The Campbell Academy Blog | Colin Campbell (77)

Trust DNA

Almost all humans have trust hardwired into their DNA.

Think about that for a minute.

If you are in any doubt about this, download a copy of Malcolm Gladwell's Talking to Strangers and read the chapter on defaulting to truth.

The funny thing is, though, as I've realised recently, humans are not hardwired to default to digital trust. They don't believe everything they see on the screen, but humans are hardwired (almost all the time) to default to trust offered in a face-to-face situation.

Not every situation will engender trust with a human; it has to be built, and there are ways of doing that if you are genuine about connecting with someone. But if you understand those ways and, are honest, genuine, and have integrity, you can build trust with almost anyone that you meet and interact with, and the power of that is extraordinary.

Trust is like a hugely contagious virus; it spreads, and it spreads when you're not looking.

So, if you develop a trusting relationship with someone and prove to them that you are what you say you are, then they will tell other people that you are that person, and this builds a reputation and trust.

Although it takes time to build a reputation and trust, and it is extremely fragile (it's easy to destroy if you are not who you say you are), it is one of the most valuable things you can possibly have in your personal and professional life.

I have been providing dental implant services in one form or another within a very small geographical radius for over 26 years.

I have watched people come and go, grow old and die. I have treated thousands and thousands of people, and I've always tried to do it with trust.

We started to provide a ten-year guarantee well over ten years ago to show people that if they invested with us, we would invest with them.

The number of people I see now from a long time ago who bring their Children, partners, parents, or friends and say, "Please be treated by him because you can trust him", is extraordinary.

Trust is the best way to build a service, market, sell, connect, and be.

Of course, it takes a while; trust cannot be generated within a society and a community at the drop of a hat, and it can't be bought with pay-per-click advertising.

So, you're in this for the long term if you're in for trust, but that's OK, isn't it?

Short-termism is carpet bomb marketing on social media, in your face, shouting at you all the time.

Trust is word-of-mouth marketing, building a proper brand that has value and longevity.

If you're concerned about this concerned about your short-term future, try to think about it like this.

If you played a short game, you'll win a little bit in the short term but when you get to the long term, you'll continue having to run as fast as you possibly can and scheme as much as you possibly can and shortcut way harder than everybody else just to stand still; It's exhausting and cheap and of limited value.

If you play the long term, you'll have to wait and watch the short-term guys win (maybe more money) for a little while, but when your flywheel starts to spin a little bit further down the track, you never have to run as fast as them to do much better, and it compounds over time.

Trust is it, Isn't it?

What's the alternative to trust? To work without it.

Can you imagine?