Back in the old days (think Ancient Greek or Viking times), our word was considered VERY important. We took an oath VERY seriously, and if we broke our word, we could easily face expulsion from the tribe and a very grim time of things, maybe even death.
Back then, like any time since, people relied on trust to get along. But with illiteracy being the norm and with zero high tech to boot, there were no contracts to sign or photographic evidence to submit. All we had were ourselves to bear witness, so our word really counted.
Plus, with most of us being pre-industrial serfs (at least in Europe), there was nowhere else to go. Most people never went more than a day’s walk from their houses (too dangerous). You couldn’t ghost people. You had to live with them. You couldn’t just load up the truck and move. Or get divorced. Or send out resumes and change jobs or cities. For most of us, we lived and died in the same hovel we were born in, with all our relatives and farm animals to keep us company.
As time went by, however, our society progressed and things like reading, writing, electronic data and videos made us need oaths much less. So too did things like social mobility and big cities. Suddenly, it’s not just “mano y mano” any more. We’ve got the receipts, the electronic evidence, written proofs, the law firms galore, the silicon chips and the power of the modern State. Not to mention a culture where going back on one’s word is seemingly more and more normalized.
And it all creates a lot of friction.
If you get someone’s word but there’s only a 50/50 chance they follow through AND the only alternative is a messy tangle of paperwork, tracking, and surveillance, it’s like we’re wading through deep snow. Every step is harder than it should be. And in a modern economy where speed is the lifeblood of a company, this friction can be a death sentence.
Maybe our ancestors were onto something.
One reason companies with great cultures can run rings around their competition is that not everything has to be written down and signed in blood.
People say what they’ll do and do what they say.
Our word actually means something. Everybody wins.
