Trust

TSgt Smith is a new TSgt approaching his tenth anniversary in the Air Force. While he has only been stationed at one location his entire career, he has enjoyed solid leadership and meaningful work. Despite those niceties, TSgt Smith is desperate for a change of pace, so he applied for a Base of Preference (BOP) and received his top choice.  

After all the goodbyes and farewell parties, TSgt Smith departs his old base and arrives at his new unit, suddenly realizing he is going to be the new guy for the first time in a decade. As most would do, Smith spent much of his spare time after being notified doing what research he could on the next place he would call home. Unfortunately, his new base is small and not well-known among his peers and he doesn’t know anyone in his gaining unit. TSgt Smith’s sponsor has not been of much use either. After finding out Smith was single with no kids, his sponsor just assumed that he was a grown up and could figure it out on his own.  

TSgt Smith finds his way to lodging, unpacks, and sends a message to his sponsor letting him know he arrived safely. His sponsor replies, “Okay...here’s the address to our building, just show up in the morning when you’re ready. Send me a text when you get to the front door, and I’ll come out and meet you.”

Smith, being a prompt individual, is ready by 0630 the next morning and at the front door of his new building. After waiting five minutes for a response to the message he sent to his sponsor, he gets a reply, “Oh sorry, I made a last-minute doctor’s appointment this morning...just go into the CSS and get started with your in-processing...I’ll catch up with you later.” 

TSgt Smith eventually finds his way to the CSS (no thanks to the outdated building map by the entrance). There he is coldly greeted by some of the staff, a few of the members don’t even bother looking up from their screens. An Airman Basic hands him an in-processing checklist, provides little additional guidance, and sends Smith on his way.

As Smith makes his way through the building, he notices that it is void of any of the normal accouterments that depict unit heritage, pride, and accomplishments (aside from an extensive collection of intramural bowling trophies from the mid-1990s). Smith eventually finds his new office area and receives a very warm greeting from his new coworkers (which comes as a welcoming change of pace compared to the first half of the morning).

Over the next few months, Smith learns more about his new job. However, he’s frustrated at the lack of guidance given on his specific duties which oftentimes leaves him to his own devices on making decisions and setting direction for his work. While this autonomy can be nice in some situations, it seems that his decisions are often met with resistance from peers and superiors alike because it is “not the way things are done”.   

Smith has also found it to be very difficult to break into the information loop in his new unit. The lines of communication are very blurry if even defined at all. Furthermore, there are regular meetings that occur in which information is shared that directly impacts Smith’s ability to do his job. Not only is he not invited to those meetings, but he must pry his boss for the information rather than rely on it to be disseminated in a timely and unfiltered manner.  

Nonetheless, Smith chalks most of these unpleasantries up to being the new guy. However, as he gets to know some of the other folks in the unit, he finds they are full of complaints about the organization that includes lack of communication, no development opportunities, corrupt management, no direction or leadership, and unprofessional relationships. TSgt Smith begins to wonder if perhaps it is less of him being new and more of the climate that exists in this new unit.

By the end of this lesson, students should be able to:

• Identify the factors that impact trust

• Explain the impact different levels of trust have on an organization

• Explain how to build and maintain trust.

Lesson Intent

Raise students’ awareness of the behaviors that contribute towards high trust relationships and low trust relationships.

Student Preparation

Read The Emotional Constructs of Trust: A Practical Approach by Kamena, Gene C, and Aron R Potter, in The Journal of Character & Leadership Integration.

References for this lesson (The following article will be covered during the lesson. You are welcome to read prior to the lesson but are not required to):

The Emotional Constructs of Trust: A Practical Approach by Kamena, Gene C, and Aron R Potter, in The Journal of Character & Leadership Integration.

Human Dimension Capabilities Development Task Force “Building Mutual Trust Between Soldiers and Leaders”Links to an external site.. U.S. Army Mission Command Center of Excellence.

Stubbendorff, Jesper R, and Robert E Overstreet. “A Commander's First Challenge: Building Trust." Air & Space Power Journal.

Zak, Paul J. “The Neuroscience of Trust".  Harvard Business Review