Trust deficit

“What we’re experiencing is a trust deficit.” Over the last few weeks I’ve heard this a number of times to describe the weak numbers, or lack of following and disengagement.

A trust deficit begins as a perception deficit. When what we see doesn’t match what we are being told, we can start to question both.

I have often tuned into leaders standing at a podium delivering a town hall briefing or a press conference. What strikes me is that they do not always seem to believe the narrative themselves. They can feel the uncertainty, the gaps, the things that are still unresolved, yet their role requires them to project confidence and a ‘steady hand on the wheel’. Sometimes it feels as though they are reassuring themselves as much as everyone else.

Is trust less straightforward than honesty or dishonesty?

Rose-coloured optimism can be extremely valuable but create its own distortion, without necessarily meaning to deceive. A disappointing result becomes temporary. A missed target needs more time. A difficult response from employees, customers or the public is attributed to resistance or misunderstanding. Each explanation may be reasonable on its own but together they create a more comfortable story .

Information changes as it moves through an organisation. People make judgements about what to say, how strongly to say it and when to remain silent. When someone has experienced ridicule, aggression or professional consequences for challenging a prevailing view, they learn very quickly what can safely be said. Others observe it and learn too.

Self-trust matters. What happens when the people expected to project certainty are themselves unsure which information, interpretation or instinct to trust?

The person with the greatest responsibility can be operating with a surprisingly incomplete picture. They may sense this themselves. They know information has been filtered. They know people have agendas.

There may be no single deception to expose and no individual who possesses the complete truth. Authenticity does not resolve that. We can be completely authentic about what we believe and still question whether we are seeing clearly.

We look for truth and authenticity in other people, while they are doing the same with us. When perception itself is uncertain, what do we trust in ourselves?