October 1st, 2008
The element of trust is
imperative in any relationship we partake in. This is especially true
in working relationships as well.
Trust is a factor in life
that holds or folds relationships of all kinds. Trust is knowing you
can fall and you'll be saved from hitting the ground. It's giving the
unwritten security of your life in the hands of someone else without
the risk of that person doing harm to you in return for their own benefit.
We put trust in friends,
family and co-workers. Sometimes it's easy. Other times, not so much.
We try to put trust in leaders and our managers, although sometimes
this is a harder mission to accomplish. This then begs the question:
why is it harder to trust people in authority when they should be the
ones we ought to trust by default?
They say trust is earned
- this maxim cannot be denied in any manner, shape or form. When a demonstration
shows that their words are true, the bond of trust is established.
For example, a staff member
confides some personal information to their supervisor seeking help
on how to get through the conundrums of life. If the supervisor keeps
the information privvy and does not go around blabbing about it to fellow
supervisors or other members of staff, then a sense of trust has been
established and earned.
Otherwise, the one who
entrusted that information will feel betrayed, and will be less likely
to share any information with that supervisor, even if it's
job-related. Without trust, then chaos will ensue and nothing will get
accomplished.
We entrust our leaders to
put our best interests to heart and work together to guide us towards
our intended goal. When the leader does something to corrupt that trust,
that then affects their credibility and their image as a leader.
The issue here is we need
to start giving substance to the values of old: trust, friendship and
selfless acts towards our fellow humans. Once this begins to occur,
we can come together and direct our energy towards the goal rather than
repairing fickle conflicts and irrelevant barriers we've established.
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