"I see you
I am curious about the counter-intuitive. Which is how the notion of Fast Trust found me. For years I have been drilled on how “trust takes forever to gain, but is lost in one second of poor judgment”. No doubt this is a true pattern.
However, I wondered, is this the only pattern? Even if Trust can be damaged in an instant, might it be possible to authentically accelerate – by design with proper intentions – trust formation when it is most needed?
I think so.
After 2 years of study, experiments and many case studies on thesis, I genuinely believe that certain highly effective leaders, change agents, collaborators — even parents — have mastered Fast Trust fundamentals, even if they are only aware of it sometimes.
Examples help. Perhaps they persuade.
Scott, COO of a $4B revenue manufacturing enterprise: when you meet Scott, you encounter a centered man who shakes your hand firmly, has a confident tone, and looks right into your eyes with a vulnerable yet open expression. His lexicon exudes abundance. Within 5-10 minutes!!!! (not hours; not days) you conclude that you can trust this man…better yet…that you will trust this man to work with you to solve important problems…you will even trust him with personal facets of your life. Why? He mastered Fast Trust.
Jenna’s eyes see through me…and probably you. She’s deeply aware of herself. Accordingly, you intuit her right away. No games. She’s transparent. She’s also making a huge difference for her clients and friends due to her honed “truth telling” capabilities. A truth teller commands nothing less of you. Jenna achieves trust in a fraction of the time most of us do. Clients, strangers and new friends want to “share” right away. This is Fast Trust in action.
Giles makes it clear when you meet him that his integrity, ethics and commitment to results stand above any financial gain you might seek to entice him with. He steps into dicey corporate turn-around situations. In such settings, time works against you. Giles usually has one week to size up a team, decide who stays on the bus and who gets off, and align with 1-3 individuals who can assist him to achieve a rapid turn-around before new blood is attracted. Whether he knows it or not, Giles practices Fast Trust principles all of the time….which is why he is so successful. Tradition trust formation patterns would not serve him well enough.
Previous posts have articulated the Fast Trust principles. I will not repeat them here now. However, I do wish to clarify that Fast Trust is quite different from a con job technique to take advantage of someone. Fast Trust is about total TRUST….a consensual 2-way relationship where vulnerability, giving, empathy, extreme listening and clear intentions and commitments result in better, faster outcomes than would otherwise be possible.
In my work with business leaders, executives and managers I have been overwhelmed with surprise at how uncomfortable the subject of Trust makes them. It’s a very difficult subject to discuss. Perhaps this is a cultural icon of the USA; trust is addressed in very different ways in Europe for sure.
Yet it remains true that all exceptional moments in human relations are characterized by the presence of Trust. It’s your choice. Basic experiences without Trust; exceptional ones with Fast Trust.
