I read the other day that ‘trust’ is an emotion. Like anger or fear. It’s something we humans are predisposed to and are hardwired to trust others.
Trust looks to the future, but is extracted from the past; is a currency that allows one person to believe in another. Different to blind faith, it’s born of relational necessity. Without trust, relationships falter. And collapse.
We might argue that trust has built the very best moments in human history. Every invention or progression has occurred given someone trusting someone or something other. And, if trust hasn’t been in play, then progress is delayed.
As someone in advertising and PR for over 20 years, I’ve seen extraordinary outcomes emerge on the back of trust; great creative work, certainly; great business ideas, too. And most often of all, effective partnerships. In a world of commercial creativity, trust – not necessity - is the mother of invention.
Meanwhile, much is being written about the death of our business model. Are consultancies the life-boat agencies need? Conversely, are agencies a life-boat for consultancies? Notwithstanding, we can gather at least that the world of brand, and big brands in particular, are far from dying, according to Byron Sharp’s most recent analysis.
Enduring ideas work. And win hearts and minds over sustained periods of time.
Despite this, other effectiveness scientists describe the collapse of long term planning and thinking. Short-term focus is killing long term brand opportunity, to paraphrase Peter Field. Perhaps trust – or its lack of - is related to this short termism? Which is odd given agency-client relationships started from a position of trust historically.
Nowadays, the same relationship – driven to distraction by procurement – is being thwarted from the start. Relationships would appear to start without any manner of honeymoon. And jettison quickly, from a position of volatility and mistrust.
Is this true always?
No, of course not. There are wonderful clients out there who treat agencies with respect from the start. And commence their dealings with a trust-reservoir that is full. But these are rare.
“Remember that agencies are full of people with feelings and heart’ my friend and founder, Kat Thomas once said. I couldn’t agree more.
Unfortunately, the expectation from many clients to over service, over reach and compromise, is extraordinary. All too often, there is no fair go.
My point?
Reciprocity is dying.
And with it, trust is eroding.
Without trust, invention cannot happen.
And without invention, we’re all screwed.
If you don’t believe me, ask yourself why has Australia tumbled down the Global Innovation Index… is it because of a lack of resource or creative ability? Or, is it because of the decline in something that is far more crucial and human?
So, how do we win trust back?
Possibly, by trusting our own knowledge and expertise more, more often. Through doing, perhaps we can win back the right to be experts. And shrug the shadow of suspicion that darkens so many agency-client relationships from the very start.
Steve Jobs said that innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower. Perhaps he was thinking about the predisposition that leadership has towards trusting in the choices it makes.
To keep it simple and in summary, from the hand of Mr Hemingway, ‘The best way to find out if you can trust somebody is to trust them.’
One Green Bean CEO Carl Ratcliff