I struggled earlier to find a topic for today’s blog post, and then one was literally dropped right at my feet.
My friend Charlie Green likes to say “I trust my dog with my life, but not so much with my ham sandwich.”
Several years ago we rescued this silly guy from Pennsylvania where he spent most of his puppy days running free on a farm without much supervision or training. He’s a happy dog and very loyal to my husband in every way but one. He loves to steal his shoes. And sometimes…well, he eats them. And each time this happens, my husband blames the dog. In truth, he’s been given so many opportunities to eat shoes that, at this point, the dog thinks it’s a game and an okay response when he finds them laying around the house.
As we all know, trust is a pretty complex subject and there are different types of trust. Some are based on competence, others on honesty. Many are situational. For example:
- You might trust Target to have the best selection, but not with your credit card information.
- You might trust your doctor to manage your health but not necessarily to manage your investment portfolio.
- You might trust your mother to keep a secret but not to cook a gourmet meal.
- And finally, you might trust your dog with your life, but not with your shoes 🙂
What are some other examples of situational trust? Leave a comment.
Barbara Brooks Kimmel is the Executive Director of Trust Across America-Trust Around the World whose mission is to help organizations build trust. She is also the editor of the award winning TRUST INC. book series. In 2012 Barbara was named “One of 25 Women Changing the World” by Good Business International.
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If you would like to communicate directly with Barbara, drop her a note at Barbara@trustacrossamerica.com
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I trust my husband with our relationship and finances and all matters of the heart but not to finish projects he starts.
Thanks for sharing Lea. I’m sure many of us can relate 🙂