Being trustworthy—an integral part of getting real—requires more than following a behavioral checklist; it requires underlying mindsets, outlooks, and ways of thinking that we have to get right.

The Trust Equation is a deconstructive, analytical model of trustworthiness. It includes four variables: credibility, reliability, intimacy, and self-orientation.

At The Get Real Project, we’re fond of saying, “No risk, no trust, no doubt about it.”Personal risk-taking has the potential to turn ordinary relationships into extraordinary ones. Unfortunately, most people in business operate in the mode of “less is more.”

Real relationships require trust and trust requires personal risk-taking. Those who tend to avoid risk lose priceless trust-building opportunities, while those who master risk-taking as a skill learn to employ what is paradoxically the greatest risk-mitigation strategy.

If you’ve ever used a web browser user, you’ve probably been faced from time to time with an unexpected crash, causing all your open tabs to close. If you’ve ever experienced this with Mozilla Firefox, you’ve probably had to smile at the power of their very disarming error message, which displays on the screen in big, bold letters: “Well, this is embarrassing.”