Baby steps in Trust building

The first steps
© Yulia Saponova

I am surprised at the utter importance of taking baby steps to foster relationships. It keeps coming up.

My first encounter with the concept was probably in the form of a well known Chinese proverb that says: “To get through the hardest journey we need take only one step at a time…”

We’ve already gained and recognized a related form of the baby step effect from the previous Asking: Network’s main ingredient post with the Heath brothers eye-opening experiment: sell window sticker first, then billboard.

Now, why is it easier to sell a smaller product or service? We know that risking to sell too much could even jeopardize the entire relationship. Of course, a smaller commitment means less risk, and we know this is directly related to the level of trust that has been built into a relationship.

We find that trust building is a behavior that we have all been busy at since birth. We’ve always interacted with others in stress-soothing cycles.

First, babies bond with their mothers, foster-parents or caregivers. Newborns need to be in close contact with their mothers for sustained periods of time to create this basic bond of trust. If the baby is unable to bond, or if no one will dedicate the required time to care for the infant, it will literally stop growing —no human growth hormone is secreted.

I’ll underscore that the fundamental need of all babies is love. Someone must care enough to touch and hug the newborn. Or, someone must be there to soothe when the infant feels stress.

Are you caring enough about their problems?

Trust building is based on this simple stress-soothing building block.

Is your relationship soothing your client’s stress?
Are you soothing your employee’s stress?