A couple months ago, one of my favorite bloggers – Charlie Judy author of HR Fishbowl – wrote a post titled Trust? Screw that. It’s a powerful read and one I suggest you take a look at.
In the post, Charlie talks about trust and it’s place in the work environment. I totally agree with him that trust in the workplace is evaporating. Quickly. And once there’s a aura of distrust, it’s very difficult if not impossible to get working relationships back on solid footing.
But I wanted to add a little something to the conversation about trust. Because I don’t believe that trust equates with blind faith.
When I think of trust, I think of having confidence or openness/transparency with a person. And should that bond of trust ever be broken, I would be able to recognize it. With blind faith, the confidence and openness is still there…but if the bond is broken, a person is unable to see it. (I guess that’s why they call it ‘blind’ faith.)
It’s OK to trust people – in both your personal and professional life. My question would be to whom should you give blind faith? And is blind faith appropriate in the work place?
I’d love to hear your thoughts on this.
- Are trust and blind faith the same thing?
- Can organizations regain the trust of their employees?
- Is there a place for blind faith in our workplaces?
Trust is a critical part of any working relationship so it’s important that we examine it. I trust you’ll drop me your thoughts in the comments . . .
Image courtesy of DIDEO
0
Kayathri says
In my opinion trust and blind faith are same. It is difficult for employer to regain trust on their employees because they just break the trust we had on them at first place. Even if we do regain the trust i’m sure its not going to be 100% maybe only 30 to 40 percent only. But in certain cases we have to agree with blind faith else its going to be very hard to retain an employee especially the talented. To build trust first we need to know the person very well then we can install this so called medicine “TRUST”. Being in HR line its very hard to trust anyone because almost everyone is selfish therefore we must be very picky in choosing friends and trusted employee.
Krista Francis says
I think trust and blind faith are completely different things. I have blind faith in my child because of an unconditional love that nothing except the most horrendous turn of events would shake. And I have blind faith in my dog because he’s a good soul.
Beyond that, I don’t see a place for blind faith in our lives. We trust spouse,s but that trust shouldn’t be blind — Elin Woods, Elizabeth Edwards, Jenny Sanford, feel free to chime in at any time!
Trust at work is built and earned through a series of experiences in which individuals or organizations follow through with promises and expectations. We trust employees when they perform, managers when they do what they say they will, leaders when they ‘walk the talk.’
Ellison says
When you have blind faith you will believe in someone or something beyond all doubt. Isn’t that what religion is about, you believe in something beyond logic or reason but based purely on faith?
Trust is different, it can be bent, it can be broken and most of all it can be rebuilt. Perhaps you don’t trust your manager but you trust your company, that trust could be rebuilt or gained in a new manager. If trust is lost it may take a long time to regain, and may not ever fully return.
Trust is much more fluid, blind faith is just as you said, it’s blind
John J says
Trust and blind faith are two completely different things. Trust is a great thing to have and give. It means you have earned a status with people you connect with that is not easy to attain, precious to keep and can be destroyed way too easy. Blind faith, as said before, is just blind. The occupants of Jonestown are a prime example of blind faith taken to the extreme. The only good Blind Faith was a band that Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood were in.
Sharlyn Lauby says
Thanks to everyone for the comments. It’s great to hear so many different points of view.
Sometimes being a manager is a lonely job which doesn’t always help when it comes to trust. There are moments when we just can’t share everything we know. Which is why it’s so important to practice what we preach when it comes to leadership. If we can properly balance the respect of keeping confidences with the appropriateness of sharing necessary information, hopefully we will be deemed trustworthy.
And on that note, I’m off to download a little “Blind Faith” on my iPhone…
Kathy Clark says
Interesting topic! My perspecitive is that employees don’t trust organizations, not so much because of what they do or don’t do, I think it is because most organizations don’t have good, consistent communication processes. Employees are human and when they do not receive information about what is going on within their organziation, or only get the information in part, they have the tendancy to “mentally” make up the difference. It’s funny how our head plays tricks on us and we can fabricate things in our minds that are not always accurate. This is when rumors start, gossip begins and the age old battle between management and employees rages on. I truly believe that the leadership at the top of most organizations is trying to do the right things, where they fail is not communicating the the what, why and how to employees.
This would make a great research project!
Lesa says
I agree with the title of this post and with all who assert that trust and blind faith are not the same thing. I think that an organization is no place for blind faith. (That’s between an individual and her/his God. And I still leave room for doubt!) Blind faith is all or nothing. You give it or you don’t. You give up your power when you give blind faith. That’s appropriate with God, but not in an organization.
Trust, however, is necessary and appropriate in organizations and higher levels of trust help most organizations perform better. It makes work easier when you trust your coworkers and your manager or direct reports. If you’ve read “The Speed of Trust” you will recall that trust has a speed factor that helps work move along more quickly. You trust that people keep their commitments and therefore you can do your work and not have to slow yourself down by constantly checking up on others. Organizations need to encourage actions that build trust. (And by organizations, we should clarify that organizations are people, executives and managers and individual contributors.)
I like Ellison’s comments about being able to bend or break and rebuild trust. Trust is more fluid. There are many nuances and levels to trust that don’t exist with blind faith. Within those varying levels, I might trust you with the keys to my car, but not with the keys to my house. I might trust you with a few dollars for groceries, but not with my credit cards or checkbook. I might trust you to make decisions that will increase profits for the organization (for shareholders; making it personal again), but not with decisions that are good for society or for particular individuals, if those decisions impact profits. Remember, layoffs aren’t personal, unless you’re the one being laid off.
I like the old saying, “Trust in God, but lock your car.” Everything is filtered through your experiences and your situation. Trust is fluid and your level of trust is filtered through how your organization, your manager, your coworkers have treated you in all the situations you’ve faced at work or through a layoff. I heard a proverb yesterday that seems to fit, “The ax forgets, but the tree remembers.”
Sharlyn Lauby says
@Kathy – Thanks for the comment. You’re spot on about people mentally filling in the blanks when they don’t receive enough info.
@Lesa – Thanks for the book recommendation. I’m going to have to check that one out!
Kavitha says
“I think there is a thin line between trust and blind faith. Blind faith doesn’t feature in our professional lives. It is reserved for our personal lives only. At the workplace, you are required to be trustworthy and vice versa.
Trust is an important part of an organization. In order to create an environment of trust, it is mandatory to put employees first and customers second. Employees need to feel empowered, which in turn will make them trustworthy. This concept was put forth by Vineet Nayar of HCL technologies.
Sharlyn Lauby says
Hi Kavitha. Thanks for the comment. I agree there’s a fine line between trust and blind faith. Hopefully, people are taking a moment to think about the concepts and where they fit into their lives.