How to Make People Doubt You

When people have faith in you, you receive countless benefits. Folks don’t feel the need to challenge your word, scrutinize your actions, or question your motives, because it’s clear that you are capable, your intentions are genuine, and your motives are honorable. This confidence strengthens relationships, advances your career, and leads to a more fulfilling life — not to mention that you will feel good about yourself. Despite this, many people and organizations fail to actively cultivate trust, often saying and doing things that undermine it. Do you make people doubt you?

Regrettably, some folks are oblivious to how their actions affect others. They say one thing but do another, make decisions based on convenience rather than what’s right, fail to honor commitments, and think only of themselves. Even if they think no one is on to them, I assure you that they are.

20 Ways to Shatter Trust in You (Or Your Organization)

If the flip-down trays on an airplane are dirty, you may question the plane’s overall maintenance.
Exaggerating a claim can make everything you say afterward seem suspicious.
Disorganized administrative staff may lead you to doubt the professionalism of the rest of the team.
If someone struggles with minor tasks like punctuality, you may doubt their ability to handle larger responsibility.
Careless mistakes, such as typos in emails, can make you question their attention to detail.
When someone’s actions contradict their words, you may doubt their sincerity.
Burying information in fine print can make you wonder what else they might be hiding.
Decisions based on convenience rather than correctness can make you question their integrity.
Unethical behavior can make you scrutinize everything they do or say.
Hot and cold behavior can leave you uncertain as to who will show up.
Being unfaithful and gossiping can lead you to question a relationship.
If an organization is more focused on making a sale over building a relationship, you may consider looking elsewhere.
Refusing to accept accountability can make you question whether they believe in themselves or their ability to fulfill their promises.
If someone is willing to do anything to get ahead, you may wonder about their ethical boundaries.
Frequent changes of mind can cause you to question their principles.
Regularly breaking a commitment can cause you to question the worth of their promises.
If someone is cruel to someone else, you might fear they’ll be cruel to you, too.
Selfish behavior might lead you to question whether you’ll be treated fairly.
Repeated apologies for the same mistake can make you doubt their word.
Catching someone in a lie can lead you to question the truthfulness of everything they say.

Confidence Isn’t Given; It’s Earned

As you reviewed the list above, you might have acknowledged the points as logical, but may have underestimated their implications. The real challenge is to think ahead proactively, rather than reflecting afterward — because it directly impacts others’ faith in you.

Changes in people’s confidence in you may be subtle, but they do happen. Therefore, assess how your behavior affects those around you. While this might seem daunting, it’s not.

At the core of everything lies your moral character — the way you or your organization conduct yourselves. Do you do what’s right or what’s convenient? Do you consistently do your best or settle for the bare minimum? Do you honor your word or easily break promises? Do you consider the needs of others or is self-interest your sole focus? In sum, do you live with honor and integrity?

While others may take time to discern your values, you and your organization already know the truth. How does that make you feel? Lead a life or an organization that fills you with pride. When you believe in yourself, others will follow suit. Conversely, if you doubt yourself or your organization, you can’t expect others to have faith in you.

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