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Has the Meaning of Trust Lost its Value in Today's Society?

I received quite a few comments from readers on my last blog post. One reader asked the following questions:

Has trust lost its value in today’s society?

If trust is lost, can it be regained?

In the political arena, polls are often cited to reflect high percentage numbers when it comes to the “non-trusting” of politicians. The media is then quick to cite high poll numbers for the “like-ability” of a candidate. In other words, society seems to be saying, “I may not trust you, but I still think you are good person.” Yet, how can you trust a political candidate’s integrity if you can’t trust or value their decision-making?

Trust, Integrity and Truth are the foundation for a successful company culture.  Yet, this foundation can be broken down quickly by one person’s lack of honesty – or lack of trusted truth. There is a major negative human and economic impact for an individual, a company or organization when trust is lost. 

We see how lack of trust bleeds into various industry sectors. In the restaurant sector, for example, business at Chipotle continues to be seriously affected by the 2015 outbreak of foodborne illness, despite the establishment of strict food safety measures. In the car industry, Takata airbags is the focus of the largest auto recall in history. More than a dozen different automakers have been forced to recall cars with its products installed. 69 million Takata airbags have been recalled or will be recalled by 2019 in the United States alone.

The root cause of these “trust breakdowns” is very simple: a lack of truth; a lack of confidence to speak the truth—even when it may conflict with the direction of management. While many rely on the convenience of modern technology to detect possible failures in a system, these cases show the root cause is often human error. This is why it is so important for a business or organization to build their team on a trusted foundation with the same mission to challenge one another and create an environment that is comfortable for sharing diverse ideas while others willingly listen. 

Trust is not something a machine creates. Human integrity and ingenuity create a machine you can trust. Collaborating on new ideas and innovations fosters the future of a company or business.

A Team Built on Trust

Many businesses, relationships, companies, treaties and negotiations upon which much of the foundation of our society are built, were based upon the trust of a person’s word, their name, their commitment—or, quite simply, a handshake: “I give you my word, trust me.”

Yet, what is the value of trust?

Today, many do not understand the “sacredness” of trust in a relationship or business. Building trust seems easy as long as you keep your commitment, yet once you lose that trust, you will never really regain it.

Trust is grown through a “common cause” belief system which we often call the mission statement of a group or company.

To build trust within your team, you must be willing to build relationships with each and every individual. A relationship that is built on trusted conversation includes diverse thoughts and ideas.  Honest conversation about issues and topics may touch on the weakness of a person, yet those weaknesses can always be turned into strengths.

You need to hold people accountable for their actions—and be clear about your expectations of their commitments to various action items and projects.

Trust speaks the truth, always. One has to be willing to speak the truth and listen to the other person’s experience or opinion.

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TRUST (n.)

1. reliance on the integrity, strength, ability, surety, etc., of a person or thing; confidence.

2. confident expectation of something; hope.

3. confidence in the certainty of future payment for property or goods received; credit to sell merchandise on trust.

4. a person on whom or thing on which one relies: God is my trust.

5. the condition of one to whom something has been entrusted.

6. the obligation or responsibility imposed on a person in whom confidence or authority is placed: a position of trust.

7. charge, custody, or care: to leave valuables in someone's trust.

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Why Should I Write a Mission Statement?

When I ask my clients for a mission statement, most of the time they’ll give me the company’s mission, but they rarely have one of their own.  Why?

Whether a company owner, department leader or individual, to write a mission statement is to find your unique purpose.

A mission statement is not only useful in business; it can be equally as beneficial to your personal life. As you grow and evolve, so should your mission statement.

What goes into a mission statement and what is its purpose?

You could begin with the basics such as noting your goals and objectives; however, I like to challenge my clients to really think about why they are doing what they do. What do you believe in? Are you doing something you have believed in since you were young? Would it be the job, career, life path that you have chosen to pursue today?

When asked, “Why do you do what you do?” the answers often range from an interest that developed in school to “It was easy for me,” to “I wanted to make money.”

We can all ‘work to pay the bills,’ and reach a level of ‘success’ —yet how many of us pursue our beliefs or dreams from early on? Most of us have to work, but life is not simply about doing a task. A mission statement helps to make work more enjoyable.

Success is an interesting term—and it’s often associated with financial gain. Yet, the only thing I know that truly makes money is the mint. What is the depth of happiness from money if you will always be chasing it? When you follow your heartfelt dreams, money will follow and happiness will be part of your daily life both professionally and personally.

As you go through the process of writing down thoughts, start you’re your interests and involvements, believe and begin to see the mission statement form.

A mission statement prevents you from ‘getting stuck.’ It creates a focus from which stems self-confidence. A mission statement should be a living, breathing document that you visit from time-to-time, so that your beliefs are always in line with your evolving aspirations and dreams. Ultimately, a mission statement will give you an understanding of your purpose.

