Being trusted to do your job and do it well at the office takes time and skill, but if you're starting fresh or recovering after a big screw up, On Careers' Paul White recommends remembering the three Cs: Competence, Character, and Consistency.


The three Cs are just a short way to remember some of the basic elements of any good work ethic—make sure you hone your skills so you're good at what you do, make sure you do what you say you're going to do, and make sure you do your job with the transparency or honesty that your job requires. He explains:

Trust consists of: Competence + Character + Consistency.

  • Competence: that the person has the capability (knowledge, experience, ability) to complete the task.
  • Character: that he or she has integrity, dependability and my interest at heart (versus just his or her own interests).
  • Consistency: that he or she is able to and will follow through in doing the task repeatedly and consistently (as opposed to inconsistently or infrequently).

Like a three-legged stool, if any component is missing, trust will not occur or continue. Try this out as a mental experiment – see if you can think of a situation where you would trust another person to complete a task without one of these three components.

It's fairly simple, but something often overlooked in the rush to just get things done. Plus, since we know that sometimes cultural fit trumps skills, it's important to build trust with your colleagues—after all, if your skills come up short, they'll be the ones helping you out, or at worst, cleaning up your mess. In short, whenever you can, make sure you have the tools you need to work, and as one of my managers used to explain to me, always do what you say you're going to do.

If You Want to Rebuild Trust at Work, Remember These 3 C's | On Careers (US News Money)


Photo by Terri Johnston.