Trust makes solution development more efficient and valuable as stakeholders require less explanation and verification in their communication.

Trust develops between stakeholders as they experience each other's ability to do what they say they will do, on time and to a high standard.

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Develop Trust While Developing a Solution (Key Story)

Develop Trust While Developing a Solution excerpts:

• The senior executive in the meeting congratulates the team on delivering the prototype. She expresses her appreciation for their extra efforts to make it happen, sharing stories of those who went above and beyond what was expected. She turns to Emily and says, "Emily you have gone beyond making the prototype successful. You earned our respect and more importantly, our trust. You always came through for us, even alerting us to problems we didn't want to recognize. In the rare case where you didn't have an answer to our questions, you found the answer and made sure we got it. You were always honest with us. We feel like you're truly part of our team, as committed to our success as those who work here. Thank you so much, Emily!" Emily thanked the executive. She had never felt so appreciated.
• Develop trust with stakeholders to sustain a successful relationship with them

Recognize Value with Appreciation

Recognize Value with Appreciation excerpt:

• The project manager continued, "Our review found that your competitors had technical problems that they either minimized or did not disclose at all. We need a partner we can trust, and appreciate Emily's direct honesty, as well as her impressive technical skills. We will unanimously recommend your technology to our executive task force." Emily looked astonished. Katherine shook her hand and held it to show her appreciation. Katherine expressed her gratitude to the team. "We look forward to a productive partnership," she said. Katherine and Emily's company won the business and began a great relationship with their new customer.

Building Alliances for Change

Building Alliances for Change excerpt:

• Building Internal Allies
  • At Coca-Cola, I worked with a program manager in Global Hospitality. She had operational responsibilities, along with a mandate to continuously improve their processes. We regularly collaborated, developing a trust that minimized verification of what she needed or what I was doing. Over the years, we improved processes at an accelerating rate, enabling managers to focus more on managing tickets and hotel rooms, and less on chasing down information. This resulted in a better experience for the managers as well as for the guests.