Build on trust

Trust is the basis for our drive to contribute.
Trust may develop naturally and gradually over time, but negotiators rarely have the luxury letting nature take its course. Thus it sometimes seems easiest to play it safe with cautious deals involving few tradeoffs, few concessions, and little information-sharing between parties. But avoiding risk can mean missing out on significant and better opportunities. For this reason, fostering trust is a critical skill for managers.
Remember that slipped commitments do not necessarily mean false commitments. Handle slippage by building trust. Rather than be accusatory, ask “what happened?” in a neutral fashion, and mean it. Listen carefully, correct collaboratively, and choose alternative resources when necessary.