Episode: 370

Episode Title: Trust and the Golden Rule

How do you respond when someone doesn’t live up to the trust you’ve placed in them? It’s tough, but you have to lead by example. Let’s talk about it, next on The Perna Syndicate.

Ep 370 show:

Welcome to The Perna Syndicate today! Yesterday we talked about what to do if you broke someone’s trust at work. But how do you handle it when someone breaks yours?

Well, first off, you’re a professional and you’re not going to act in an unprofessional way. If you’re committed to a culture of trust at work, you’re going to need to lead by example in this situation. No gossip, no revenge. And, hard as it may be, this may even include a level of forgiveness toward the person who violated your trust. 

That doesn’t mean you instantly trust that individual again, but you do let go of any residual anger over the incident. You open yourself to the possibility, if not yet the reality, of someday rebuilding trust once more. 

After all, isn’t that how you would want someone to treat you if you broke their trust? It’s just applying the Golden Rule to the topic of trust. None of us are perfect, we’re all limited, finite people, and we’re all going to fail each other at some point. Extending grace is a true gift in that situation. 

Trust is a two-way street. If you want to be authentically trusted, you will need to authentically trust those around you, to the best of your ability. It’s not always easy, but it’s worth it to make trust a real driving force in your workplace.

Thanks for being part of The Perna Syndicate this week. Next week, we’re going to talk about an imminent crisis facing the education system—and what we can do to alleviate it. Take care, and we’ll see you then!