Who’s In Your Circle of Trust?

Recently, I've been thinking a lot about how trust is evolving alongside technological advancements—asking myself what is the ‘circle of trust’ of the future???

This concept once comprised solely of people now needs to include so much more. Think about brick-and-mortar locations, virtual instructors, social media platforms, vaccination statuses, online businesses, personal devices, NFTs, and cryptocurrencies. The internet has made it possible for people to experience more, create more, consume more; and unfortunately, be scammed more.?

The level of trust in any particular entity, ecosystem, or person can ebb and flow, however, the demand (and hope) for trust in society remains constant. I was reminded of this when reading an article in The New Yorker about the state of trust. The article pointed out our inherent nature as humans to form trusted circles, citing how “tribes became villages, which became towns, city-states, nations; through elastic social identities, we found ways of sustaining tribal affiliations at scale.”?

So how do we promote trust in the digital age and why do we need it??

Trust fuels sustainable growth?

I don’t recall where I learned the team-building exercise I am about to describe but it’s been one of the most impactful tools to leverage when helping a group realize their collective power by establishing trust in each other at critical business moments.??

This exercise, the Trust Circle, requires a selected group of individuals to assemble in a circle. One by one, each person in the group takes a turn sitting in the middle of the circle. When in the middle, you are not allowed to speak or react—only say thank you—as all others sitting around the circle take a few minutes to speak freely to you, sharing what they need more of from you; what they would like you to do better; how you can be a more trusting partner.???

You can’t hide in this exercise because you are expected to speak your truth and own past commentary that you have made to others about others sitting among you. You are being held accountable for your thoughts and given an opportunity to truly impact potential outcomes and future behaviors.??

I’ve run this exercise in the Brazilian forest, along The Embarcadero in San Francisco, and on Zoom. No matter the setting – the vulnerability is high, and the effect is transformative. A group of talented individuals has suddenly created an action plan for and with each other fueled by transparency and authenticity. And this was made possible because the group was operating in a circle of trust.?

Scaling trust in the digital age?

As our interactions and transactions only multiply, I believe trust circles will emerge as critical infrastructure to protect people and propel the economy forward. I am not talking about China’s social credit system but rather building rails that enable a world where we could combine our trust circles (everything from LinkedIn to TikTok, alumni groups, family members, and favorite influencers), organize them by use cases, moments and experiences, and leverage them for contextual, relevant decisions.??

What if I could connect my trust circles to my Amazon account, only seeing reviews from people whom I trust vs. people I have no idea about their buying behaviors, values, or intentions for the reviews.?

What if I could connect my trust circles to business reviews allowing me to select from vendors, suppliers, and entities who have done business with professionals I respect.???

What if I could connect my trust circles to my Airbnb account, enabling me to pick from homes with stellar reviews from people who value similar experiences as I do??

Rachel Botsman once said that we have come to trust systems more than people. By digitizing and scaling trust circles, we can start to rebalance that. We can sustain the supply of trust that our world needs.?