Trust: The currency more important than money.
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By Adi
Solution Architect and Founder of ARC
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Hello and welcome to all new and old subscribers of ARC’s Leadership Campfire.
Today we will talk about Trust: The currency more important than money.
Specifically, we’ll cover:
- How trust, once broken, impacts relationships and brands.
- What makes someone (or an organisation) trustworthy?
- A practical framework, ‘The Trust Equation’, to build and rebuild trust.
Let's get into it.
June, 2015
For decades, Maggi wasn’t just a snack, it was nostalgia.
Hostel nights, rushed lunches, rainy evenings… a warm yellow packet was part of every Indian’s life.
Then the news hit.
Tests by food safety authorities revealed that Maggi noodles contain lead — and not just a little, but levels above what was deemed safe for consumption.
Whatever it was— rumours, facts, bans or just news reports— it spread like wildfire.
Within weeks, shelves across India were empty.
Overnight, Maggi went from “comfort food” to “cautionary tale.”
It wasn’t just about food safety.
It was about broken trust.
Mothers who once fed it to their children felt betrayed.
Youngsters who once boiled it between exams felt angry.
The betrayal cut deeper than just a product, it touched memories.
What followed?
Over the next months and years, Nestlé India worked quietly:
- They ran extensive new lab tests publicly.
- They engaged food safety experts transparently.
- They communicated more carefully, humanely.
- They brought back Maggi not with loud ads, but by messages about credibility, reliability and familiarity all with the focus on the consumer.
Not because people forgot the breach.
But because Nestlé showed, over time, that they were willing to earn trust back the hard way.
Today, Maggi is once again a comfort food for millions.
Why is being trustworthy important?
Trust is the foundation of every meaningful relationship— professional, personal, or social.
When people trust you, they are willing to take risks for you, open up to you, and work with you even when times get tough.
Trust accelerates decision-making,
it deepens loyalty,
and strengthens collaboration.
And while money can buy compliance, only trust buys commitment.
Which brings us to an important question: How is trust built?
The Trust Equation
In the book The Trusted Advisor by Robert M. Galford, Charles Green, and David Maister, a simple but powerful model is shared to understand and build trust:
Trustworthiness = (Credibility × Reliability × Intimacy) ÷ Self-Orientation
Being trustworthy is only one side of building a professional relationship. The other side is the ability to trust others. In every relationship, one party takes the risk of trusting, while the other may or may not prove to be trustworthy.
In this edition, we’ll focus on the first half: developing trustworthiness.
Each component plays a crucial role:
According to Cowley and Purse, “The trust equation suggests that the degree to which we are trusted by others is a function of four factors, three of which contribute positively towards how well we are trusted, and one negatively.”
1. Credibility
Credibility is about what we say: our words, our knowledge, and our expertise.
Can we back up our claims with real experience and understanding?
Do we express ourselves with confidence and honesty?
One can increase your credibility by:
- Building expertise in your field.
- Being honest about the limits of your knowledge.
- Speaking with clarity and humility.
- Resisting the temptation to comment outside your domain.
Example:
Imagine introducing myself as an Applied Behaviouralist, a Facilitator with over 20 years of experience, a Jungian Psychologist, an OD Consultant, and the first employee of a decade-old firm with over 25 members.
If I then write an article on how cultures shape organisations, my credibility supports your willingness to trust my perspective.
But credibility alone isn’t enough.
Words must meet action. That brings us to the next point.
2. Reliability
Reliability is about what we do: our actions and follow-through.
Do we do what we said we would do?
Do we deliver when we said we would, and at the quality we promised?
One can increase your reliability by:
- Following through on commitments, no matter how small.
- Being careful and realistic when making promises.
- Learning to say no when you aren’t sure you can deliver.
Interestingly, becoming more reliable often isn’t about doing more. It’s about committing to less but delivering on it fully.
Reliability builds slowly but sticks firmly.
3. Intimacy
Intimacy is about emotional security.
It’s the feeling that someone can share sensitive information with you without fear.
It’s built through empathy, vulnerability, and emotional intelligence.
You inculcate intimacy when:
- You listen without judgment.
- You acknowledge emotions.
- You create spaces where others feel seen and heard.
Unlike credibility and reliability, intimacy is harder to measure but often more deeply felt.
Self-Orientation
All the above factors are divided by the denominator of self-orientation.
Self-orientation is about where your focus lies.
- High self-orientation = Low trustworthiness.
- Low self-orientation = High trustworthiness.
If you are constantly thinking about your gain, recognition, or agenda, others will sense it, no matter how polished your words or consistent your actions.
Trustworthy people:
- Focus on others’ needs.
- Show curiosity about others’ perspectives.
- Step back from their own ego.
Example:
When a consultant enters a client meeting, do they immediately launch into their planned presentation?
Or do they pause first, asking the client how they’re doing, whether anything urgent has come up, and if the agenda still matches their current needs?
Small behaviours, big signals.
Final Thoughts
Trust is built one action at a time, and it can be lost in one moment.
But it’s also a renewable resource — with intention, consistency, and care, it can be rebuilt.
At an individual level and at an organisational level, trust remains the most valuable currency we hold.
Because in the long run, People don’t remember what you said.
They remember how you made them feel.
Take some time out and ask yourself this question:
When was the last time you honoured someone's trust, and how did it make both parties feel?
Ahh! That was a long one. If you want to continue this conversation, just hit 'Reply' and I will personally reply to your emails :)
After all, it is a Leadership Campfire where conversations should flow naturally.
Until next time,
Trust and be trusted,
Adi.
PS: It seems even instant noodles have a lesson to teach us about the long game of trust and relationships :) Who knew?