Trust?

Trust is critical to optimal collaboration, yet trust is often compromised for many reasons. A lack of communication, transparency, honesty, commitment, good process, consistency, and time all challenge trust.

When trust does not exist, it's difficult for people to express who they are, share their truth, open up, and work with depth. A lack of trust leads to surface work, and surface work often does not reach the potential possible.

We all engender trust and I expect that we all contribute to a lack of trust at times too. When we assess our practice, we can ask these questions with regard to building a culture of trust.

• Do you share important information regularly?
• Are you consistent?
• Do you communicate with transparency and honesty?
• Do you understand the mission of your work, and do you commit to that mission?
• Do you foster good process?
• Are you a listener?
• Do you support those you work with and for?
• Do your words match your actions?

Teaching well calls forth the best of us, and when we're willing to reach in and out to meet that call, students benefit.