Trust is everything. When trust exists between people, within families or organizations, large or small, there is significant room for both empowerment and failure, unity and general well-being. However, when trust is not present, there exists at least a profound measure of insecurity and at most the dehumanization of the those involved. Everything is in disarray. Consider the following simple reflections on trust. Trust is not about the presence of perfection. Sometimes we do not extend trust because the slightest infractions of those to whom we might grant trust breeches our sense of confidence. Yet except for Jesus Christ no one is perfect. If the standard for extending trust is the perfection of the recipient then we are dooming every person and every opportunity to abject failure. No context can effectively sustain such an environment. Indeed, an environment in which there is freedom to fail might actually enhance trust, for within that environment people are empowered to learn from mistakes, demonstrating teachability and humility, and they may indeed achieve greater success because thoughtful responses to failure often procure greater victories for products and people and practices. Trust is not about position. Sometimes we assume that because an individual has a title or a pedigree that he or she automatically should be trusted. Now it is generally acceptable to give measures of trust to someone with a particular title or position because there is an appropriate expectation that a healthy vetting process has taken place as a precursor to someone accepting …See Entire Article
