Growing up in the Northeast, my dad would constantly indoctrinate me on the subject of trust. ‘Make people earn your trust!’ he would constantly say. For the first 18 years of my life, that was the mantra and growing up just outside of Boston, it served me well. Then came my undergraduate experience at a decent sized Midwestern University. The approach on trust there was much different. After about six months of being almost stand-offish with my very friendly new classmates, I learned that the general philosophy on trust in that part of the country was: Trust people until they give you reason not to. Both philosophies make sense and both work, but they are obviously very different approaches.

 

In relationships, trust is rule one. When someone asks me my definition, I always reply, “Trust is simply consistently doing what you say you are going to do.” A more textbook definition is along the line of: Trust is a belief by someone else that you are honest, good, reliable and effective. Studies show that when someone trusts an individual or organization, it takes 21 days of consistently breaking that trust for them to lose it. The exact opposite is true when someone does not trust someone or something. It will take 21 days of consistently building trust for them to have a change of heart.

 

Trust is extremely important when it comes to patient care outcomes. When you earn a patient’s trust, they will generally give your organization the benefit of the doubt should something not be perfect. If you want to have stronger relationships between your organization and the patients you serve, train and lead your teams to constantly develop and build trust. Simple things like keeping promises, listening, being kind and courteous, and setting clear expectations go a long way in getting patients to believe in you. Do the opposite and trust will erode as quickly as your patient satisfaction scores. Get your team great at building trust, and your entire organization will benefit