Blog #2: BUILDING TRUST: The Golden Goose

The story of the Golden Goose describes three brothers and their approach to sharing some of their food and drink with an old man / dwarf in the woods. The youngest brother, who is described as a simple fellow is the only one of the three who offers to share his meal. His generosity earns him favours with the old man who leads the brother to a tree where therein is hidden a golden goose. Through a series of events the golden goose leads the brother to a princess and she of course becomes his wife, with the inference that they all live happily ever after.

While the story may be perceived to be a little outdated in its style, the value of building trust remains as important in 2020 as it did in the Brothers Grimm’s age of writing.
Trust is built on a range of repeatable behaviours. At the core these are about replicating consistency, transparency, generosity, and reliability.  
Trust is about demonstrating competency and commitment and connection.
These ‘ground’ rules can be translated into the workplace through the intentional creation of:

• open and clear processes,
• a willingness to be benevolent,
• finding common ground,
• creating a sharing culture,
• applying a lens of curiosity to situations and
• consistency in behaviour and action.

Like our ‘simple fellow’; trust is most effective when it is uncomplicated and obvious, and is supported by a positive reputation. Trust is strengthened when a person’s vulnerability is protected and nurtured by another.  When people see these actions in others, even if they do not articulate them per se, their trust quotient in the person and process increases.
Trust is inherently about consistent, transparent and open behaviour and without it, your chances of obtaining the golden goose are much diminished.
 
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Reach out to the authors Leanne and Jeanette for more information on how we can support you and your teams.