Trust grows when our motives are straightforward and based on mutual benefit - in other words, when we genuinely care not only for ourselves, but also for the people we interact with, lead, or serve.
Once you really understand the hard, measurable economics of trust, it's like putting on a new pair of glasses.
The serious practical impact of the economics of trust is that in many relationships, in many interactions, we are paying a hidden low-trust tax right off the top - and we don't even know it!
You've undoubtedly seen this tax in action many times -perhaps in a conversation where you can tell your boss, your teenager, or someone else is automatically discounting everything you say by 20%, 30%, or even more.
If you think about it, you've probably been the one taxing some of those interactions yourself, discounting what you are hearing from others because you don't trust them.
In some situations, you may even have had to pay an inheritance tax when you've stepped into a role that was occupied by someone who created distrust before you.
The dividends of high trust are also real...not just in increased speed and improved economics; they are also in greater enjoyment and better quality of life.
Once you create trust - genuine character and competence based trust - almost everything else falls into place.
Leadership is getting results in a way that inspires trust.
It's vital to listen, to understand first. Otherwise you may be acting on assumptions that are totally incorrect - acting in ways that turn out to be embarrassing and counterproductive.
Trust grows when our motives are straightforward and based on mutual benefit - in other words, when we genuinely care not only for ourselves, but also for the people we interact with, lead, or serve.