The Thin Book of Trust, Third Edition

An Essential Primer for Building Trust at Work

Charles Feltman

• Publisher: Berrett-Koehler Publishers
• Year: 2024
• Print ISBN:
  9798890570390
• Edition: 3
• eBook ISBN:
  9798890570413
• Topic: Business
• Subtopic: Organisational Behaviour
• Index: Business

"I have used his definitions of trust and distrust in every book I've written."
—Brené Brown, bestselling author of Dare to Lead

Nearly 100,000 copies sold. A modern classic on building trust—now updated for today's workplace.

Trust isn't a feeling. It's a skill.

In this fully updated third edition of The Thin Book of Trust, bestselling author Charles Feltman delivers a clear, practical framework for building, restoring, and sustaining trust in organizations—especially in a post-pandemic world where connection, accountability, and reliability matter more than ever.

Short, powerful, and immediately actionable, this book breaks trust down into learnable competencies. You'll discover

• the four distinct elements that create (or erode) trust;
• how to identify and repair broken trust quickly;
• practical language for high-stakes conversations; and
• tools to strengthen trust across teams, remote workplaces, and leadership levels.

Whether you're a leader, coach, consultant, HR professional, or individual contributor, your ability to build trust directly impacts performance, culture, retention, and results.

This expanded third edition includes a new study guide and downloadable resources to help individuals and teams apply the framework in real time.

If you want stronger teams, clearer communication, and a culture where people actually deliver on their commitments, this is your playbook.

Become the kind of leader—and colleague—others trust without hesitation.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• Contents
• Preface to the Third Edition
• Introduction Trust in the Work Environment
• Chapter 1: The Language of Trust
• Chapter 2: Care: We’re in this together
• Chapter 3: Sincerity: I mean what I say, say what I mean, and act accordingly
• Chapter 4: Reliability: You can count on me to deliver what I promise
• Chapter 5: Competence: I know I can do this—I don’t know if I can do that
• Chapter 6: Confronting Distrust
• Chapter 7: When You’ve Betrayed Another’s Trust
• Chapter 8: Trust, Distrust, and the Brain
• Chapter 9: Trust and Team Success
• Chapter 10: Putting It into Practice
• Discussion Guide
• Notes
• Trust at Work Field Guide
• Acknowledgments
• Index
• About the Author