Trust is
defined as confident assurance or confident belief in. Trust is the single most
important element of any group project, organizational structure, governmental
system, business, church, or family. In business, for example, when the level
of trust is high, the speed of operations is high, and the cost of doing
business is the lowest it can be. When
distrust exists in the relationships of company workers, the quality and
quantity of work decreases, and the costs of production go up. Trust, therefore, is essential for
innovation, inspiration, creativity, freedom, morale, and everything that goes
into a successful bottom line. The same is true in church and organizational
leadership in terms of accomplishing the mission.
What
factors effect trust the most? In a
book called The Trust Edge, David Horsager shares the results of
research which identifies eight "pillars" of trust common among
successful leaders and organizations.
These pillars are: clarity,
compassion, character, competence, commitment, connection, and consistency.
Individuals working the hardest to become trustworthy in these eight areas are
the most valuable people to any organization.
Generally speaking, the forces demonstrated by the lack of or opposite
of these eight pillars, would be the greatest enemies to trust.
When trust
is absent or hard to garner, relationships tend to not work well. Ambiguity (or illegitimate flexibility) seems more
convenient than clear boundaries. Compassion and empathy are overshadowed by
selfish ambition and self-protectionism.
Offense is taken more easily when a co-laborers bad
character issues surface. Failures and lack of skill and competence degenerate
into blaming and shaming. Communication may break down, more so because of an
insensitive method of delivery than an unclear message. Collaboration on a project or ideal becomes
harder than the work itself. Commitment
to tasks and people become overruled by impulses of bailing out. Mistrust and dysfunction reign in the thinking patterns and
behaviors of difficult relationships.
It is often
easier to blame others, rather than looking inside, for the mistrust in
relationship difficulties. Pointing the finger illustrates how we try to remove
a splinter in our neighbor's eye, but at the same time harbor a plank in our
own eye (Matthew 7:2-5). While we cannot take charge of the change in another
person's life, we must take responsibility for the change needed in our own
life. When we improve our character and
learn how to become a more trustworthy individual, we have a foundation for
trustworthiness. When we demonstrate
competence in practicing our skills with what we've learned, we build the trust
necessary to develop or restore healthy, life-giving, and productive
interpersonal relationships.
The wisdom
of the Proverbs has much to say about the subject of trust and
trustworthiness. It all begins with our
concept of God and our ability to trust Him as an absolutely trustworthy
Refuge. "Trust in the Lord with
all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways submit to him, and he will
make your paths straight" (Proverbs 3:5-6). God can be trusted no matter what. We must confidently believe in his love and goodness for our
personal relationship with him. We can
rely on him to help us become a more trustworthy person. We can also rely on him to help us love
others in spite of their untrustworthiness.
Is your God big enough to trust?
Can you trust him for change in your own life? Can you trust him to change the people you may find it difficult
to trust at the moment? Can you commit
to growing in the eight areas mentioned above to become a more trustworthy
person? My hope and prayer is that you
can, and that you can find relationships with others who have made the same
commitment.
Note: The book Escaping the Pain of Offense:
Empowered to Forgive from the Heart discusses themes of dealing with
disappointments, offense and finding freedom in forgiveness. This book is designed to help people
(especially in the Christian faith) to
discover and dislodge things in life that lead to defeat. Don't miss out on
your chance to use this book as a helpful tool in discovering Refuge in Christ.
It can be purchased by clicking here:
http://bluerockbnb.com/healing/book_main.htm . If you get anywhere near
Pennsylvania for vacation or on business, be sure to look us up for lodging
at http://bluerockbnb.com
by Ed Hersh, Blue Rock BnB Healing Ministry