Are You Listening or Do You Just Hear The Noise?

Before you begin reading this article, I encourage you to turn everything off and take a moment to breathe and listen to the silence of your surroundings. Clear your head…and turn off the noise.

For the last several years when meeting with groups or individuals, the first thing I request is that we take a moment to turn off cellphones and computers, take off our watches, and stop running the mental to-do list constantly through our minds.

Why?

When you take a deep breath and clear everything away, you can actually engage and listen to the content, emotion, thoughts/ideas that are being shared at a particular moment of time. Being an active participant in any discussion, be it personal or private, allows for growth—rather than just walking through the motions of life.

I have noticed over the years that we have lost the gift of truly listening to one another, to engage in thoughts and ideas. Listening leads to so many wonders of life such as innovation, collaboration, respect and understanding of different opinions.

Many years ago, we held a conference to discuss the impact of the computer age and the internet on the modern workforce.  Visionaries and industry experts shared with excitement the speed with which the workforce would be able to communicate with others around the globe. This new revolution, they thought, would make our lives easier, allowing for shorter workdays and more free time.  This visionary/futurist prediction held true in some ways, but we did not forecast the overwhelming barrage and clutter of information 24/7.  

The technology era has put human resources in a speed warp of time. We are not listening. We only hear words. This impacts the way we work, the way we live, and the way we care for one another as human beings.

I encourage people to truly listen. Many great solutions and innovations have been created through true collaboration in a time-effective way through to achieve the active engagement of conversational sharing.  By slowing down and actually listening to one another, I have seen many challenges, disputes and miscommunications settled quickly, in a respectful and collaborative way.

Listening does work.  I like to say we listen through the heart and we hear from the mind. Yesterday, for example, I was placing an order for a product over the phone. The customer service representative apologized several times for being slow in processing the order. “Your slowness,” I encouraged, “is not from lack of understanding of the technology. We both know that.  It is because you are not truly listening to my request.” If the representative had taken the time to listen properly from the start, there would have been neither mistakes nor time wasted.

I encourage all of us to slow down. Take a moment to turn all the outside noise off and see just how much you will experience and learn from listening—and what you can accomplish in a short amount of time.

Follow these steps:

Going The Extra Mile

I have seen and experienced a shift in today’s professional human capital.

Throughout the tenure of my career, I have had the privilege of interfacing with various levels of people across multiple industries.  Only recently, have I seen and experienced a shift in today’s professional human capital.

When I say “professional human capital,” I am referring to the current workforce in the “traditional” American industries of law, finance, engineering and healthcare.

A societal shift takes place each time man evolves.  At the turn of the 20^th century, for example, society transcended from the Victorian Era to the Industrial Revolution with the introduction of machinery.  Today, we are being transported from the Industrial Era to the ever-changing, fast-paced Technology Revolution. And, just as machinery played a major role in changing the way people worked then, technology is impacting our day-to-day operations.

Through many years of research with individuals and members from small and large companies, I have found that not only has the technology revolution shifted the way we work, it has shifted our beliefs, beginning with the employee all the way up to the leader.

A change in our workforce has been taking place over the last decade. We have become, what I like to term, a “coddled” workforce. I often ask an individual why they are pursuing a particular career and, 8 times out of 10, I am told, “I want to make money and have a nice life.”  Rarely am I told that a particular career path is something they believe in, or is an interest they have always wanted to pursue.

I have seen how the culture of companies is being affected by the new mantra of “It’s a job,” or, “It is not what I can do for the company it is what it the company can do for me.”

This shift influences the ethics and integrity of the core values of a company— from leaders with a lack of vision and mission to team members with a lack of belief and pride in their work.  There is an epidemic of people not willing to go the extra mile on a project— to take on an ownership role or to create a solution for a challenge. 

Most people today seem to have lost the zest of ingenuity that has been the foundational rock of our most successful companies of all time.  To have the attitude of “It is not my responsibility,” indicates that some people have lost their way in pursuing what they believe in. To carry this belief into a company, through all the various life cycles of a project, is detrimental.

So, I encourage many of my clients to step back for a moment when I give them the assignment to ask themselves these questions:  “Why am I doing what I do for my career?”  And,  “Is this something I dream about and am I willing to go the extra mile to pursue?”

If you are doing something with your career that you truly believe in, 

there are no limits as to where it may grow.

Withstanding Challenges

Civilization, companies, ideas and trends come and go. Yet a person, business or organization with a solid foundation of conviction and beliefs will make the commitment to stay fresh and grow without losing site of core values. They will withstand the challenges of an ever-changing world—and often grow to be better.