Despite great opportunities and offers, the thought of setting up new offices in new countries has never been exciting for me.Not exciting because it required developing new relationships. New relationships, with clients, vendors, new team members etc.
The foundation of every relationship is trust and trust is earned overtime, that is why we have to take a leap of faith in new relationship building because trust doesn’t exist from the onset. So, naturally new relationships are unsettling. More so now, as we are not even in the same country, forget about being in the same office.
But some of these new relationships have strengthened for me at a supersonic speed. I wondered why? Upon reflection here is what I found out.
The person who builds trust in the low trust digital world is the one who communicates frequently and doesn’t go missing. Because it is so easy to go missing, if you did the opposite, you will build trust.
- This person acknowledges your messages and emails.
- This person sends you photos of project developments.
- This person tells you what to expect and what they have achieved.
This style of communication doesn’t require reporting, presenting and a formal communication. It is an uncanny ability to foresee what you many want to know and tell you just that without you having to ask. This person listens to your unspoken story.
Building trust in a low trust digital world heavily relies on communication. We have the modes why are we not communicating? And yes, with the rise of digital relationship building which requires more communication than before, I highly recommend boundaries. No matter how much you try, you will not have the same energy a digital relationship demands for too many people. Be selective, communicate often and trust will build.
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