We're one week on from the election, I must say I agree with the below opinion that personalities were critical in the unexpected result.

This piece from Tom Clarkson (of BritainThinks) cites trustworthiness as a key factor that moved the needle for Corbyn. I certainly felt he had consistency and time on his side when old footage did the rounds of his anti-apartheid lobbying, his grilling of Thatcher on housing, and his voting history on Iraq.

Whether in a political or a business-to-business environment, I personally surmise trustworthiness to be the sum of two key parts:

(1) Authenticity

Authentic trustworthiness is yielded from a significant track-record of retaining and executing against your values and your word. It relies upon a foundation of honesty and can only truly be achieved when there's demonstrable evidence that your audience can observe.

(2) Confidence

Whilst I think humility is an important variable in trustworthiness, I believe that having a powerful confidence in your attitudes is paramount. Whether you're looking at political or business relationships, the perception that someone is strongly self-assured in their opinions can often inspire a significant degree of trust in that person.

I of course recognise that many other contributing factors exist. In any case, Tom Elgar's sentiment from last week remains as pertinent as ever.