As a commercial designer, a number of things excite me creatively and motivate me to make great work: the opportunity to share my creativity with an audience, the novelty of doing a project for the first time, and, of course, getting paid. But nothing ruins a perfectly good hard-on for work quicker than having a client who does not trust me. Trust is the lifeblood of my business, and possibly of any business. It sets the stage for good work to happen. When we fail to put our trust in others, we get standard-issue workplace practices—employees are microman-aged, second-guessed, and made to feel replaceable. Being told what to do and how to do it reduces even creative enterprises to drone factory work.
Similarly, there is no better way for a parent to crush a child’s spirit than by restricting their creative freedom and discouraging mistakes. When you trust your employees (or your children), it’s encouraging, it’s empowering, and it breeds loyalty.
I have a relationship with the Do Books, a start-up publisher that came to me with a long-term project and a small budget. Because of the low fee, I asked for complete creative freedom. Essentially I was asking for their trust. Understandably, this idea scared them, but they agreed to our contract. Their trust inspired me to do my best work. After the first stage of the project was released, they posted this on their blog: “James Victore asked us to trust him, and we are glad we did.”
I’d be lying if I said that trust is easy, especially in business. But the easy way is always a trap. Trust me.
