America has a real trust problem. We've lost trust in our institutions and each other, and the ramifications for society are immense.
Recently a senior partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers wrote in the Harvard Business Review about how businesses should focus on building trust with their customers. A recent survey showed that Americans are wary of trusting companies on issues such as cyber security, employee relations, and transparency. A crutch for many businesses, the author wrote, is not having a dedicated employee or department charged with building trust. Much of his advice was helpful, but the piece could have been distilled into a much more effective message: Anyone who wants to be trusted must be trustworthy.
This goes for individuals, businesses, and the state. Because all are comprised of fallen people, there's always the temptation to hide missteps and protect our image. This goes back to the Garden of Eden. It shouldn't take a dedicated employee in the C-suite or a checklist from the Harvard Business Review to act virtuously, but in the end, that's the only true "secret sauce" to building real trust.