You could say that it is naive and old fashioned to talk about trust and common visions when war and covid are raging the world. But I argue that those who like to call themselves realists and then spend all their effort on protecting what is left, are the ones that are truly naive.
If we give up on the idea that we can trust the intentions of others, the only idea remaining is the simple regime that everyone should manage on their own. There is no hope for magic in that. It is sort of inherent in the idea of being a society, that we also try to share more or less realistic visions.
Image from Skanska
In this blog series I have tried to describe humanity’s superpower and ability to make one plus one become more than two and how this ability can be used to transform buildings and districts into living places that you not only want to come to, but also proudly want to come from. Ultimately it is about building and cultivating trust. Trust in the society and fellow citizens, but – from a pure survival perspective – trust in tomorrow.
The reason why we measure growth so one-dimensionally in economic terms, is simply because we can. But if we just look at ourselves, we quickly realise that growth is a more general concept of improvement. It is about having trust in a slightly better future. Better in a very wide sense. More vivid experiences, more interesting opportunities, more sustainable behaviours, less worrying about your children for example. It doesn’t have to be a lot better, but if the alternatives are that it becomes a little worse every day or status quo for the rest of your life, then “a little better” is the only thing worth striving for really. That is why, although 1+1>2 is a powerful equation, it is actually enough if 1+1 becomes 2,00001.
So, how can we get this formula into our everyday lives? What concrete actions can you do to make 1+1>2 in your workplace, in your neighbourhood or in your family? I am suggesting 5 things to observe, to do and to practice.
1. See improvement in many ways!
Life includes so many different things to appreciate apart from a thriving economy. Health, relations, laughs, wind in your hair, scenic views, ideas and visions, new possibilities, love, deliciousness and lots of other things that don’t show directly in the GDP. Because we only appreciate what we observe, it is a good idea to think about what you truly appreciate and start observing that.
2. Share your challenges – with examples!
We are all owners of our own challenges and responsible for addressing them. That doesn’t mean you have to keep them to yourself. By owning and sharing your challenges, you force yourself to be clear about what the problem really is and that leads to two things. First you give yourself the opportunity to own it and thereby deal with it. But then chances also increase that someone else can contribute with unexpected input.
3. Seize the moments to build trust!
Trust erodes easily if it is not maintained. You need to both show trust and notice when others show trust towards you. You can improve in both of these disciplines. As with improvements, you can start by observing how trust is given and received and notice the difference when you practice. You will be surprised by how trust seems to emerge everywhere.
4. See others’ abilities as superskills!
It is easy to perceive other’s abilities as competition and incomprehensible or possibly even dangerous solutions. When you, on top of that, spend efforts on arguing why this could be the case, you miss the opportunity of benefiting from a potential resource. Try instead to regard fellow citizens as potential superheroes and take the chance to let them contribute.
5. Find others’ incentives to utilise and accommodate!
Just as with abilities and competence, it is easy to discard others’ motivations as banale or their intentions as unfriendly. Thereby you miss valuable fuel for the problem solving journey ahead. If instead, you spend a little more curiosity finding out what really makes your counterpart “tick”, then you get the opportunity to build collaboration that sustains itself. Even when you occasionally need to take a little break.
No sensible person or organisation that I know, lives by commandments. Not very literally anyway. But by choosing them as inspiration and direction, at least you unchoose working for their opposite. By choosing to practice trust and collaboration you bet on the possibility that one plus one can become more than two and that ecosystems can emerge where the conditions are right. By actively working for one plus one to become more than two, you unchoose the naivety in the idea of everyone taking care of themselves. That is surely something we can wish for all workplaces, families and emerging communities.