Building Trust One Weakness at a Time

You know the guy.
The one who always has an opinion.
An answer.
A comeback.
Unsolicited advice.
The “I know what I am talking about and I am right” attitude.

My bet is you aren’t friends.
Unless you are that guy.

And why aren’t you friends?
Because friendship requires trust.
And people don’t trust self-proclaimed-know-it-alls.

It’s that simple.

The more answers someone claims to have, the less we believe any of them.

Because nobody is right about everything.
And when someone acts like they are, we stop trusting their judgment even on the things they may be right about.

Real expertise is narrow.
So when someone appears to have a continual, inexhaustible supply of it, that is actually a sign that they have stopped checking their own limits.

And that is a real trust killer.

Showing our weaknesses seems counterintuitive to building trust.
Yet it expresses all the best trust builders!
Honesty.
Self-awareness.
Humility.

Trust makes relationships stronger.
Trust makes businesses more successful.
Trust makes communities more joyful.

Let’s be more real.
Because being real creates trust.
Not being right.

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Brenda is a believer in impossible possibilities. In brokenness becoming beautiful. In justice and mercy and honor and power – with love perfecting them all. She is a wife, mom, mimi, daughter, and friend who also enjoys speaking, writing, and coaching.