Building Trust

1. Building Trust By Robert C. Solomon and Fernando Flores

2. Solomon & Flores’ central point. • “Trust is a dynamic aspect of human relationships.” • Trust is NOT a static condition that has to be present for relationships to exist (much as oxygen has to be present for people to live). • Trust IS an emotional dimension that shapes and sustains ongoing relationships (much as love does).

3. There are different types of trust. • Simple trust – naïve, unchallenged, unquestioned trust (trust that has no knowledge that trust can be broken). • Blind trust – stubborn, obstinate, sometimes self-deluding trust (trust that refuses to accept evidence that trust can be broken). • Authentic trust – realistic, reflective trust (trust that knows the strengths, challenges, and limits of trust.

4. Authentic trust if the stuff of business. • Business consists of a network of ongoing relationships. • Stable relationships require stable, that is, authentic, trust. • Lying destroys authentic trust, because authentic trust is not simple (i.e., it knows breaking trust is possible) and it is not blind (i.e., it does not delude itself). • Therefore, lying is bad business practice.

5. So what? • The network of business relationships is so dense that companies can successfully operate by doing business only with other companies they (authentically) trust. • So, if company A breaks authentic trust with company B by lying, B will just end its relationship with A. • If A acts badly enough that many companies end their relationship, that is the death of A.