Your Stool Needs Three Strong Legs. But What If One of the Legs is Wobbly?
In our last post, we talked about how trust is like a three-legged stool. To be stable and reliable, it needs three strong, equal legs: Competence (you can do it), Character (you’ll do it right), and Consistency (you’ll do it every time).
It’s a simple idea, but it’s also a powerful diagnostic tool.
Because we’ve all been there, right? That feeling when you trust someone’s skill, but not… them. Or you trust someone’s heart, but you wouldn’t let them anywhere near an important project. These are “wobbly stools,” and they show up everywhere in our lives.
Let’s break down the three most common types of trust failures. See if any of these feel familiar.
1. The Flaky Genius: The Beautiful, Unreliable Sports Car
This is what happens when you have Competence + Character, but NO Consistency.
Imagine a stunning, high-performance sports car. It’s a masterpiece of engineering (Competence) and it was designed with passion and integrity (Character). But here’s the problem: it only starts when it feels like it.
You’d love to show it off. You know it can deliver incredible speed and a thrilling ride. But would you rely on it to get you to the most important meeting of your life? Never. You can’t count on it.
This is the brilliant creative who misses deadlines. It’s the friend with a heart of gold who always flakes on plans. You trust their talent and their intentions completely, but you simply can’t trust them to show up. Their stool is missing the leg of Consistency, and so you can’t put your weight on it.
2. The Skilled Tyrant: The Flawless, Heartless Machine
This is the unsettling combination of Competence + Consistency, but NO Character.
Think of a state-of-the-art surgical robot. It is perfectly precise (Competence) and can perform the same complex operation thousands of times without tiring or making a mistake (Consistency). It delivers results, every single time.
But it has no soul. It has no empathy. It follows its programming to the letter, with no regard for the human element. You trust it to perform the task, but you would never trust it to make a moral judgment call.
This is the ruthlessly efficient boss who hits every target but crushes team morale. It’s the corporation that delivers a great product on time, every time, but has toxic ethics behind the scenes. You trust their ability to execute, but you don’t trust them with your well-being. Their missing leg of Character makes them dangerous.
3. The Lovable Incompetent: The Eager, Loyal Puppy
Finally, we have the frustrating mix of Character + Consistency, but NO Competence.
Picture an adorable, loyal puppy. It loves you with all its heart (Character) and it’s always right there by your side, ready to “help” (Consistency). Its intentions are pure gold.
But if you ask it to help you build a bookshelf, you know what’s going to happen: chaos. You’ll end up with chewed-up screws, a huge mess, and a shelf that’s definitely not on the wall.
This is the well-meaning employee who tries so hard but just doesn’t have the skills for the job. It’s the friend who gives terrible advice with the most wonderful intentions. You trust their heart completely, but you can’t trust them with the task itself. Their stool is missing the leg of Competence, so it collapses under the slightest bit of pressure.
True, deep trust isn’t granted by accident. It’s earned by people and brands who have intentionally built all three legs of their stool.
Now that we have the blueprint, it’s time to move from diagnosis to construction. In our next posts, we’re heading to the quarry to learn how to find the raw materials and build each of these pillars, stone by stone. Ready to get to work?