The Thin Book of Trust; An Essential Primer for Building Trust at Work Paperback – December 17, 2008

We all go through life trusting others and earning the trust of others. Trust provides the foundation for success, joy and meaning in our personal and professional lives. "The Thin Book of Trust" by Charles Feltman is a valuable resource that deals with trust in action terms. As we all know from experience, `having work relationships built on trust allows us to get better, faster results, with less stress.' Feltman's book provides a practical guide for building and sustaining such relationships based on trust.Feltman offers a framework for earning the trust of others, restoring trust when it is broken and confronting issues of distrust in a constructive way. He tells us about four distinctions of trust: sincerity, reliability, competence and care. We build trust by working on these four aspects. We can deal with most issues of distrust if we learn to carry out our dialogues based on the four distinctions rather than umbrella terms that label someone as "untrustworthy."There are a number of sample conversations in the book based on real situations at the workplace. Most of the readers would be able to identify occasions when they have been in such situations. The book has not only clarified certain concepts for me, but also given me the confidence that building trust is very much dependent on what I say and do. It also teaches me constructive ways to deal with issues of distrust. I recommend the book without hesitation.

I want to join the chorus of those who have found great value in this little book. The reason this book is so powerful is because it goes beyond just platitudes about the value of trust. I think we all get that. What this book contributes to the conversation is specific actions (even scripts) for how to build or regain trust. First, the author pulls apart the broad notion of trust and introduces four critical distinctions that more precisely identify when trust is there and when it's missing. The distinctions are sincerity, reliability, competence, and care. These distinctions then provide a foundation for conversations with teammates for addressing each. The book presents real-world examples of trust breakdowns we can all relate to, and then goes on to describe dialogs one can have with work colleagues for dealing with the specific breakdown in a non-judgmental manner. Perhaps the best chapter in the book is the one that deals with confronting distrust by providing practical action steps and scripts that are mature, authentic, and plausible, i.e., I can see myself having these conversations. The book is thin, but thick with value for anyone seeking to improve both their trust in others and other's trust in you.

Shorter than expected but full of great information to use moving forward in my trust in both my personal and professional life.

There are a lot of books on Trust out there, and I've read a lot of them in my research. A comparison may help. I do not wish to disparage any of the other fine tomes out there, which approach the topic of Trust in different and powerful ways. But one thing Feltman's title has going for it is that the reader does not need to slog through endless chapters on the research, the studies, the data, and the proof. Another distinction is that he ties Trust to the heart. His four dimensions of Trust are Sincerity, Reliability, Competence, and CARE -- the human connection that is so vitally important. While executives are often very smart and book smart, the reality is that for many of them, reading a book is a luxury of time that they do not have. But this book can be easily read in a short time -- under an hour -- and so I've found that even busy leaders will commit the time to read it. And in the end, it's the accessibility that makes it so good.

This book does an outstanding job clarifying the different aspects of trust and how to restore it. The book uses clear examples to illustrate the concepts.It has been incredibly useful to me as I seek to strengthen and build relationships with people at work. Thanks to the author for writing such a clear and useful book. If you need advice on building trust with others, this is a fantastic resource!

Pretty much common sense, I didn’t find anything new here.

This is an excellent book that takes a somewhat fuzzy subject like "trust' and breaks it down into its component parts: Sincerity, Reliability, Competence and Care. We often have an uneasy feeling that we can't trust someone, but specifically, why? What is it about them that makes us uneasy? This book provides clear guidance on how to distill trust down to its bare essentials, how to address breaches of trust with diplomacy, and how to get relationships back on the right footing. Its recommendations are applicable across the spectrum: work-related or personal, with a superior or a direct report, a child or spouse. It also helps us be mindful of ways in which we might unwittingly be violating someone else's trust. Its a thin book that packs a huge punch.

First, this is a great title for a book. I purchased this for a church study and found it was geared toward businesses, and it works for both... and in all walks of life. These are principles that should be taught to young children, teens and all adults. If we could all follow these tenets, we would find ourselves in a much better world.

Thei book explains the author's thesis simply and clearly

Just ok

Trust is a key element of any relationship. This book gives a clear understanding of what are the different parts of trust and how you can apply them in relationships. It explains what happens when trust breaks down scientifically and emotionally. It also explains how to rescue a situation when distrust has occurred. I would thoroughly recommend for anyone to read this book to have better relationships personally and professionally.

Lovely little book with lots of practical ideas to rebuild trust

Packed with solid information and advice. Easy to read.