The Unseen

Empty Windows

The unusual nature of my childhood meant I was thrust into the adult working world at a very early age.

At age 8, I became a professional concert pianist.
That meant working with business and industry decision makers: managers, agents, tour coordinators, PR reps, prickly artistic directors, egotistical older artists, while also dealing with media and the audience.

As a child, I quickly learned to navigate the challenges of a difficult industry. 

I internalized how to network, how to ensure I connected with the right people. 

How to be likable even at the cost of my own real voice and personality.

I performed both on and off the stage, finding solace solely through my art, the one place at the piano where I could express and be who I was.

Naturally, I associated the level of my own success with those who guided it. 

The powerhouse movers and shakers – the influential people making the deals for me to perform on stage – shaped the perception I had of my own self-worth.
My trust in them remained absolute…until it changed.

I had just performed in Japan, a recital debut in a new city. Months of preparation, media appearances, and promotion led up to the event.

The concert went well and I was thrilled (a rarity for me) with how I performed.

Three encores. Critics and the audience were pleased.
Most importantly, my agent approved.

She was one of the most well-connected music industry professionals in the country, a tall, commanding woman who possessed an uncanny knack for discovering talent and nurturing them into huge careers.

To my nine-year-old self, she was a giant, someone I admired in every way. Beautiful, educated, intelligent, and able to handle every situation with strength and steel authority.

People feared and adored her in equal measures. After the concert, a crowd gathered around her, praising her for scouting my talent and taking a risk on me.

I remember watching her from across the hall lobby, marveling at the way she masterfully handled compliments, hoping that someday I could adopt more of her physicality and confidence.

A few minutes later, we got into a cab together to attend the post-concert reception. I bounced on my seat, giddy with exhilaration and adrenaline. 

A local piano teacher hopped in the car with us. She’d been part of the committee promoting and organizing the concert and had arranged for the reception.

The excitement of being in the same car with my agent rolled off her. 

“Well, I’d say that went well.” Eager eyes drank in my agent’s expression, seeking crumbs of approval. “Don’t you think?”

“It was good. Two articles in the paper tomorrow.” My agent picked off an invisible speck of lint on her suit and glanced at me. “Next time, wait longer before coming back out on stage. Let the applause build. You could’ve done another encore.”

I nodded, the glow of the concert dimming slightly. 

The teacher gave me a soft smile. “Grace chose an excellent program.”

I beamed. It’d taken weeks to figure out what I wanted to perform and I was proud of the way the recital flowed.

My agent laughed and waved her hand. Her expression hardened, calculation glinting in her eyes. 

“She’s just a stupid child. She doesn’t know what a good program is yet. I chose it for her.”

I turned and stared out the window at the passing cityscape, pretending I didn’t hear the lie she’d uttered.

“Oh of course!” Contrition colored the teacher’s voice, infused with the need to be back in the circle of approval. “She’s so lucky to have you guiding her.”

The rest of their conversation faded, disappearing into the flood of emotions pounding for release inside my chest.

I wanted to protest, to proclaim my place at the table.

But my agent was who she was.

And I was a nine-year-old.

Tears threatened to fall. 

Blinking rapidly, I willed them away, determined to not let anything mar the illusion of that day, the concert that was supposed to belong to me yet now felt stolen from my grasp.

The wound created in that moment was not the lie and callous dismissal from someone I admired.

The wound lay in not being seen and acknowledged for who I was.

It existed in the realization that my all-knowing, powerful champion was using me to serve her own purposes.

Our relationship was never the same after that car ride.

All of her experience and connections and authority no longer mattered to me.

A fundamental trust had been broken.

Unfurling Tendrils

Trust is a delicate, tenuous concept, one we learn and understand over time.

Developing and protecting it in real life relationships is difficult enough; understanding its purpose in brand building is far more challenging.

But as I’ve reiterated time and time again: business is human.

Developing a deep trust with your community is necessary for fostering the kinds of relationships that inspire loyalty and advocacy.

How can your business accomplish this? 

By understanding the two different layers of trust: explicit and implicit.

Most brands hyper-focus on explicit trust. 

This is the external trust built on surface value and authority. 

Businesses will emphasize skill sets, knowledge, and high value projects, creating how-tos and breakdowns to showcase their abilities.

This also results in boring content and a superficial connection with your community.
Authority lies not just in what you do. It also exists in how you lead your community.

How we convey authority does not rest solely on work-related content.

(Note: the topic of authority is a far longer, more nuanced discussion which I will save for another issue).

Your audience does not care about the step by step breakdown of how you designed a banner or approached a campaign. They don’t want to (or need to) know the nitty gritty technical details of what you do.

That’s why they hire you – to take care of that for them.

It would be one thing to have these types of discussion with peers in your industry. Those are appropriate spaces to share strategies, tactics, and methods to learn from one another.

But an audience filled with potential customers doesn’t care how you do it.

They just want to know that you will. 

You may be able to build a certain level of community with this type of content, but it will only go so far. It will be a gathering of followers, not loyal fans.

