The Thin Book of Trust; An Essential Primer for Building Trust at Work

This is a small book about a very important subject. A lot has been written about trust: about what it is and what it can do for people, families, companies, communities and countries. Often, good work is being sabotaged by interpersonal conflict, political infighting, paralysis, stagnation, apathy, or cynicism. Almost always, one can trace these problems to a breakdown in trust. It not only kills good work, it also inevitably creates some degree of misery, annoyance, fear, anger, frustration, resentment, and resignation. By contrast, in successful companies where people are innovative, engage in productive conflict and debate about ideas, and have fun working together, one can find strong trusting relationships. Having the trust of those you work with is too important not to be intentional about building and maintaining it. With this book, you will learn how to build and maintain strong trusting relationships with others, and repair trust when it is broken, by being intentional and consistent in your language and actions. Understanding and consistently demonstrating trustworthy language and behavior will help you earn and keep the trust of the people you work with.

Charles Feltman is an executive coach, consultant and facilitator. he coaches executives and managers in developing the thinking, being and doing that constitute the most effective leadership in their organizations. He also coaches teams and workgroups around issues of trust, commitment, conflict, collaboration, and accountability. In addition to coaching and consulting for Fortune 500 companies since 1990, Charles has served as a community mediator and facilitator for the past 30 years. In all of his work he has helped people successfully confront and deal with issues of trust, betrayal and reconciliation in their work, community and personal lives. Prior to beginning his coaching and consulting business, Insight Coaching, Charles was part of the early boom in the Silicon Valley high-tech industry during the 1980s. He also held management positions in higher education administration in the 1970s. Charles holds a Masters degree in Organizational Development from USC and a BA in Psychology from UCSC. He can be reached at: cfeltman@insightcoaching.com