When your computer starts to act up—performance is sluggish, programs crash, or worse—the cause is often the operating system. Cleaning up the operating system can usually get your world back on track.In every relationship of your life, trust is the operating system. When trust is fragile, the relationship just doesn’t “work.” And when a relationship is not working, nothing else seems to go right. I could list the symptoms, but you likely know exactly what I’m talking about.Trust and Betrayal in the Workplace by Dr. Dennis Reina and Dr. Michelle Reina is a no-nonsense guide to keeping your “trust operating system” fine-tuned and working at full capacity.In forty plus years of consulting work, I’ve noticed that many people mistakenly regard trust as a given. Worse yet, they often regard trust as something that comes with a title or position. They’re wrong on both counts. Trust must be earned. Over and over and over.Trust and Betrayal in the Workplace shows the way. It begins with the hard reality that “trust begins with you.” Every single behavior contributes to an individual’s personal “brand”—his or her reputation for character, competence, capability, reliability and every other characteristic that has a trust component. The most trustworthy people are those who mindfully behave in authentic ways that build layer upon layer of trust.Unfortunately, it’s not uncommon for even the most honest person to inadvertently behave in a way that damages trust, to do something that comes across—innocent or not—as a betrayal.The Reinas’ book provides a step-by-step guide to building trust, maintaining trust, and restoring trust if it’s damaged. Their case studies and examples breathe life into their counsel.I especially appreciate their “Seven Steps for Healing,” a time-tested protocol for rebuilding trust on the individual, team, and organizational levels:1. Observe and acknowledge what has happened.2. Allow feelings to surface.3. Get support.4. Reframe the experience.5. Take responsibility.6. Forgive yourself and others.7. Let go and move on.If relationships are important to you—and for your own good they’d better be—this is a book that will help you keep your “trust operating system” always updated.This is a highly readable and thought-provoking book that I recommend without reservation.