The PACT(c): How Trust is Really Built

By Shelley Anne Crawford

We have been building trust the wrong way. We treat it as something extended - a gift given in good faith, withdrawn when broken. But trust is not extended. It is earned. And earning it requires something most leadership frameworks have never provided: a clear, specific, behavioural account of what trustworthy people actually do.

The PACT(c) changes that. Drawing on decades of trust research and organisational practice, it identifies four dimensions of trust-building behaviour - Predictability, Ability, Care, and Transparency - and translates each into observable, evidenceable actions that can be assessed, developed, and sustained.

The PACT(c) framework is built on a fundamental insight: trust is not a feeling. It is a pattern of behaviour. Leaders and organisations that understand this stop waiting to be trusted and start building the specific conditions under which trust becomes inevitable. Each dimension is explored in depth - its foundations in research, the ways it builds trust when practised well, and the ways it quietly erodes trust when it breaks down or becomes distorted.

The Trust-building Strengths Inventory provides a structured, reflective tool for individuals and teams to identify their trust-building strengths and the areas that most need development.

Whether you are a leader seeking to rebuild trust, a coach supporting clients through organisational change, or an L&D professional designing programmes for high-trust cultures, The PACT(c) gives you the language, the framework, and the practical tools to make trust-building intentional, evidence-based, and real.

Small acts, deep trust.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1066669619
• ISBN13: 9781066669615
• Release Date: July 2026
• Publisher: Josh Publishing
• Length: 244 Pages
• Weight: 0.73 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.0" x 9.0"