The Trust Equation

The Foundation

"If trust is so important, how does one go about winning it? How do you get somebody to trust you? It is clear that it is not done by saying 'Trust me!' Nothing is more likely to get the listener to put up his or her defences! The key point is that trust must be earned and deserved."

The Trust Equation provides the roadmap for earning and deserving that trust—not through mystery or personality, but through deliberate practice and honest self-assessment.

About David Maister

David Maister is widely recognized as the world's leading authority on the management of professional service firms. A former Harvard Business School professor, he spent decades consulting to law firms, consulting companies, accounting firms, and other professional partnerships across six continents before his retirement.  

Charles Green and Robert Galford collaborated with Maister to develop the Trust Equation, a practical framework that transformed trust from abstract concept to measurable, improvable skill.

Together, their book The Trusted Advisor celebrating it’s 20^th anniversary last year has become the definitive guide for professionals seeking to build lasting client relationships based on genuine trust.

Course Overview

"Build trust with your clients." You've heard it a thousand times. But how?

For decades, professionals treated trust as mysterious—something you either had or didn't. Either clients trusted you or they didn't. This turned trust into fate rather than choice, personality rather than practice.

The real damage? When trust fails, you can't diagnose what went wrong. A client relationship deteriorates, and you're left guessing. Was it your expertise? Your communication? Bad timing?

Without a framework, you're flying blind.

David Maister, working with Charles Green and Robert Galford, proved that trust isn't mysterious at all. It's measurable. It follows patterns. It can be broken down into specific, observable components you can diagnose and improve.

This course teaches you that framework: The Trust Equation.

Key Learning Outcomes

Understand the Trust Equation:

• Master the formula: T = (C + R + I) / S
• Recognize how the four components work together
• Understand why self-orientation acts as a denominator

Build Credibility Through Demonstration

• Show expertise through insightful questions, not assertions
• Illustrate knowledge through accurate analysis
• Understand that credentials open doors but demonstration builds trust

Establish Reliability Through Consistency:

• Create patterns of expectations fulfilled
• Recognize that small actions matter as much as major deliverables
• Build trust through the repeated experience of promises kept

Develop Intimacy Through Safety:

• Create environments where clients feel comfortable being vulnerable
• Demonstrate genuine interest through observable behaviors
• Understand that sincerity is inferred from external actions, not internal intentions

Lower Self-Orientation:

• Identify when you're focused on your agenda versus the client's needs
• Recognize the paradox: less focus on selling creates more business
• Practice the discipline of putting client interests first

Measure Relationship Progress:

• Recognize behavioral markers of strong relationships
• Implement practical feedback routines
• Act on feedback to demonstrate commitment

Practice Professional Advocacy:

• Develop the courage to say "no" when necessary
• Maintain professional detachment in challenging moments
• Guard client interests even when uncomfortable

Why This Course Matters

Most trust advice misses the point. "Be trustworthy." "Show integrity." These are platitudes that tell you what to achieve without explaining how to achieve it.

The Trust Equation gives you a diagnostic tool. When trust fails, you can identify exactly which component broke down. When trust succeeds, you understand why and can replicate it.

• Trust determines whether clients return, refer, and share sensitive information
• Without a framework, you can't improve what you can't measure
• Small acts of self-orientation can destroy years of credibility, reliability, and personal connection
• The difference between transactional vendor and trusted advisor is measurable and learnable

The Step Function Insight

A little more trust doesn't get you a little more business. Only when you create a significant difference in trustworthiness between yourself and others can you reap the rewards of being truly different.

"The best professionals regard their work as a calling, not just a job"

- David Maister, Charles Green and Robert Galford.

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