Agreements are meant to be fulfilled genuinely, not merely technically. German law and culture expect parties to act in good faith—honoring the spirit and purpose of agreements, not just their literal terms. Technical compliance that violates what everyone understood the agreement to mean is not satisfactory performance.
When working with Germans, bring genuine commitment to your agreements. Do not look for loopholes or minimal interpretations. Ask yourself what the agreement was really for and perform accordingly.
This builds trust because your counterpart sees you are genuinely committed to the relationship’s success, not just defending your technical position. Good faith makes ongoing relationships possible because parties can trust each other to perform sincerely.
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