I’d Appreciate If You’d Trust Me

If it were only that easy…or can it be?!

As you continue to SET Your Path along The LAITHOS Way™, you Expand Your Influence. Influence requires connection with others. Strong connections are built on trust. And a great way to create a sense of value for the connection is expressing appreciation.

We all want to feel trusted. We ask for it in a number of ways – for example, simple statements like “I’ve got this!” or “Would you please just let me take care of it?!” or maybe even “I was wrong, let me fix it.” Bottom line is that trust is knowing that another person is acting with the best intentions and will try his/her best to course-correct things that aren’t working. At the end of the day, trust is knowing that you’ve got the person’s back and s/he has yours. Trust isn’t always something you see; it’s felt. It’s an invisible thread that tethers a strong connection.

Appreciation acknowledges the value of the connection. Too often, we use the word “appreciate” to express our expectations of others. “I’d appreciate if you…” It turns out to be an inward mindset about what YOU want. When you shift that mindset outward — “I appreciate YOU for …” — your connection with that person strengthens. Why? We all want to be seen, to know we mean something, to be recognized for what we do.

The German philosopher, Friedrich Nietzsche, wrote, “Invisible threads are the strongest ties.” Interpersonal connection is bringing the human into being and what we often long for. Life can be so much richer when we create an environment where trust and heart-felt appreciation run rampant.

This Week: Have a discussion with someone with whom you want to create stronger ties. Examine the level of trust that exists between the two of you. Express what you appreciate in each other. Then, talk about how to raise the level of trust, to include, what you each might do when you hit a rough patch (e.g., ”I’m sorry about …” or “Hey let’s try again to…”…these can work in any relationship in both business and life).

In Next Week’s Post, we’ll share another key step you can take to Expand Your Influence.