What makes someone trust another?
Is trusting a person the same as trusting a company, or a brand?
I found this report very curious, it lists the most trusted US brands (2022).
Do you see your favorite brands in here?
All these companies work very hard to maintain their 'image' and their relationship. They thoughtfully add or remove products from their lines, give the customer the dependability of service over the years and even incorporate feedback time to time.
Trust is the confidence we have in another to "do the right thing" and support us, without the need for us to check in on them, or feel the need to build safeguards.
You might trust your barber or hairdresser to get it just right with minimum instruction or supervision, giving you a "great look" with regularity.
We put trust in airline pilots, Uber drivers and even in sanitation workers to get the job done safely, regularly and without any fuss.
So how does that translate into work, and into business?
Trust in business is about building relationships - on the same team, across teams or orgs, maybe elsewhere in your stakeholder relationships.
People have to know us, know the way we work and the values we stand for.
"If Michael's looked at it then the numbers are solid".
Trust can save time - when people don't know each other well, everything has to be checked, rechecked, verified and followed up on.
When there's a high level of trust, things just happen. On time, under budget, in good quality.
Trust is a two-way street, though. We have to return the favor to others to keep the cycle going. It's like if your friend pays the dinner tab this time, it's your turn to pick it up next time round.
Sadly, trust is fragile. It takes all this work to build it up, and out of nowhere, we can lose it.
We lose it with incompetence, slacking off, oversight, delegating things we shouldn't delegate, and the classic over-promising.
Last thought - think of trust as a plant.
It needs regular nurturing, care and nutrition to make it grow.
Through neglect, it can weather and must then be quickly worked upon to revive it and heal it.
Too much neglect, or harm even, and it is done with.
So this next week, reach out to someone you work with (or would like to work with), and have a conversation with them to renew your relationship.
It will be worth it...trust me.
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