Predictability, Integrity, and Trust

Being capable does not build trust if the trustee is unpredictable. Your predictability relates to my ability to predict—on the basis of your words, your values, or your track record of past behavior—what you will do. If predictability is low, then trusting is hard, because it is difficult to rely on someone when you can't know with confidence what he is likely to do. Integrity (honoring one's word or practicing what one preaches) increases predictability. When someone with integrity tells you that she will do something, you have great confidence that her behavior will match her words. If for some reason a high-integrity person cannot honor her word, she will give you an explanation and an apology, and the problem will not recur.