Building TRUST is about Understanding Your Privilege

When I was president of the women's group at church (the church from a former life and marriage) there was a woman who seemed like she really didn't like me. I couldn't figure out why. I invited her to have lunch at my house and she kind of pulled her head back and asked why, like she was suspicious of my motives. I told her that I was inviting her over for lunch in order to get to know her better.

She ended up accepting the invitation.

During lunch she really opened up in trust and told me that she had had a baby with special needs and had been told to put her in a foster home, she did and that baby died by age 3. She felt horrifically guilty.

It turns out that because she knew I was a Special Education teacher she had been afraid of me thinking that I would look down on her.

There's nothing worse than feeling guilty and having someone enter your life and put more guilt on top of you. I was blessed to be the listening ear she needed.

I'm so glad I didn't accept her disdain and reached out. It was definitely an opportunity for discovering my own privilege.

Jenny Landgren: “Trust is the currency of every connection. When we meet in that place, that's when the magic happens. Through the years I have made many choices as to what level of information I share with the people around me. I like to say that people enter through my choice to be vulnerable, and they enter with my permission. That's a choice that we get to make every day. It is as if we are handing over the key to our home to those people.

Just because I once handed over a key to a person in my life, whom I trusted at that point, doesn't mean that I'm not able to change the lock. It is a fresh choice that I make every day and I get to make it wisely as to who I invite in and who I listen to.

I am massively grateful for the people in my life who I am choosing to let in and who get to be in my closest circle.”

~Excerpt from the book “People Come First”

Available on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/People-Come-First-Business-evolving/dp/B0BJ4WR8J7/ref=sr_1_1?crid=12YLFEVR97V7U&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.BBd6d0qI3e1UXzLUeKw1EcFLmUI35BDkBalwfdqV3y3GjHj071QN20LucGBJIEps.Xaee7b1jFsPRIx8VayxQoiviKjzlRtZJo1iBch9HZew&dib_tag=se&keywords=People+Come+First+Terry+Earthwind+Nichols&qid=1713030855&sprefix=people+come+first+terry+earthwind+nichols%2Caps%2C204&sr=8-1

You can enjoy the event recording from Top Voices in Leadership on TRUST here: https://youtu.be/Mr3UFxd_8Sg?si=P1R2aQUS-3K1FaBP

Dorrit K. ?

Jenny Landgren ?

Steena Marie ?