The Art of Consistency: Building Trust Through Personal Branding.
The formula for trust is credibility + consistent behaviour.
The question is, what behaviours have you been consistently demonstrating that either build or potentially sabotage your personal brand?
If you haven't been as consistent as you would like to admit, the good news is that you can always behave your way back into the trust.
The golden rule of habit change is that one cannot stop a habit without replacing it with something else.
Through my work as a coach and trainer, I have encountered certain habits that don't seem too threatening in an isolated experience but can derail a person's brand and reputation if they are done consistently over time.
For you to show up as a trustworthy brand, here are some habits to stop and start to build up your trust capital:
From assumption to ownership
From flakiness to saying no
From procrastination to action
From silence to vulnerability
From Assumption to Ownership.
There are a few words in our vocabulary that are early warning systems to alert us to less-than-desirable behaviour. One such a word is assumed: I assumed someone else was going to do it, I assumed it was taken care of, I assumed they knew what I meant, and I assumed they would let me know if something was delayed.
Assumption is a dangerous supposition because it relies on factors beyond your control; how could you possibly guess what someone else has said or done without checking in with them? Often, in the absence of information, we come to our own conclusions.
Consider that the other person is making the same assumptions about you - you have taken care of it, you know what needs to happen, and so they equally cease action, and the results can be devastating.
If you continue with this trajectory of assumption, trust will be derailed over time. Eventually, people may stop offering you bigger projects or assignments because they are too scared to risk not being done or being late.
Now, it’s time to replace assumption with ownership.
Ownership is the essence of a powerful personal brand because it takes commitment to a new level. When you take ownership of a task, it means it is your responsibility from start to finish.
Ownership doesn’t stop at sending an email, and everything comes to a head because you're waiting for a response, and it’s been two weeks.
Ownership means you pick up the phone, follow up with the person, and double-check that they received your email in the first place. Maybe they forgot to put on an out-of-office and haven’t seen it or are ill.
Ownership is not just delivering something half-heartedly but caring about the result and making sure it aligns with who you are as a brand and your team. Imagine the document/presentation or whatever it is has a giant Brand YOU stamp. Are you proud of what you have delivered?
Don't get me wrong; not every task is created equal, and not everything requires hours and days of effort. Some stuff just needs to get done, but get it done on time and with care.
Your next level of success is directly proportional to your next level of ownership.
From flakiness to saying no.
Always consider intention versus impact.
Do you know someone who always accepts social invitations and then cancels at the last minute? It is now at the point where you can anticipate the behaviour and don’t really take their acceptance seriously.
Now, in this friend’s mind, they are just keeping their options open. They really do intend to come when they accept but, unfortunately, fall into the trap of waiting for the better option. Or they don’t really want to come but say yes out of guilt or fear to appease you.
Then, when the time comes, they make an excuse—most of the time, no harm is meant, and they are not doing it to be nasty. It’s their pattern.
What they don’t realise is that the words people associate with them are flaky, unreliable, and untrustworthy.
This is the lesson of intention versus impact. They intend to make you happy; their impact is that they create tension and animosity.
What's the antidote to flakiness? Say no if you genuinely know you are not going to keep your promise.
You can say something like, "Thank you so much for thinking of me. Unfortunately, I'm already committed, or it's my downtime. Please think of me for the next one, as I would love to be there."
Credibility and consistency build trust. Breaking agreements builds resentment.
From procrastination to action.
When someone is late to deliver work, what labels do you associate with their brand? They are unreliable and untrustworthy, and you question whether it’s easier to do it yourself.
Now, in the mind of the procrastinator, they stress about being perfect, failing, being judged, and getting lost in their own story, which further amplifies the behaviour.
Again, this is where impact and intention collide head-on. The procrastinator intends to be perfect and deliver their best work, but their behaviour sabotages their brand and dents trust over time.
To break this pattern, replace avoidance with action.
The lack of action is what catapults anxiety levels, and so the smallest step forward is how you unravel this pattern. Don't focus on the entire presentation but on slide one and perhaps one bullet point for slide one.
Now that you have momentum, you realise the task was always scarier in your imagination than in reality, and you can continue your progress.
Procrastination is devasting not only in a work environment but also in your personal life. If you promise yourself to run in the morning but hit snooze, you are breaking your trust in yourself.
When you consistently show yourself that you can't keep your promises, you begin to doubt yourself in other areas.
Show yourself first that you are a trustworthy, committed, and dedicated brand. This is where you will generate confidence capital and can bring it to every area of your life.
Move from silence to vulnerability.
Most people find vulnerability a terrifying word, and they don't often associate it with building trust in their brand.
I have worked with many managers who fear asking for help because they associate it with weakness and a deep fear of being judged.
No one expects you to know everything all the time, and staying silent or pretending that you do creates distrust over time because it derails your credibility.
Asking for clarity is going to make you more confident and demonstrate that you are taking ownership of the role, not that you are incompetent.
I worked with a sales team, and one individual shared how scared he was of being asked a question that he didn't know the answer to because he was worried about coming across as incompetent.
Although this is a valid fear, fumbling your way through it and trying to fabricate an answer to look smart is a losing strategy. You can tell when someone is trying too hard and it threatens their credibility.
Eileen Fisher is a successful entrepreneur who is famous for being a "proud don't knower’’.
"I've always been a don't knower’’ she said."I've always been very comfortable saying,’‘ I don't know’'. As a result, there's a sense of openness. When you don't know, and you're really listening intently, people want to help you. They want to share”.
When asked a question you genuinely don't know the answer to, reply with: "That is such an insightful question. I don't know the answer off-hand and would hate to give you incorrect information. Let me do some research for you or chat with the right people, and I'll get back to you on that".
That is vulnerability and being real.
You will be viewed in a much more credible light when you admit that you don't know and make a plan to find out.
Another way to build trust through vulnerability is being able to say things like I made a mistake and I'm sorry. Being able to be authentic and show the human side of leadership will build trust like nothing else.
Final thoughts.
The ultimate way to build trust is to keep the promises you make.
If you promise to get something done, own it from start to completion.
If you promise to attend a dinner, then show up.
If you promise to deliver on a deadline, take action.
If you promise to lead a client, find the right answer, not any answer.
There are more than four habits to start building trust, and if you're not sure where to start, simply stop the habits that are sabotaging you first.
The essence of personal growth is to make the invisible visible so you can interrupt your pattern and make better choices.
Here's to being authentically you,
Warm wishes,
Lori