Trust, you must, for a Great Partnership
I was recently asked, “What is the most important requirement for partnership success?” My one word answer – “Trust.”
When a deep level of trust exists between partners, they are each able to take great risks - risks they might not have taken without the trust. The mutual trust provides a safe space to step out in faith and achieve what might appear difficult, impossible, or overwhelming. Remember that people live up to expectations - the more you trust, the more your partner will achieve new heights. When such trust exists in your business relationship it supports growth, improvement, and excellence in the business.
Follow these guidelines to build and strengthen trust:
- Respect your partner at all times.
- Listen to your partner - make sure you know what they really mean.
- Don’t make major decisions unilaterally.
- Honor your agreements to everyone.
- Realize that you are always connected to your partner.
- Back up your partner’s decisions to outsiders, even if you disagree.
- Be consistent.
- Be honest with yourself and your partner.
- Have clear boundaries.
- Do not over promise.
“Trust each other again and again. When the trust level gets high enough, people transcend apparent limits, discovering new and awesome abilities for which they were previously unaware.” David Armistead