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The OECD paper, Trust: What it is and Why it Matters for Governance and Education

defines trustworthiness as referring to honesty, authenticity and integrity of people's actual

behaviour (Cerna, 2014). To be trustworthy, we must follow this set of "rules," however, it is not

that simple. We spend a third of our life at work and so, in turn, spend this time with our

colleagues. What is this trust, how do we nurture it and why do we need it?

Trust in our work community is the ability to ask others for help without judgment; it is

the ability to speak to others when you are not having a good day, but can also trust that others

will do the work they are entrusted with. Trust forms through "mutual understandings that can

only arise out of sustained associations." (Safir & Fullan, 2017). These everyday moments of

trustworthiness and trust-building are defined as relational trust coined by Schneider & Bryk

(2015). A study by the duo found that relational trust is built through day-to-day exchanges in a

school community called micro‐interactions.

Relational trust is built from our daily interactions, every communication, every moment

of connection or collaboration, every time we listen to our colleagues are moments that will

foster mutual, trusting working relationships. Trust, however, is not formed by tick-box

exercises, trust is built over time, and lost trust takes even longer to rebuild. Relational trust is the

connective tissue that binds individuals together to advance the education and welfare of students

(Schneider, B., & Bryk, A. 2015). Listening breeds trust and thinking about why a person is

reacting the way they are gives you a new perspective. As highlighted, trust is not one physical

act that you can do, there is not one magic wand to make it happen; trust takes understanding and

nurturing. The truth is, there's no shortcut to building trust; it takes time, intentionality, and a

willingness to slow down.

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With trust in place, educators are better able to work together. Trust builds community,

collaboration and engagement.

When a culture of trust is created, staff and educators are more willing to share when an

issue arises and are more likely to ask for help when they need it.

Trust is a core competency to improve education; however, trust in itself is an elusive

concept. Trust can be an expectation, an interaction, a belief, an emotion or a social coordination

mechanism (Cerna, 2014, p14). To improve and enhance trust, Brown (2019) uses the acronym

BRAVING to follow, which stands for; boundaries, reliability, accountability, the vault, integrity,

non-judgment, and generosity. As leaders, we must follow through with what we promise to do

and not force concepts onto others. When they say they will do something, they stick with it, and

they follow through, which builds their reputations as trustworthy leaders (Allison-Napolitano,

2014, p. 4).

In the Camosun Trades Development Department, educators, staff and coordinators have

been working to build trust and opening up to one another in ways we have not been before. With

the use of one-to-ones, collaborative learning sessions and exploring resiliency topics, we build a

more collaborative and trusting community. It has been empowering to trust and show

vulnerability. The learners and department have become closer in our communications and are

able to be honest with one another. There is no one quick fix; there is no one set of acts that you

can do to prove we have resiliency. Trust involves listening, communication, building friendships

and standing the test of time, and this is how we nurture trust.
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References

Safir, S., & Fullan, M. (2017). The Listening Leader: Creating the Conditions for Equitable

School Transformation (1st ed.). Jossey-Bass.

Cerna, L. (2014). Trust: What it is and Why it Matters for Governance and Education. Trust:

OECD Education Working Papers, No. 108, OECD Publishing.

http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/5jxswcg0t6wl-en

EL Education Inc., Schneider, B., & Bryk, A. (2015). Relational Trust in Schools.

https://eleducation.org/resourceDownload

Aguilar, E. (2018). Onward: Cultivating Emotional Resilience in Educators (1st ed.). John Wiley

& Sons.

Brown, B. (2019). Braving the Wilderness: The Quest for True Belonging and the Courage to

Stand Alone (Reprint ed.). Random House.

Allison-Napolitano, E. T. (2014). Bounce Forward: The Extraordinary Resilience of Leadership

(1st ed.). Corwin.