A healthy group is rooted in trust. This is very obvious. If you mess this one up and break trust it's hard to sew the group back together. In The Power of 2 Wagner and Muller explain that Trust is pivotal for for strong partnerships to endure. For them, trust is more than the keeping of confidences. "Every partner needs to be able to depend on his counterpart." Wagner and Muller go on to explain that a community thrives when partners can count on each other to be there for them.
There are a few simple implications for groups:
- It should be a given that what is said within the group stays within the group
- That assumption should be spoken up front and occasionally repeated within the group
- Group members should also "be there" for one another and feel comfortable relaying on each other
So here's a couple of questions for your group:
- Do members share openly and honestly?
- Do members call on each other for help?
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