Key Insights

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  Empathy and kindness serve as foundational approaches to developing people skills in government work, balancing warmth with delivery focus.

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  The trust equation, combining credibility, reliability, intimacy, and low self-orientation, provides a practical framework to build and diagnose trust.

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  Listening deeply—including understanding unspoken concerns and motivations—is critical in procurement and design to meet true needs.

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  Code switching and cultural adaptability enhance ability to relate to diverse teams and stakeholders, crucial for trust across organizations.

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  Observing poor people skills in others, such as coldness or inaccessibility, can guide one's own practice by learning what not to do.

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  Discovery sprints illustrate the challenge of entering established teams seen as auditors, requiring careful trust-building by participation and transparency.

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  Telling difficult truths builds trust when done respectfully and backed by clear user data, enabling early course correction.

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  Delivery of quality outcomes reinforces reliability and accountability, solidifying trust beyond words.

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  Collaborative, transparent procurement processes help repair trust previously damaged by siloed, directive contracting approaches.

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  Maintaining trust long-term requires consistent check-ins, personalized outreach, and recognizing different trust layers between people and work.

Notable Quotes