The last two posts were about the nature of trust and levels of trust that exist between people who work together (here and here).
If common stories are how we build trust in each other, where do people start who have no stories in common? How can two people initiate a business relationship that requires a level of trust to even get started? How can they develop confidence in each other about actions they can’t control?
- Start with realistic assumptions about how much the other individual can trust you.
- Study the other person’s professional life. Companies they’ve worked for and what they did, where they went to school, the arc of their professional development.
- Learn about what they are trying to accomplish and the obstacles they face.
- Find the links between the other person’s stories and your own stories - people, companies, geographies, experiences you might have in common.
Now you have questions to ask, areas to look for connection. You can remind the other person of their own stories in a way that coordinates these past events with the possibility of future events that include you. You can simulate common stories with the other person in order to initiate trust more systematically and quickly.
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