The trust battery: A handy metaphor to think about trust

We know it intuitively: We consider some people a safe pair of hands, while with others we feel the need to watch over their shoulders. The trust battery is a metaphor that helps think about and visualize these trust levels.

The concept is from Tobi Lütke, the CEO of Shopify . He suggests that in each interaction, we subconsciously consider the level of our trust battery. That level affects how we respond to people. The trust battery can be helpful to discuss in performance reviews without things getting too personal.

He explains, for example, that when a new colleague joins your company, the trust battery between the two of you may start at around half full. Each time the new colleague acts in a way that earns your trust, that level increases. And if they let you down, the trust battery level goes down. But watch out—while the trust battery fills up slowly over many interactions, it can quickly drain.

Lütke says at Shopify they found it a useful way to surface and talk about trust in reviews without it feeling too personal.

Related Ideas to the Trust Battery

Also see:

• The trust equation
• RACI
• The accountability ladder
• The Johari Window

I learned about it from the excellent book It Doesn’t Have to be Crazy at Work