The same applies to the professional context, where this principle holds true. Choosing a supplier or partner goes beyond a competitive budget. Ultimately, reliability comes from a sense of security and trust, which is what transforms a simple service into a real solution.

In this context, trust in a professional relationship acts as a bridge linking vision to execution, with the power to transform not only the fluidity and effectiveness of processes, but also the quality of results. In this sense, creating these bridges becomes essential in any professional relationship. Trust is the foundation of reliability on which excellent projects are built.

In his book The Trusted Advisor, David H. Maister emphasises the central importance of trust in the success of a project, stressing that it must be earned and cultivated. ‘Sincerity, as we perceive it, is related to intentions; we assume it comes from within. However, our clients can only assess sincerity through visible behaviour.’ This argument reinforces the idea that bridges of trust are built by consistent effort in observable actions - attention to detail, empathetic and active listening, fulfilment of promises, among others.

This perspective is especially relevant in project management: every meeting, email or delivery represents a prime opportunity to strengthen or, conversely, jeopardise the client's trust in the service we provide.When the client's anxieties and concerns are genuinely heard and understood, and the team demonstrates reliability through the consistency and quality of deliveries, hesitation gives way to collaboration. It is in this alignment between expectations and results that the planks of the shaky bridge are lowered, allowing us to cross the road of trust.

After all, as David H. Maister says in The Trusted Advisor, ‘trustworthiness is the repeated experience of links between promises and actions.’ In this way, professional relationships based on this kind of trust transcend those based solely on contractual obligations, creating smoother processes, better results and, above all, an open door to innovation, since the client trusts that their objectives remain the main priority.

I have witnessed this ‘trust dividend’ first hand: a client who trusts is more open to dialogue, more receptive to feedback, less anxious about unforeseen events, more available in general and less likely to demand unnecessary changes.

By fostering a culture of trust, you create the space described by Stephen Covey in The Speed of Trust as an environment that inspires creativity and fosters new ideas, aligning competence with the character of the leader. Cultivating customer proximity is not just a strategy, it's empathy in action. In the end, it is this bridge of trust that elevates projects and, consequently, the impact is visible in the final product and felt throughout the journey we make together.