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Namaskaar
There is one implicit underlying belief that truly motivates
nearly all our actions. We don’t notice it, yet we are infused with it. When we
go to bed we believe that we will wake up the next morning. When we leave home
each morning we believe that we will return. When we buy something we believe
that it will function the way it’s expected to. When we delegate work to our
team we believe it will get done. Without this one attribute, human
relationships turn into poison, families collapse, society deteriorates,
countries turn suspicious and stand in arms against each other. That belief is
Trust in ourselves and others.
TRUST — is the one vital foundation on which our life is
built, sustained and fulfilled. Can you imagine a person — who mistrusts most
people; who suspects the outcomes of his efforts to be adverse, who generally
disbelieves what others say; who often doubts the coming moment to turn
untoward; who is consistently wary of motives behind good deeds of others. What
would these beliefs make such a person ? Possibly a bundle of nervousness,
apprehension and defensiveness, which eventually leads to resentment,
frustration, blame, hostility and total dysfunction. Without TRUST, life RUSTs
(note the partial anagram)
The increasing challenge we face today is that of diminishing
interpersonal trust, within families, in businesses, in polity and
internationally. A friend from Japan who was visiting Mumbai recently, mentioned
that the driver of a taxi she took was a fine man. As they talked during the
ride he mentioned that people these days did not trust one another and therefore
the situation had turned the way it was. Today we wonder when we get financial
advice or a medical prescription — whether it is really for our benefit or it’s
going to benefit the advisor only. The collapse of financial markets reveals
that trust was breached by many who were trustees of wealth and savings. The
author of MEGATRENDS 2010 has put it well when she writes :
Greed destroys wealth. Trust and integrity, by contrast
foster prosperity.
Having said this, the question is — Where does change lie ? A
contemporary author Stephen M. R. Covey writes beautifully in his book to tell
us to start with ‘Self Trust’. Self trust, he writes, is made of :
- Integrity (congruence between intent and behaviour),
- Capabilities (the skills, knowledge, attitude that make you relevant), and
- Results (your record of behaviour — how and what you got out of your actions).
Recently, I had a powerful experience of broken trust. The
people I trusted most, broke a commitment. They spoke about a self-created rule
on which their actions were based. The same people represented an institution
that taught right living, but in action they were not walking their talk. Former
US Fed Chief Greenspan wrote :
“Rules cannot take the place of character.” How
true !
The thing I like best is how Covey articulates capabilities.
He calls it the sum total of T-A-S-K-S — Talents, Attitudes, Skills, Knowledge
and Style. Only when we improve upon our capabilities, constantly upgrade our
knowledge and behaviour then we can be trusted. If our knowledge is current,
then we remain relevant. Tiger Woods, the legendary golfer, is an example of
someone who continually improved himself even though he was better than the
best. He took a year and half ‘slump’ to improve his swing. The Golf Digest
aptly referred to his ways as the :
“Tiger Creed : I improve therefore I am.”
But at the end of the day nothing works like results. Results
speak the loudest. Results want people to extend more trust. On the other hand,
result sans the other three attributes makes them unsustainable. It’s all about
walking the talk. As an anonymous writer has put it :
People don’t listen to as you speak; they watch your feet.
Happy walking this new year 2009 !
