A matter of trust

Photo by Caroline Hernandez (Unsplash)

Ever since we were kids and had our first friends, we’ve had that question: will you keep my secret? We shared our children's worlds and stories that are even more precious to us today when we remember how sincere, and therefore beautiful they were. But much bigger than the stories themselves, there was trust. It was important to have a person you trusted but also to be that person.

As in childhood, trust is the most important leading indicator in business. Even today, people in the business world seem to put it ahead of money, the desire for autonomy, and fun at work. There are 8 known pillars of trust according to David Horsager: clarity, compassion, character, competency, commitment, connection, contribution, consistency.

They form a framework for learning to build and overcoming the twelve barriers to trust: conflict of interest, the threat of litigation, lack of loyalty, increasing examples of others untrustworthiness, the threat of exposure, lack of control over technology, fear of the unknown, negative experiences, individualism, differences between people, desire for instant gratification, and a focus on the negative.

With knowledge, effort and caring for others, it is possible to achieve an environment in which people trust each other. Such a team will surely achieve great results and will inspire each other to progress. Every microworld we are a part of gives us the feeling that the rest of the world is just like that. In that pleasant deception of ourselves, we seek and achieve more.

“Lack of trust is the biggest expense you can have,” Horsager says. In childhood, it could have cost us the most. A friend.