We often talk about trust as if it is an optional luxury. Yet what we know from research is that trust is foundational. Without it work strains, people withdraw, and organisational life becomes more costly emotionally and financially. Several models try to map trust: psychological safety (Edmondson, 1999; Edmondson, 2019), social exchange theory, and the Five Behaviors model (Lencioni, 2002). Each offers insight. The Reina Trust Model stands apart because it offers three observable and actionable dimensions: character, communication, and capability. These allow leaders and teams to see in real time where trust is strong and where it is fraying (Reina & Reina, 2006).

Data confirms that low or weak trust is not benign. According to How to Build a High-Trust Workplace (MIT Sloan Management Review, 2023), employees who trust their leaders are 260 percent more motivated, have 41 percent lower absenteeism, and are 50 percent less likely to look for another job. Yet roughly one in four workers report that they do not trust their employer, a mismatch that is both large and costly.

In The Neuroscience of Trust (Zak, 2017), people in high-trust organisations were found to experience far better wellbeing and performance: less stress, more energy at work, higher productivity, greater loyalty, and stronger collaboration.

When trust is missing, everything gets harder. Communication becomes guarded, mistakes are hidden, and people stop volunteering ideas. It is harder to change course, to innovate, to stay resilient. Yet when trust is present, the opposite happens: people show up, lean in, and collaboration becomes possible. Trust is not a “nice to have.” It is a measurable driver of outcomes: engagement, retention, wellbeing, innovation.

What most leaders lack are models that are both rigorous and practical. The Reina model offers both. It invites us to choose what to strengthen, to make small changes that accumulate over time (Reina & Reina, 2006).

The three dimensions of trust

Trust is not a mystery. It is built in visible, everyday ways. The Reina model describes trust in three dimensions: character, communication, and capability (Reina & Reina, 2006). They are not abstract concepts but lived experiences that shape how people work together. If one dimension is weak, the whole relationship feels less steady. When all three are strong, trust becomes the climate in which collaboration thrives.

Trust of Character is the foundation. It is about whether we can count on each other to do what we say, to manage expectations honestly, and to stay consistent. This does not mean being perfect. It means being open about what we can and cannot deliver, and having the courage to renegotiate when circumstances change. When trust of character is strong, people do not waste energy second guessing each other. They know where they stand.

Trust of Communication brings honesty and openness into the relationship. It is about whether we can share information freely, admit mistakes, give feedback respectfully, and speak with good purpose. It is tested most in times of tension, when telling the truth feels risky. When communication trust is present, candour is not a gamble but the norm. People feel safe to say what needs to be said, and to know it will be heard with respect.

Trust of Capability honours the gifts and potential of others. It is about whether we recognise skills, respect judgement, invite input, and support growth. When capability is trusted, people feel valued for more than compliance. They step forward with confidence, ready to contribute and to learn. Without it, they shrink back, their ideas unheard and their strengths unused.

Taken together, these three dimensions form the braid of trust. They are distinct but inseparable. To neglect one is to weaken them all. To strengthen even one is to give people more confidence that they are safe, respected, and able to do their best work.

Reflect on; Which of these three dimensions feels strongest in your team today, and which most needs attention?

Trust of character: reliability and boundaries

Trust of character is the foundation stone of all trust. It speaks to whether we can rely on one another’s word and intentions. When character is strong, people feel they do not need to second guess commitments or worry about hidden agendas. When it is weak, uncertainty fills the gaps: deadlines slip, assumptions go unspoken, and frustration grows. This trust is built not through grand declarations, but through the ordinary habits of how we show up day after day.

Manage expectations: Trust of character begins with clarity. People feel respected when expectations are named and agreed upfront, not assumed or left vague. When we manage expectations well, others know what to count on and what not to. Left unmanaged, expectations become silent contracts waiting to be broken,

Establish boundaries: Healthy trust requires knowing where one person’s role or responsibility ends and another’s begins. Establishing boundaries is not about withholding but about being honest about limits in time, energy, and authority. Boundaries signal self respect and make collaboration more dependable.

Delegate appropriately: Delegation is more than handing off tasks; it is an expression of trust. Appropriate delegation means matching responsibility to readiness and giving others space to succeed. When done poorly, too much control or too little support undermines confidence and creates frustration on both sides.

Encourage mutually serving intentions: Trust grows when intentions are aligned not only to individual goals but to shared benefit. Encouraging mutually serving intentions means being transparent about motives and seeking outcomes that honour everyone involved. It is the antidote to hidden agendas.

Keep agreements: Few actions speak louder than keeping one’s word. Agreements are the everyday currency of trust. When we keep them, whether big or small, we signal reliability. When we cannot, the responsible act is to renegotiate rather than disappear. Trust erodes less from failure than from silence.

