Carbon, coal, and diamonds are all in the same chain of development. Pressure, time, and focus are what create the diamond. The lump of coal, although valuable still can be quite dirty, give off bad fumes, and never will be marveled by a twinkling eye. An environment without Trust is like the old fashioned coal bins. I remember shoveling coal into the furnace at my grandmother’s house when I was a child. It was in the basement, I always felt dirty after performing this task, and I could never seem to get the coal out from under my fingernails. Stop shoveling coal and start creating the diamond that is you—a role model for Trust.

After you’ve focused on yourself, you can begin to define your world. By defining your boundaries and the things that you CAN control, your world can become manageable. You probably can’t change the decisions made in the boardroom, the scandals that are in the paper, or the merger that is announced. What you can control is the environment of your project. Yes, this is about leadership and leading your team. You need to communicate your expectations to them; the code of conduct, the expectations of decorum, and the focus on the prize of project completion. Proper communication with your team will dispel the fear and apprehension that is a breeding ground for mistrust. Once this is done, you need to adopt the theme song “Ain’t no stoppin’ us now.”

One of the key demonstrations of Trust within your project is your relationship with the Project Sponsor. Take the time to educate the Project Sponsor on why Trust is so important to the success of the project. Make it clear to your sponsor as to how he or she influences the perception of Trust within the project. Provide your sponsor the forums and opportunities to demonstrate Trust in you and the project team. And, if just by chance, the Project Sponsor changes—start back at the beginning and develop Trust with the new sponsor.

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