When building relationships, the goal of the other party should be as important as your own. Relationships that are solely based on self-interest are neither sincere nor authentic. 

Building relationships means giving, but without knowing when you might get something in return. While you can pinpoint the starting point of relationship, the end result is always uncertain. Good relationships are reciprocal, but one never knows how long will take before favours are returned. 

Organisations often do not start building relationships until they need something, but by then it is too late – others will understandably doubt sincerity and intention. A pre-exisiting network, built on trust and reciprocity, should already be in place, ready for an organisation to turn to when they need it most. 

In the book Managing Authentic Relationships, Prof. Dr. René Foqué of Leuven University argues that trust has two sides:

• Functional confidence refers to reliability. It is about the belief that the other person’s actions and words are congruent.
• Moral trust refers to the integrity of a person or an organisation. It’s about trusting that the person or organisation acts for the common good: not merely for their own benefit.

For a fully trusting relationship, both functional confidence and moral trust are necessary. When one or both is missing, the trust in a relationship is incomplete.