A few weeks ago, I decided to conduct a small survey on LinkedIn. The question was simple: What is the most important factor when it comes to trusting someone? I gave three options for people to choose from: the effort they put in, the outcome of their effort, or the motivation behind their actions. The survey wasn’t massive—just 19 votes—but the results were pretty eye-opening. A solid 58% of respondents (which equals 11 people) chose motivation—the "why" behind a person’s actions—as the most important factor for trusting someone. The remaining 42% (8 people) said the effort put in was the key to trust. Shockingly, no one selected outcome or results as the most important factor.
It got me thinking. Why do so many people prioritize a person’s intentions over what they actually deliver? And why is there such a big gap between motivations and results when it comes to building trust? With these questions in mind, I brought up the topic on my podcast episode, which featured my friend Nanette. We dove deep into the nuances of trust, and I want to share some of the key takeaways from that conversation—including an important insight Nanette brought to the table about how trust is built.
The Surprising Results of the Survey
The outcome of my small LinkedIn survey took me by surprise. Personally, I expected the results or outcomes to be the most important factor in trust. After all, in most situations, isn't it the final result that matters most? I even asked my wife what she thought, and without knowing the survey results, she agreed with me: results are what count. I found it fascinating that no one else seemed to think so, at least in this particular survey. The majority of people who participated felt that understanding the underlying motivation—why someone does what they do—was far more important than the results they achieve.
But then something even more interesting happened. When I posed the same question to the students in my entrepreneurship class, I got the opposite response. They ranked the outcome as the most important, followed by the effort, and lastly the motivation. This led me to a bigger realization: trust is contextual. How we build trust—and what factors matter the most—can vary depending on the situation, the people involved, and even the environment in which we're operating.
Effort, Outcome, or Motivation? The Big Debate
The core of the trust debate boils down to this: What should matter most when deciding whether to trust someone? There are three key factors at play:
Effort – The amount of work or dedication someone puts into achieving a goal.
Outcome – The results or final product of their actions.
Motivation – The reason or intention behind their actions.
Many people lean towards motivation as the most important factor in building trust. Their logic is that if a person’s intentions are good and aligned with the right values, even if they fail to produce results, they can still be trusted. It’s the “why” that makes us feel safe putting our trust in someone, not necessarily their track record of success or failure.
However, this perspective might shift depending on the context. In high-stakes environments—like a business setting—results might take precedence. After all, if a project or goal hinges on specific outcomes, can you really afford to trust someone just because they had good intentions, but didn’t deliver?
Adding a Fourth Element: The How
During our conversation on the podcast, Nanette raised a point that added a whole new layer to this discussion: the "how".
How was the effort made? Was the work done ethically and with integrity? Was it a situation where "the end justifies the means," or did the person maintain high ethical standards throughout the process? Nanette pointed out that it’s not just about what someone does (the effort), why they do it (motivation), or even what the outcome is—it’s also about how they got there. If someone achieves great results, but they cut corners, cheat, or act unethically, does that diminish your trust in them?
This fourth element got me thinking. Too often, we look at trust through the lens of outcomes or effort, but we don’t always stop to consider whether the process was aligned with our values. If someone does all the right things but in the wrong way, can we still trust them? Probably not. So, while the effort might be there, if the "how" is questionable, the foundation of trust can quickly crumble.
Trust is Personal and Contextual
Another key realization is that trust is deeply personal. It’s not a one-size-fits-all formula. What might be the key to trust in a personal relationship could differ vastly from what matters in a professional one. For example, when I asked my entrepreneurship students to rank the importance of motivation, effort, and outcome, they placed a much higher value on results than the LinkedIn respondents did.
Why? Because in a business or entrepreneurial setting, success is often measured by tangible outcomes. If someone in your team continually fails to deliver results, no matter how hard they work or how noble their intentions are, you’re likely to lose trust in their ability to perform.
But in personal relationships, the motivation behind someone’s actions can carry more weight. Imagine a friend who always shows up for you, but never quite gets it right. Do you care more about their effort and good intentions, or do you focus on the fact that they never fully deliver? For most people, it’s easier to forgive mistakes in personal relationships because the “why” behind someone’s actions is more important.
When Results Do Matter
Even though no one in my LinkedIn survey picked outcome as the top trust factor, that doesn’t mean results don’t matter. In fact, when stakes are high—whether it's a major project at work or a personal goal—results can and often do become the deciding factor in whether we trust someone.
Think about it: If you're leading a team and a deadline is looming, the person who consistently produces results is going to be more reliable in your eyes than someone with great intentions but no follow-through. It’s not that their effort or motivation isn’t appreciated, but at the end of the day, it’s the results that count.
On the other hand, Nanette and I also discussed how, over time, trust evolves. In long-term relationships, both personal and professional, there comes a point when good intentions and effort might outweigh the occasional failure to deliver. As trust deepens, we become more forgiving when people fall short of expectations because we understand their motivation and the effort they’ve put in. We give them the benefit of the doubt because of the trust we've already built.
Final Thoughts: The Evolving Nature of Trust
Trust isn’t static. It’s not something you build once and then never think about again. Whether it’s based on motivation, effort, outcome, or, as Nanette wisely added, how the effort was made, trust is a dynamic process that requires continual maintenance and adaptation. Depending on the context, who we’re dealing with, and the stakes involved, the factors that contribute to trust will shift.
What this means is that there’s no universal answer to the question of what’s most important when it comes to trusting someone. For some, it might always be the motivation behind an action. For others, effort or results will carry more weight. The key is understanding that trust evolves and that we need to be open to revisiting our assumptions and recalibrating as we go.
If you didn’t catch the podcast episode where I discussed this topic with Nanette, I encourage you to check it out. We covered this idea of trust from multiple angles and really opened up a conversation on how we can better understand and build trust in all our relationships.
Want to hear the whole story? Listen to the podcast episode at: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/s14e10-whats-most-important-for-trust-intentions-effort/id1569249060?i=1000669006848
Dr. Yoram Solomon is an expert in trust, employee engagement, teamwork, organizational culture, and leadership. He is the author of The Book of Trust, host of The Trust Show podcast, a three-time TEDx speaker, and facilitator of the Trust Habits workshop and masterclass that explains what trust is and how to build trust in organizations. He is a frequent speaker at SHRM events and a contributor to HR.com magazine.
The Book of Trust®, The Innovation Culture Institute®, and Trust Habits® are registered trademarks of Yoram Solomon. Trust Premium™, the Relative Trust Inventory™, and The Trust Show™ are trademarks of Yoram Solomon.
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