Giving Trust Away: What Radiohead, Donut Sellers and Indonesia Have in Common

This Fall you might happen upon a farm stand on the side of the road that is unattended. And yet, you notice that the stand is open for business. You simply need to pick out your corn yourself, drop a couple bucks in a tin can and make your own change.

It’s the honor system, and it works. 

In fact, according to Dov Seidman, author of HOW: Why How We Do Anything Means Everything, teaching people the habits of honesty is an extremely powerful tool in a cutthroat world.

Seidman explains how creating trust has helped to change a culture of unprecedented corruption in Indonesia and also enabled the alternative rock band Radiohead to part ways with their record label and engage their fans directly through a pay-what-you-will download.

Seidman also shows, in the video below, how at the very micro level, a donut seller in New York City was able to win over a customer base by trusting people to make their own change. 

Watch here:

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