The person who grants permission cannot be the person who benefits from the outcome.

observation — attributed to Ben Erwin

Asked to name the star of his company, Erwin points to the AV technician who mics up a nervous speaker ninety seconds before she walks on stage. The meeting planner and the chief marketing officer both want something from that speaker, which is exactly why neither of them can give her what she needs in that moment. A stranger with no stake in the outcome can hand her permission to be looked at; someone with a stake cannot. The observation identifies a structural fact about trust: reassurance is only usable when it comes from someone who has nothing riding on the response.

For understanding why a disinterested party can sometimes do what an invested one cannot.

trust, structural-position, reassurance, stakeholders