Why We Make People Untrustworthy?

For ages, it has been well-known in all cultures that trust is the essence and core foundation to develop the right relationships and anticipate the right behaviors in our interactions with others, and these can be within their own family, teams, and groups of people in organizational environments, and with people in societies in which we live. In almost all situations, particularly in organizational environments, whether for-profit commercial enterprises or governmental organizations, the word "trust" seems more like a slogan on the wall, and the consequences of a lack of trust are evident in all matters related to not achieving desired outcomes. In an organizational work environment, the lack of trust manifests as increased stress among people at all levels, from leaders to managers and employees at the lowest rung of the organizational structure. This lack of trust is also reflected in reduced profit margins despite the focus on financial metrics, which are the primary metrics for CEOs and stock markets that measure the organization's performance. 

The age-old wisdom in many cultures and contemporary management literature has already shown us that focusing on results will never deliver the desired outcomes, and this focus is no better than chasing a mirage to ease your thirst. 

How do we handle this ‘trust,’ which is always seemingly on a slippery slope in all our interactions? Most of us are intuitively aware that focusing on results will not help us achieve them, yet we tend to blame the trustworthiness of the people we need to work with in the system for not achieving the desired results. What alternatives do we have to build trust across all organizations, grounded in human thought, where each individual makes their own choices in decision-making? What elements are lacking in our systems that sow seeds for the emergence of trustworthiness?

The following points out some insights that may help design the systems that can help us to have our systems where trust in each of us will thrive, where even larger ecosystems will unleash fresh energy to save us from the current unsustainable world where we elevate our consciousness to realize that there are no limits to development and also provide a truly sustainable environment for all life. 

What thoughts pop into your mind when you think through this post? Please share your insights.