Trust – The Most Divisive Word In Any Language

Ironically, “trust me” may be the two most divisive words in any language.

Trust itself is – at best – the most fragile of concept. Once achieved it exists in a state of continuous dynamic tension between those who ask for it to be given, those who expect it to be offered, and those who think they have earned it. Any imbalance between those forces can destroy in an instant what it may have taken years, or even a lifetime, to create.?

In a society where memes have replaced meaning and buzzwords like collaboration and sustainability are a proxy for critical thought, we tend to enshrine certain words and phrases, putting them on linguistic pedestals to be unquestionably worshipped. While we seem to believe that this enshrinement gives us solid goals to strive for, the result is exactly the opposite. Overused and isolated these words lose their meaning, become unobtainable, and almost impossible to actually find examples in the “real” world. But their near ubiquitous presence taunts us into behaving as though they were somehow in our control.

Trust is a classic example. We all talk about it – a lot in fact. It’s hard to go through a day without hearing the word trust flow from the mouths of politicians, underpin brand claims, or pop up as a source of affirmation in casual conversation as in, “Trust me. I know all about it.” Maybe one of the reasons the word trust is so overused is because real, authentic, actual, honest, trust is so rarely found in our individual our collectives experiences.

Unlike luxury goods where scarcity only increases value, the scarcity of real trust makes the word seem like a mirage that we continually seek but can never reach, a verbal oasis that promises a relief that will never come.

So, if we agree that trust is so critical and that examples of real trust are so hard to find, how could we go about taking trust down from its pedestal and restoring its meaning and presence, making it a tangible cornerstone of life rather than the idol towering over us?

It starts with understanding that trust is the result of a process, and a fairly arduous one at that. It is a journey that must begin with small steps and where encouraging leaps of faith just to gain ground should always be discouraged. We need to stop begging for, promising, and/or chasing trust and instead start establishing a clarity of purpose that can serve as a foundation from which trust can be built.

This means knowing – and clearly communicating – what and who you are and, equally importantly what you are not. In the commercial world, it means letting your customers and trading partners know what you stand for, what you stand against, and the width of the line that separates them. And, of course, you have to make sure you aren’t caught in a lie. Or, said plainly, avoid lies all together.

In a political world this requires sticking to one, clear, dominate position and, when compromise is needed, explaining it in the context of that overarching position rather than denying that a compromise has been made for the sake of achieving a strategic or tactical goal that supports that core position or belief. Make no mistake, compromise will always be part of the equation.

Many nations for example say that they won’t negotiate with terrorists but almost all of them do in one form or another, say in cases of freeing hostages. Taken as the assertion of two dominate principles – “We never negotiate with terrorists” and “We are working to get our hostages safely home” – it’s easy to begin experience the trust equivalent of cognitive dissonance. But, if the principle is, “We will always try to keep our citizens safe and get them home in times of crisis” then negotiating for the release of hostages underscores trust, even when it means occasionally dealing with people or causes antithetical to our own interests and beliefs.

A brand whether commercial, political, or societal is a promise and every “brand artifact” – from a product and/or service, to sourcing and supply chain relationships, to internal corporate policies, and advertising and marketing campaigns is an opportunity to prove or disprove the validity of that promise. The same is true for governmental laws, priorities and budgeting. ?If your goal is to build real trust, not just to proclaim your trustworthiness, then your integrity has to be demonstrated every day in every way.

So much of modern life and business is built around the notion of instant gratification. When it comes to trust, that’s a non-starter. The momentum of trust is built one step at a time and never achieved by trying to rush to the end state.

As the focus of this year’s World Economic Forum shines a spotlight on the need for higher level trust. That’s good, but it is critical to remember that assuring trust begins with setting the cornerstone at the very base of a building that can support all that will sit on top of it, not just by placing a “ornamental trust us” capstone on the top.