What makes a person, group or organization trustworthy? When a friend says they will meet you at the cafe at such and such a time, you show up a few minutes early and they show up right on time, you trust them for the next time you meet. You build a historical memory that what they say they will do is what they actually will do. They gain a reputation in your mind for trustability. They show up when times are tough and they laugh at many of the same things you do. They share some of their deeper feelings, and become part of your circle of best friends.
These are the kind of things that make people trustworthy. There are others, but you get the idea. It might sound a bit simplistic but they gain a personality of trust. This is one of the most coveted and misunderstood roles in society. I say coveted, at one time it was. It may still be highly coveted but it feels like lots of people don’t care if you trust them anymore.
That may be in large part because we are part of a world of distrust. So many things have broken down in the chain of trust today that it is difficult to get the feeling out of your head can I trust this company or this scientist, or politician or just about anyone anymore.
This is going to cause many of us very serious problems, because life itself is based on trust. I have to trust that as I’m driving down a single lane road, that you will stay on your side of the road and not crash into me. I have to trust that when I make go to the store, that my goods and services will be there and of a high quality. I have to trust that my government wants to do good for me and mine. I literally could go on for hours as to how important trust is to all of us every day.
Some places or stores offered money back guarantees for their products. Their word was their bond in other words. You could trust them to make it right, make you whole, provide you with excellent services and products.
Is it too much to say that today, much of that trust is gone. I don’t know. I could be exaggerating it some. Bu ton the whole, I do think it is fair to say that Trust has been losing ground in so many quarters.
This brings me to a very important question, How do you regain trust? Here again are some simple thoughts. Stop being distrustful, stop trying to hurt me or disrespect me, start by showing time and time again that you can be trustworthy again and give guarantees that you will do everything to win back my trust.
This will be the project of a lifetime I suspect. It is one of the foundations of civilized society. Let’s bring back the TRUST.