Sponsoring greater partnering

The undeniable fact is that building knowledge requires trust. Whether it is employees making new plans, or a consortium of companies teaming together for a new venture, there must be a degree of cohesion and openness before you can expect the desired rewards. Without trust, the potential for innovation and discovery becomes very limited. All the words and intentions in the world will not make a scrap of difference if it is not backed up with a genuine desire to share ideas, feelings and plans.

The list of trust-building behaviours can appear quite overwhelming at times, so it is important to keep them as simple as possible. Recognize that the journey is not an easy one and that there will be moments of contradiction and ambiguity along the way. So be prepared to dust off some old bad habits and give it a try.

To help you build a higher potential for opening hearts and minds to knowledge-sharing experiences, here are five cornerstones of trust that can assist you achieve this aim:

• Where possible, seek out opportunities for higher levels of trust by facing up to your responsibility to raise issues of concern and happiness along the way, while avoiding premature judgements based on incorrect assumptions or conclusions. Be prepared to forgive, show concern and demonstrate compassion.

• Take the time to establish the ground rules on how knowledge sharing may work in practice. Simply asking what the other party desires and expects in an exchange can make a world of difference.

• Trust is built on competence; be a manager who is prepared to build and foster openness, transparency and frank exchange. Ensure promises are backed up with mutually agreed actions. Take the time and effort to jointly celebrate discoveries, insights and adventures . Avoid like the plague any behaviours that reduce trust, such as talking behind people s backs or failing to deliver as agreed.

• If you are not happy in a relationship or exchange be prepared to say so. Wasting time and energy when you are not happy will not serve anyone s interest. Clarify what can be delivered. Do not get angry , just get clear!

• When the exchange is not working, ask for feedback on what you can do more or less of, to stimulate the relationship. If you find that you cannot meet expectations or it is simply not the right time, say thanks, and move on. Do not lay blame. There are many other people you can be relating to, so get on with it.

Making solid progress in trust often requires us to clear emotional baggage that may be limiting us from operating in a greater zone of intimacy. We must be prepared to clear beliefs, uncertainties and any pain that may be holding us back from fully trusting or being open . If we want to build new high-trust relationships it is quite likely we will need to revisit a long list of memories, some painful and some joyful. Typically, these ghosts from the past could be those involving us being let down and being hurt, while the joyful moments could include wonderful moments of high team spirit, exchange and innovation. So, to build trust we need to recognize that clearing our past is a major determinant of us moving forward.

The reality is that trust is rarely high. People are naturally cautious; they need proof that disclosure is safe and what you learn will not be used inappropriately. For trust to exist there must be high levels of rapport and reciprocal exchange, and in most situations that does not exist. We are therefore left with the unfortunate reality that we have to do the best we can with the trust we have been given. Then, assuming you are able to spark a positive exchange, what will a person choose to share? Will they do enough to just get rid of you, or will they actively want to help you? Even then, is the information you receive relevant and will you act on it, or will the knowledge you receive be filtered to such an extent that it will be worthless? Alternatively, they just may not know or be unable to share what they know. The pearl of wisdom we need is often locked way in the mind and nobody can access it. Such questions are integral to the skill of building trust and can only be resolved by having close and intimate conversations with people over time.

Of course, having long and intimate conversations is becoming more difficult in a world dominated by e-mail, the telephone and text messages. Somehow we need to step out of the busyness of modern living and make sure we rekindle deeper relationships with key contacts and other people as often as we can, whether it is over lunch or contacting someone once a month for a longer and more informal chat. For trust to blossom, you must be prepared to build a spirit of belonging which goes further than just the job or the area of discussion. Taking the extra trouble to express your wishes and intentions will dramatically improve the capacity for a high-trust relationship to be maintained . In some cases some people may not wish to partner with you and that is fine; we need to see that as understandable. Instead of becoming frustrated by people who do not wish to partner, we should react by seeing this as perfectly normal. There needs to be a deeper understanding of what is allowable and permissible. The key in long- term business relationships is shared advantage and partnering.