At dinner last night with friends, I told them of the two recent Inner Circle discussions I've facilitated on the topic of trust (one at the New York Stock Exchange in April; the other at BT headquarters in London a couple of weeks ago). They immediately pounced on the topic and the conversation quickly became animated. Everyone, it appears, is fascinated with the topic of trust.
Specifically, our group of six focused on who each of us trusts, starting with individuals, then focusing on organizations, corporations, institutions, and brands.
Each of the group express the same level of surprise expressed by the executives at our Inner Circles. When the question "Just whom do you trust?" was posed. The unanimity of response was almost comical. Each mouth opened with what appears to be a quick response, then closed as the speaker reflected on the proposed answer and had second thoughts. After a pause, each came forth with one name. Some had two or three. None had more. Even after my prompting, only a few more names emerged. President Obama was the only public figure mentioned, and by only one person in the group. Someone mentioned her family doctor, but then changed her mind when she considered "he's probably getting money from big pharmas, too."
When we got to organizations and institutions, it was just as difficult for people to find trusted names. It was much easier for them to cite those they do not trust. From Tylenol to Toyota to the Catholic Church to Congress to politicians of all stripes, a laundry list quickly developed.
Everyone was surprised at how strongly and deeply they felt distrust for so many outside their closest circle of family and friends. One said pointedly, "When I think of it, there are probably three people I totally trust in this world."
Hmmm. Consider the impact of such widespread distrust on even casual conversations, not to mention efforts to reach people through advertising messaging.
You may want to ask the question of your own friends and colleagues. I suspect the conversation will be as animated as ours was last night.
Author of I is for Intercourse: The ABC's of Conversation, Susan Bird is the visionary behind Wf360, and a sought-after speaker around the world for her views on leadership, the strategic importance of conversation, entrepreneurship, and the role of women business leaders.
Ha. What does that say for the massive opportunity for public relations in the future? Of course, the necessary foundation is substance: exemplary customer service, honesty, brand personality (for differentiation purposes from the "faceless" organization), and corporate responsibility beyond philanthropy. And it's this type of brand development and customer/public experience I hope to build for clients in the future. Companies that are perceived to truly care will be profitable through difficult economic times. As an example, Patagonia has seen great earnings in the last two years.
Posted by: Mario Vellandi | May 27, 2010 at 12:37 PM