CRISIS OF TRUST: HOW TO FIX WHAT'S BROKEN IN BRITAIN'S BOARDROOMS, BEDROOMS AND BEYOND

Trust is in dangerously short supply these days. From politics to once-dependable institutions and even within close-knit teams, confidence is fast evaporating. Trust is easy to lose and hard to earn. It’s built over time but lost in an instant - whether in personal relationships, businesses or in the corridors of power.

In this week’s episode, Rachel and Simon discuss and debate how we built it, lose it, regain it and cope with it - starting with the individual. Want people to trust you? It’s all about being the same on the inside as you are on the outside. “Trust starts in the mirror, not in the memo,” as Rachel puts it. When it comes to relationships is honesty is non-negotiable? Or can we carry a certain amount of mistrust? In business too, is trust all? Effective leaders know how to be straightforward with staff and the public, take personal responsibility for decisions and engage in authentic and transparent dialogue.​ Does building trust in teams or organisations demands honest self-assessment, clear purpose, and a willingness to engage constructively with conflict?

And when trust is lost in politics, rebuilding competence is what’s needed. Not to be confused with PR or reputation management. The public expects politicians to act not spin. From the Post Office scandal to grooming gangs, from Ratner calling products ‘crap’ to BP CEO pretending the spread of the oil spill is negligible, trust in public bodies crumbles when facts are swept under the carpet and victims’ voices are denied. Ordinary people can cope with uncertainty, but they won't stomach dishonesty or hypocrisy, and when leaders bury the truth, it's not just the direct victims who lose faith - the whole public suffers.​

Key takeaways

· Self before system: inner alignment beats performative signalling.

· Rupture is inevitable; repair is a skill (truth + accountability + consistency).

· Don’t confuse comms with credibility; behaviour is the message.

· Values work only when tied to observable behaviours and consequences.

· In high-stakes issues, be trauma-informed, not optics-led.

Practical actions for leaders

· Schedule one “repair conversation” you’ve been avoiding; name the rupture and propose a path back.

· Replace one all-staff email with 10 targeted 1-1s that rebuild credibility.

· Translate your values into two columns: “Looks like / Doesn’t look like” and use it in PDRs.

· In contentious debates, separate transparency (honest facts) from disclosure-dumping (deflection).

· Adopt “listen to hear → reflect → respond” as your process for dialogue.

BOSTON CONSULTING TRUST INDEX

https://shorturl.at/zmmzQ

REBUILDING TRUST

https://shorturl.at/XOVT7

For more about Rachel: Who Is The Fearless Facilitator? - Fearless Facilitator

For more about Simon: Who We Are – Diversity by Design

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