As part of its 100 Best Global Brands series, Business Week had an article on The Great Trust Offensive. Trust is an idea we need to be very aware of, not just from an outward corporate perspective, but from internal corporate and personal career ones as well.

Here are three key quotes:

  • In the world of branding, trust is the most perishable of assets
  • If you aren’t open with me, then I won’t trust you
  • Stay relevant to the current mood or risk been seen as spin merchants

Part of why I think agile-ish things work is that by breaking down the silos and building an environment where communication can happen, then trust has a chance of being achieved.

The article ends with a warning though which resonates with my theory that agile will fail to reap maximum benefits if any part of the organization is actively resisting (intentionally or otherwise).

Trust-related marketing only works if there is a message that people want to believe in. You cannot spin an audience that doesn’t want to be spun.