Trust is an enormous part of our business and also what makes us so successful in what we do. It is also part of everyday life…. The Oxford English Dictionary definition of the word is ‘to have confidence in someone; to believe that someone is good, sincere, honest, etc.’
But how do you know who to trust or when to trust them? Are there rules in the ‘trust game’? It’s not like playing Cluedo or Monopoly. There isn’t a set of instructions for ‘how to play’. Certain individuals who have entered our business sphere in the last two years, we’ve trusted from the outset and thankfully, those decisions have generally been wise ones. Others we have taken more time to get to know them and sometimes, we’ve been thankful that we pressed the ‘pause’ button. But what do you do once you are in a situation when someone lets you down? Someone you trusted and it turns out that they aren’t as trustworthy as you thought….
Relationships are built with three ladder steps to success, in my opinion – firstly, you get to know someone. Work out what makes them tick, what they are all about (whether it’s a personal or business relationship) and their ‘circumstances’ in life. Secondly – hopefully – you like them! If you don’t, then the third step to trusting them probably won’t happen.
Once you know, like and trust someone, you are well on the way to positive engagement and if anything does go wrong, you should be able to talk to one another openly and honestly. Trust is a tough thing though – it takes years to build, seconds to break and forever to repair.