Be consistent: Consistency builds a rhythm that others can rely on. It is not about rigidity but about predictability in how we act, speak, and decide. Inconsistent behaviour breeds doubt and forces people to second guess our reliability. Consistency frees others to focus on the work rather than our moods or whims.

Reflect on; Which of these everyday behaviours: expectations, boundaries, delegation, intentions, agreements, or consistency, most needs your attention right now?

Trust of communication: truth telling and transparency

If character is about what we do, communication is about what we say and what we choose not to say. Trust of communication grows when words are aligned with intention and when people feel safe enough to speak honestly. It is tested most in moments of tension: the difficult update, the awkward feedback, the choice between secrecy and disclosure. The practices below are not grand gestures; they are small, everyday choices that either build a climate of candour or push people into silence.

Share information: Trust falters in the dark. Sharing information openly signals respect and inclusion, allowing others to act with full understanding. Withholding, even unintentionally, fuels suspicion and side conversations. People would rather hear incomplete news than be left guessing.

Tell the truth: Truth is the bedrock of communication trust. It is tempting to soften, spin, or delay uncomfortable messages, but half truths erode confidence more than hard realities. Telling the truth does not mean being harsh; it means speaking plainly and with care.

Admit mistakes: Acknowledging mistakes quickly turns potential breaches of trust into opportunities for repair. Admitting errors signals humility and creates space for others to do the same. Pretending nothing went wrong or blaming circumstances usually costs more than the mistake itself.

Give and receive constructive feedback: Feedback is one of the purest acts of respect: it says, I believe you can grow and I care enough to help you do so. Receiving feedback with openness deepens the trust cycle. Both giving and receiving well require courage and restraint—honesty without cruelty, listening without defensiveness.

Maintain confidentiality: When people entrust us with sensitive information, how we handle it becomes a test of character. Keeping confidences builds safety; breaking them, even in small ways, spreads caution like wildfire. Confidentiality is a promise that turns vulnerability into strength.

Speak with good purpose: The intention behind our words shapes their impact. Speaking with good purpose means choosing language that contributes rather than corrodes. When people know that our words are aimed at building rather than undermining, trust finds fertile ground.

Reflect on: Which of these practices in communication: sharing, truth telling, admitting, feedback, confidentiality, or speaking with good purpose, do I most need to strengthen right now?

Trust of capability: respect and empowerment

Trust of capability is about recognising that others bring real gifts to the table. It grows when people feel their skills are seen, their judgement respected, and their potential supported. This trust is often overlooked in busy workplaces, where competence can be taken for granted or overshadowed by hierarchy. Yet when capability is acknowledged, people feel valued and step forward with confidence. When it is ignored or undermined, disengagement follows quickly.

Acknowledge abilities and skills: Trust begins by noticing what others do well. Publicly recognising someone’s strengths, large or small, sends the message: I see your contribution and it matters. Overlooking or dismissing abilities, even unintentionally, chips away at motivation.

Allow people to make decisions: Empowerment is one of the clearest signals of trust. Allowing people to make decisions appropriate to their role demonstrates faith in their judgement. Overriding or second guessing decisions communicates the opposite: that their input is decorative rather than decisive.

Involve others and seek their input: Inviting perspectives is a way of saying: your voice belongs here. Involvement is not just consultation after decisions are made, but meaningful input that shapes direction. When people are asked for their ideas and those ideas are visibly considered, trust deepens.

Help people learn skills: Capability is not static; it grows with opportunity. Supporting people to learn, experiment, and stretch into new skills signals that their development is valued. Without this, people feel boxed in, trusted only for yesterday’s abilities rather than tomorrow’s potential.

Reflect on: Where might I be unintentionally limiting others’ capability by withholding decisions, overlooking strengths, or failing to invest in their growth?

Living the three Cs of trust

Trust is not a concept to be admired from a distance. It is lived out in the pressures of daily work, especially when life gets complicated. I once coached a senior leader who had been through a season of significant mental health struggles. In that time, colleagues felt let down: commitments slipped, communication grew patchy, and confidence in his leadership waned. He feared the damage was permanent.

What changed was his decision to treat trust not as something lost forever but as something that could be rebuilt through the three Cs. We began with trust of character: he chose to reset expectations with his team, naming clearly what he could and could not take on, and ensuring agreements were either kept or openly renegotiated. The clarity alone brought relief. Then came trust of communication: he began speaking more candidly, sharing both progress and limits, and inviting feedback without defensiveness. People noticed the difference. Finally, he worked on trust of capability: instead of holding tightly to decisions, he began acknowledging the strengths around him, involving others more actively, and supporting their growth.

It was not an overnight shift. But with consistency, his team’s faith in him grew stronger than before. They saw a leader who had faced vulnerability, taken responsibility, and built trust in visible, everyday ways.

