trust’ to ‘performance,’ ‘results,’ ‘competence,’ or a person’s ‘character’?
Despite our frequent use of these words, we may struggle to comprehend their interconnections and the ways they influence each other. Consider the following questions: ‘how do we build trust,’ and ‘how does trust connect to a company’s culture’? You can see that we are dealing with a complex web of elements here, and often, we do not fully understand these interconnections.
To trust someone, two factors are crucial: Character and Competence.
1. Character — This represents a person’s attributes, such as honesty, reliability, and loyalty.
2. Competence — This refers to a person’s proficiency or mastery in a certain skill or area.
When do we “TRUST” a doctor?
Consider two scenarios: A skilled surgeon recommends unnecessary heart surgery, or a noble but incompetent doctor offers poor medical advice at no charge. You likely wouldn’t choose either, right?
Trust stems from a balance of Character and Competence. Pure character or sheer competence alone does not engender trust.
We often trust those who exhibit both competence and character. But how does progress or output occur in these situations? That’s where the third C, Clarity, comes into play, as coined by Suresh.
3. Clarity is the ‘Ability to see’ or understand the problem statement or the requirements. On the other hand, Competence is the ‘Ability to do’.
When you combine these three C’s — clarity, competence, and character — you start making progress in one direction. That is precisely what a good company aims to create, leading to the 4th C: Culture.
4. Culture is about creating an environment where great people with remarkable character, phenomenal competence, and good clarity work together to foster a cohesive, happy, progressive, and friendly culture.
Suresh eloquently explains the elusive concept of Trust in this straightforward manner. If you wish to delve further into his insights, feel free to watch his video.
