Collaboration cannot exist without trust
We shape the environment and the environment shapes us. It goes both ways.
In any group setting – family, work or whatever – people need to be able to rely on us, and we need to feel comfortable relying on everyone else.
“That which is not good for the bee-hive, cannot be good for the bees”, Marcus Aurelius wrote in his journal around AD 170 and 180, when Rome was going through war, plague and political betrayal. He sought the common good and earned widespread respect from his people.
Loved, but not perfect, Marcus Aurelius was also shaped by his environment early Christians were persecuted during his reign and human slavery was seen as a regular practice.
We can see from his example that we shape the environment and the environment shapes us. It goes both ways. By repeatedly placing the common good above his own ambition, Marcus fostered a culture of trust, and this trust was reflected in the loyalty of his armies and the cooperation of the Senate in the administration of the empire during his long absences.
Trust is what made room for collaboration. Marcus Aurelius gained the trust of his people and his people gained his trust, to the point of becoming known as the last of “The Five Good Emperors”.