Trust is one of those things that is so obvious when it exists and so brutally difficult to manage when it is missing. Yet our entire society, our relationships, our collaboration, and not least our ability to be creative, are built on trust. But what exactly is trust? Simply put: it is giving without knowing whether you will get anything in return.
Trust is not a contract – it is an offer
Trust is not about guarantees. It is not a negotiated exchange, but an act of blind faith, or rather: an act of trust. When you show trust in someone, you are basically saying: “I believe that you want good, I believe that you will contribute.” It is an offer that opens the door to cooperation, shared responsibility and, not least, creativity.
The Rosenthal effect, we become what others think we are
The classic psychological study by Robert Rosenthal shows just how powerful this is. Students who were (wrongly) identified as high achievers by their teachers were shown to develop better, simply because the teachers unconsciously began to treat them accordingly. This is called the Rosenthal effect. Belief in a person’s abilities affects how we act towards them, which in turn affects how they act.
Trust works in the same way. If I believe that others are trustworthy and well-meaning, I will act that way, which increases the chance that others will do the same. And vice versa: if I believe that people cannot be trusted, I will act suspiciously, which makes it more likely that others will become defensive in return.
The varnish theory, are humans basically good?
According to the varnish theory, the norms of civilization are just a thin layer, a layer of varnish, that quickly cracks when we are put under pressure. Beneath the surface lies a darker, more selfish person. But this view does not hold up in the light of research. On the contrary, modern psychology, sociology and behavioral science show that in the vast majority of contexts, people choose to cooperate, help and show compassion, especially if someone shows trust first.
Someone has to start
Trust is thus something that is built in interaction, but it always starts with someone taking the first step. The research is clear: when people believe that there is trust in a context, they tend to act trustingly. And the more people who do it, the stronger the upward spiral becomes.
But someone has to start. The first one to open up, to share, to say “I trust you” without guarantees, without a calculation to profit from it later.
Trust as fuel for creativity
Trust is not only a foundation for social interaction, but also a kind of fuel for creativity. In safe environments where we feel that we will not be judged for our ideas, where we dare to take risks and explore the unknown, that is where the most innovative solutions emerge.
Think of a team brainstorming new ideas. If everyone in the room feels that every thought can be mocked or shot down, only the safe and expected will be said. But if you instead create a space where every impulse is welcome, where there is trust in each other’s intentions, then the unexpected, wild, brilliant ideas will bloom.
Co-creation is built on trust
When trust exists in a group, the entire dynamic changes from a simple knowledge transfer where someone teaches and others receive, to a real co-creation where everyone’s experiences, perspectives and ideas have space to influence the whole. Think, for example, of a workshop where an expert is supposed to “teach” a method to participants. Without trust, it easily becomes a one-way communication where participants listen politely, ask a few questions, but hold back their own thoughts for fear of being wrong or not understanding enough. But if the expert instead shows genuine trust in the participants’ competence and says: “This is my starting point but I want to explore this with you, see what you have with you,” then something happens. The participants’ own experiences are invited, which creates a foundation to build on each other’s insights, question respectfully and with commitment create something new together. Something that none of them could have created on their own. Then knowledge has not only been transferred, it has been transformed and anchored through trust.
So what can we do?
We can practice giving trust, even when we don’t know. We can remind ourselves that every time we show trust in another person, we increase the chance that trust will spread further. We can create environments, at work, in society, in our relationships, where suspicion is not the default.
And perhaps above all, we can ask ourselves the question:
What distrustful assumptions do I live with and how can I challenge them by giving first?
Which ideas die for lack of trust?
Creativity requires security. It requires a permissive environment where it is okay to fail, to say something crazy, to think differently. It is easy to think that creativity is about resources or technology, but often it is mostly about the subtle social climate.
Trust is the oxygen that ideas breathe.
