Lesson 3: Be trusting and develop trust
Be deliberate about how you build trust as a convenor: an example of this in practice is always making sure to arrive to meetings early, to welcome people and help them feel relaxed.
At several points during the programme, organisations worked together and contributed without formal agreements or memorandums of understanding in place. The level of trust and informal commitment that had been established was deemed sufficient to proceed. These organisations consistently and reliably delivered and often contributed more than those who had a formal agreement. One organisation matched and supported thousands of Ukrainian refugees without any money or contract from the government.
There was one significant moment in the development of trust across the programme. Paul convened a weekly meeting of senior partners including leaders from central and local government, charities and businesses. As the group was forming, Paul made clear the need for confidentiality and discretion as part of the terms of participation. Despite this, one of the partners leaked some sensitive information to a newspaper which, as a result, published a negative article.
Paul called the group of partners together and explained that trust had been broken and that if people abused the trust, the forum could no longer exist. At that point the CEO of a large refugee charity in the UK spoke up and said that the group needed to share sensitive operational information and that if each other’s trust was abused, this forum would be of no use. He went on to say that if members were not willing to abide by the rules of the group, then they should leave.
The CEO spoke with credibility and passion. The fact that this intervention came from an attendee and not Paul as the forum’s chair made it more powerful. There were no leaks following this intervention and the forum still exists and meets weekly as participants feel it is a place where they can confidentially discuss ideas and genuinely influence policy.
Lesson for NHS
In a sector driven by targets and measurements, too little attention and thought is given to how individuals and organisations can develop trust and relationships. Trust can and should be fostered deliberately. How might we increase levels of both cognitive (which relates to competence) and affective (which relates to character) trust.
Cognitive trust might, for example, be increased by setting and committing to realistic goals and establishing clear boundaries. Affective trust can be increased by improving how we listen and empathise, it might involve starting meetings with check-ins or getting better at having courageous conversations.