In the example of Carole and Tom, the conflict created energy, and they used that energy to create something better than they had at the start. They did so by creating a situation in which both of them won. Successful businesses know how to create win-win situations, too, whether they involve employees, departments, suppliers, or their customers. With the rapidly accelerating pace of change, companies that can transform conflicts into win-win situations will have an invaluable competitive edge. And organizations with a high PQ will have this skill.
Trust, as Steele Alphin stated in the foreword, “is perhaps the most unsung core competency in business today.” And of all the dynamics involved in partnering, I believe it is the single most important. Trust is the product of all that you and your partner do together. It cannot exist without interaction. It isn’t something you can bestow on another; it isn’t a commodity that you can transfer. Trust is created when expectations are satisfied. It is destroyed when partners experience disappointment with one another.