Trusting nothing is unreasonable. It hinders creativity and growth. Excessive controls and processes increase costs and hinder agility in the face of change.

“Trust is one of the most expensive things in the world, and it’s one of the scarcest things that we have right now.” – Kyla Scanlon

Blind trust is imprudent. There is no accountability for actions taken, and the consequences of ill-thought-out actions are often severe and harmful to the organization.

Trust is the confident expectation that a person, organization, system, or piece of content will act or function in a reliable, competent, and ethically consistent manner, even in the absence of full oversight or immediate proof. Managing trust allows you to establish processes that quantify:

• Who or what do you trust?
• What is the extent of that trust?
• For what purpose has trust been assigned? (Authorized or assigned?)
• Over what periods is that trust authorized? (or assigned?)

These factors can then be assigned to:

• People: Trust means believing that someone's actions and intentions are honest, dependable, and aligned with their stated values or commitments.
• Organizations: Trust involves confidence that an institution will operate with integrity, transparency, and accountability, and fulfill its obligations to customers and stakeholders.
• Mechanisms/Systems: Trust reflects the belief that a process, tool, or system (e.g. a safety protocol, software platform, or algorithm) will perform predictably, securely, and without hidden risks.
• Content: Trust in content refers to the perception that the information presented and used is accurate, unbiased, well-sourced, and delivered with honest intent.

Trust is the belief in the innate goodness of the persons, organizations, systems, and content we deal with. While this is great in theory, reality demands we “trust, but verify” or in some cases, “verify, then trust”.

When applied across your organization, these factors enable consistent decision-making based on current situations and anticipated outcomes. This replaces ad-hoc decisions with a consistent process, reducing costs and simplifying operations.