Every business aspires to grow—whether it’s expanding its reach, increasing revenue, or building a stronger brand. But what if the key to truly sustainable growth isn’t just about hitting targets or expanding your market share? What if it’s something deeper, more foundational, and often overlooked?
Trust.
We have to place it in the hands of many individuals, teams, and companies every single day.
Every time you get in an Uber.
Every time you choose to purchase a product.
Every time you swipe your credit card.
Every time you take the advice of your doctor.
Every time you drop your kids off at school.
Every time we get on an airplane.
Every time you open your arms, extend a part of yourself, and exchange information, money, or your heart, you are placing trust in another.
I was once flying home from a work trip, just humming along high in the sky, when suddenly the plane nose-dived. For a few seconds, the entire plane gasped as our lives flashed before our eyes. We didn’t know what would happen next.
We had to trust the pilot would ultimately keep us safe.
We trusted the company when we chose to fly with them. And, as soon as we stepped on the plane and then feared for our lives, we had to trust the pilot—the individual—would handle it and keep us safe.
The plane recovered, but we never really got an explanation as to why or what happened.
And I’m still a little shaken up on planes now. (Even though I still write about them a lot 😂)
I haven’t flown with that airline since. The trust was broken. Why? I know it was a freak, once-in-a-lifetime kind of incident, and I’m grateful for the pilot’s skill and care. However, the lack of communication on the incident broke the trust.
When you really sit back and think about it, trust is the heartbeat behind our decisions, our moves, our successes, our moments of joy, and sometimes our moments of disappointment when trust is broken.
Trust is everything.
Unfortunately, it is all too common for organizations to place a higher value on projections and numbers in a spreadsheet than on the thing that will create a sustainable and thriving business—building trust.
What if we made our growth goals revolve around building trust?
Trust with our employees. Trust with our customers. Trust in our product. Trust that we will deliver. Trust that when we aren’t perfect and we don’t deliver, we do everything in our power to make good on the mistake.
When your customers choose to give you something of such intrinsic value—their trust—remember that it is one of the most precious gifts they can give you.
Protect that trust, and you protect the numbers in the spreadsheet.
Creating and maintaining trust is your secret growth weapon.
It’s a different way of thinking about growth, I know.
But it matters so much.
Earning and then keeping your customers’ trust is everything. Don’t let shiny objects or flashy projections distract you from creating and building trust.