So what does create a greater connection with your audience? 

What will nurture the kind of impactful relationship that lasts?

Implicit trust.

This is the unseen, powerful layer that dives further and deeper into genuine community building. 

Much of brand messaging not only underestimates this component, but also struggles to incorporate it effectively into content.

Implicit trust highlights authenticity and develops subtle, unconscious connections with your audience to showcase your authority without shoving it in their faces.

What does this look like in terms of content?

I’ll provide two posts from my own X account as examples.

This post was an idea that came to me as I took an early morning stroll. 

The next one came about as a result of seeing excessive posts on how-to books across a number of platforms. I realized how few people actually read fiction.

Both came to me at a particular moment and I immediately posted them. There was no overthinking. I didn’t sit around for hours considering whether or not to share them.

They are my authentic thoughts and opinions. They reflect who I am.

And by sharing who I am, I’m also communicating greater layers of nuance which serve to strengthen connection and trust with my audience.

What do I mean by this?
Let’s consider the post on beauty. 

On the surface, it is a simple statement that has nothing to do with brand or content strategy.

But on many different layers, it also reveals a lot about me and my approach to my work:

• My stance on women empowerment (indirectly tied to values and leadership)
• My approach to aesthetics (indirectly tied to brand strategy)
• My philosophical nature (brand positioning: the number one feedback I get from clients is the thoughtfulness & depth of my business approach)
• Emotional nuance and sensitivity (indirectly tied to branding/content/communication)
• The quality of the writing showcases my creativity (indirectly connected to brand/content)

It demonstrates how I see the world and the way I think…which ties into building trust with who I am and therefore my approach to my work.

What about the post on books?

On the surface it has nothing to do with brand or content strategy.

But it reveals:

• My approach to creativity (indirect connection to branding)
• I’m well-read and love books (indirect connection to content)
• I’m not afraid to state my opinion or take a strong position (indirect connection to leadership + brand positioning / differentiation)
• Independent thinking & depth matter to me (indirect connection to my values + a great many other things)

Implicit trust develops by showcasing HOW WE THINK and PERCEIVE the world around us. It allows others to understand who we are without necessarily going into personal, private details.

It can only exist and emerge from a place of authenticity.

How can you incorporate this into your own content to build implicit trust for your brand?

Example 1: Designer

Design is about beauty within form and function, communication via visual language. 

If you’re a designer:

• Share your aesthetic. This is an important factor when clients make a decision on who to hire for visual work.
• What art or artists resonate with you? Why?
• What do you find beautiful? Where do you find beauty in your life? What does beauty mean to you?
• How do you find balance, proportion, and form in other areas of your life?
• What does creativity mean to you? How can you share an idea or thought that illustrates that?

Noah did a great job of this with a recent post about his father.

It’s personal and honest. It brings us closer to understanding his voice and who he is.

The post also indirectly shares his approach and influence with regards to creativity and aesthetics.

He values uniqueness and being different. This positions him as an artist in contrast to others who create templated or cookie-cutter designs.

Example 2: Storyteller

Storytelling is about change through the lens of emotional resonance and the human experience.

If you’re a storyteller or building a brand around writing:

• Share what makes you emotional. What resonates with you? Did you witness a moment that moved you? What made you laugh? If you’re a storytelling brand and all of your content is sterile how-tos, audiences will have a difficult time bridging the gap.

• Change should be one of your fundamental brand pillars. How do you support the change of others in your community? How can you talk about the fears and limiting beliefs that hold people back from transformation? How can you show your understanding of character arc in multiple ways?

• What does creativity mean to you? How do you deal with and approach the creative process?

• Observe the world around you. Share an opinion that showcases your strength in understanding and accepting the expanse of human nature.

All great authors understand people on a profound level – not just behaviors, but the deep why behind it. This is the reason they can write powerful, nuanced characters, ranging from the most difficult to like villain to the deeply flawed underdog you cheer on.

Example 3: Sales

Sales is about relationships, about the emotional intelligence and empathy necessary to connect with people and serve them.

If your brand helps people to sell better:

• Share moments in your life highlighting how you start and nurture personal relationships. Share relationships that are meaningful to you and why.

• Share your understanding of people. What do people desire? What is your understanding of the universal fears driving us? Showcase your compassion and skill for grasping emotional nuance.

• What does service mean to you? What does it mean to help someone – not just in business but in your everyday life? What experience or moment demonstrates your ability to actively listen and support others?

Ultimately, the implicit trust you build with your audience is not a tactical ploy.

It is an investment in your community and therefore your brand.

Consider your real life human connections. 

No matter how accomplished or extraordinary or experienced a person may be, if they were an asshole or deeply unlikeable…would you do business with them?

Of course not.

The same applies to online business and brand building.

We choose to work with those we feel aligned and connected to, those who resonate with us and consistently show us that we are seen, heard, and valued.

This is an intrinsic component of human nature.

Real trust – in life and in business – cannot be cheaply earned or established.

It requires committing to a long-term relationship with your audience.

Authenticity begets authenticity.

You must be willing to go all-in.

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