Trust can be huge topic to work with in group dynamics and experts come from different places on this one, ‘if you talk about it too much it too much in teams it creates an air of mis-trust in itself’ and then others use trust as the must have starting block in building and developing teams. And then Maister and colleagues formulated the trust equation, which can be useful:

T = C + R + I

               S

T = trustworthiness
C = credibility (can they do what they say then can?)
R = reliability (will they do what they say they will?)
I = intimacy (do I feel comfortable with them?)
S = self-orientation (do they care?)
Building on theme of the equation and from experience of coaching it seems to me that its often the incongruence between our wanted and expressed needs that can lead to mis-trust and working on these areas through involvement, influence and connection (also known as FIRO-Bs inclusion, control and affection) can have a profound affect of tackling and moving on from that sticky issue of mis-trust to trust. Open the door to trust!