Building trust, brick by brick

How do you turn a random group of people into a functional team? In a world where teams shift rapidly, we haven’t got the luxury of years of shared experience to forge long-term bonds.

If we haven’t got the time, we have to find a key ingredient: trust. It can’t be decreed, it must be built. Imagine your relationship with others – colleagues, financial partners in your project, or any other stakeholders – as a bridge made of bricks. Each brick represents a successful transaction with the other person.

Begin by meeting easy commitments: hand in the report promised on the agreed-upon date, or do something as simple turn up on time for meetings. Each time you honor a commitment, each time you meet an expectation (even one that was not expressed), you generate a favorable cognitive base in the other person’s mind. And you add another brick to your bridge.
At the worst, if one day you miss a commitment – it’s likely to happen at some point – the whole structure won’t collapse, because all the other bricks are still there, holding your bridge together. This clever metaphor, told with wit by Essendrup, works in any context: family, friendship and love relationships!