Contributor

Transactional Relationships and the Currency of Trust

John Jarvis on May 01, 2014

Our business is built on relationships, and quality relationships are built on trust. So how do we earn someone’s trust? Not by bartering favors. A transactional relationship is based on an expectation that a favor will be returned in kind. Quid pro quo. I scratch your back and you scratch mine. In this model, if I don’t think you are going to reciprocate, either because you can’t or you won’t, then I am not going to do you any favors. This mindset is based on scarcity and fear, and it limits our ability to develop meaningful relationships, let alone our ability to build lasting relationships based on trust. Instead, embrace an abundance mindset. Trust that good deeds are their own reward, and that an accumulation of goodwill in the community will often provide a generous return on the time and energy we invest in others.