Our book Trust at a Distance outlines 6 strategies for leaders to build trust when people are working remotely. Earning trust without being physically present is challenging, but history offers many examples of people who gained the confidence of others through effective long-distance communication. Here are five:
1. The Founding Fathers and the Federalist Papers
Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay built trust with the American public—and among the states—through their anonymous Federalist essays. Most readers never met them and did not know their identities, yet the clarity, consistency, and reasoning in their writing helped secure trust in the proposed U.S. Constitution.
2. Allied Resistance Networks During World War II
Local resistance leaders were often in hiding or constantly on the move, making in-person communication impossible. Still, they built trust with scattered cells through coded messages, radio transmissions, and exchanged documents. Many never met face-to-face but relied on consistent signals, shared purpose, and dependable follow-through—literally placing their lives in the hands of people they had never seen.
3. Gandhi and International Supporters of Indian Independence
Pressure on Britain to leave India came not only from within the country but also from supporters abroad. Gandhi used letters and essays published in global journals and newspapers to spread his message. People who never met him trusted his vision deeply enough to organize protests, raise funds, and apply political pressure internationally—contributions that strengthened India’s liberation movement.
4. Reagan, Gorbachev, and the Dissolution of the Cold War
Although Reagan and Gorbachev met in person only three times (November ’85, October ’86, and December ’87), their lengthy correspondence was instrumental in building trust. Their extensive letters created enough mutual confidence to launch meaningful arms-reduction talks, ultimately helping bring the Cold War to an end. One of the most significant geopolitical shifts of the 20th century grew largely from remote communication.
5. The Underground Railroad Networks
This secret network of routes and safe houses relied on letters, coded quilts, and word-of-mouth signals shared among escaped enslaved people, conductors, and allies. Trust had to be earned without direct contact, based on shared values, consistent patterns, and reputations built through action rather than presence.
And finally, this bonus:
Beginning with the partnership between Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace, scientific progress has long depended on researchers working continents apart who entrusted one another with ideas and findings despite never meeting—sometimes without even sharing a language. The history of scientific advancement is, in many ways, a history of trust at a distance.