The story illustrates a wider truth: trust does not rely on perfection. It relies on steady practices. The small choices we make: to manage expectations, to speak with candour, to honour capability, accumulate over time. They signal reliability, openness, and respect. Together, they form a climate where people no longer brace themselves for disappointment but expect collaboration to flourish.

Five ways to accelerate trust

Trust grows slowly when left to chance. It can also be strengthened more quickly when leaders and teams act with intention. These five practices are not shortcuts, but they create the conditions for trust to flourish sooner rather than later.

1. Begin every project by clarifying expectations rather than assuming alignment.

2. Make honesty routine: share what you know, and admit what you do not.

3. Publicly recognise skills and contributions in real time.

4. Create spaces for feedback that are safe, regular, and mutual.

5. Invest in learning together, treating growth as a shared responsibility.

When these practices become habits, people stop bracing themselves for disappointment. They start looking for ways to contribute, because they believe others will do the same.

Five ways to rebuild trust after it has been lost

Trust will always be tested. At times it will break. What matters most is how we respond. Avoidance deepens the wound. Honest repair can make the relationship even stronger than before. These five steps offer a path toward renewal.

1. Name the breach openly and without defensiveness.

2. Apologise without qualification, focusing on impact not intent.

3. Invite the other person’s perspective on what repair would look like.

4. Make new agreements that are specific, visible, and realistic.

5. Demonstrate consistency over time, proving through action that repair is genuine.

Rebuilding takes longer than building. Yet when people see repair handled with integrity, they begin to trust not only the individual but the culture itself. They learn that even failure can be a place of growth.

Micro-practices of trust

Trust is not only shaped by big decisions. It is sustained in the smallest signals we send every day. These signals are often unnoticed, yet they quietly tell people whether they can rely on us, whether they can speak freely, and whether their contribution matters. The following questions invite us to notice and choose the micro-practices that shape trust.

Trust of Character

• How do I show others that I value their time?

• When agreements shift, do I renegotiate or stay silent?

• Where might my words and actions be out of alignment, even in small matters?

• How do I share credit so that success feels collective?

• What simple commitments can I make today that others can count on?

Trust of Communication

• How quickly do I acknowledge when someone reaches out to me?

• When I make a mistake, how openly do I admit it?

• What questions can I ask in meetings to surface what has not yet been said?

• How careful am I in holding what others share with me in confidence?

• How do I respond to feedback, especially when it feels uncomfortable?

Trust of Capability

• Who in my team needs an invitation to speak so their voice is heard?

• Whose specific skills or contributions have I overlooked?

• Where can I step back and let others decide without interference?

• How am I encouraging colleagues who are trying something new?

• What would change if I asked more often, “What support do you need from me?”

None of these questions require new systems or formal programmes. They invite daily choices that are available to all of us. Over time, the answers shape whether a workplace becomes one where people feel trusted or one where they feel the need to protect themselves.

Reflect on: Which single question from these three sets most challenges me to change how I build trust tomorrow?

Final reflections

Trust is not fragile glass. It is a living system that is built, stretched, and renewed through practice. The Reina model reminds us that character, communication, and capability are always available as choices. Each of us can choose to strengthen one dimension today.

Five questions remain for us to sit with:

1. Where in my work am I willing to take the first step to build trust, even if others hold back?

2. What expectations have I left unspoken that need to be brought into the open?

3. Which conversations am I avoiding that, if held, could unlock new possibility?

4. Whose capability am I overlooking, and what would change if I named it?

5. If trust were the defining feature of my team, what would become possible that is not possible now?

These are not questions to be solved. They are invitations. Living into them is how trust moves from being an aspiration to being the culture itself.

Do you have any tips or advice on the topic of building trust?

What has worked for you?

Do you have any recommended resources to explore?

Thanks for reading!

References

• Block, P. (1993). Stewardship: Choosing Service Over Self-Interest. Berrett-Koehler.

• Block, P. (2008). Community: The Structure of Belonging. Berrett-Koehler.

• Edmondson, A. C. (1999). Psychological safety and learning behavior in work teams. Administrative Science Quarterly, 44(2), 350–383.

• Edmondson, A. C. (2019). The Fearless Organization: Creating Psychological Safety in the Workplace for Learning, Innovation, and Growth. Wiley.

• Lencioni, P. (2002). The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable. Jossey-Bass.

• MIT Sloan Management Review. (2023). How to Build a High-Trust Workplace. Retrieved from sloanreview.mit.edu

• Reina, D. S., & Reina, M. L. (2006). Trust and Betrayal in the Workplace: Building Effective Relationships in Your Organization. Berrett-Koehler.

• Zak, P. J. (2017). The neuroscience of trust. Harvard Business Review, January–February.