Development and Connection in the Time of COVID-19 by Cornelia C. Walther

Author:Cornelia C. Walther
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9783030536411
Publisher: Springer International Publishing

3.3.3 Cooperation Requires Trust

Trust in science, public authorities, and media is not free. Confidence in the system that one is part of does neither grow on trees nor can it be parachuted into a country. It is an attitude that must be earned and nurtured over time. In many countries, COVID-19 has damaged the delicate fabric of an already frail social contract. The ongoing crisis is a mammoth-test for citizenship. Countries that had invested in the foundations of this precious mind-set over the past decades have a major head start. But it is not too late.

Trust, defined as ‘firm belief in the reliability, truth, ability, or strength of someone or something’ (Oxford dictionary), is a low-profile gem which is easily taken for granted. It may take long to earn and can be lost in a heartbeat. It illustrates the interplay of all four dimensions of the human being: Nurturing trust involves an appeal to subjacent values (soul), a likeable emotional connection (heart), credible facts (mind), and coherent behavior as experienced by the target audience (body). “The question was: What can we say today so that people will be ready to hear what we need to say tomorrow?” asked Dow Constantine, a political leader in Washington State, describing how physician Jeff Duchin prepared people for increasingly severe public health advice (Kim 2020).

Experiments around the world have shown that even though humans are naturally inclined to trust others (Murray et al. 2013), they don’t always do so. Judgment is triggered by neurological signals in the brain which are activated long before rational opinions are formed (Zak 2017). Oxytocin is one of many brain messaging signals generated all the time. The amount in which it is produced signals in humans (and rodents) whether another being is safe to approach. Furthermore, it increases a person’s empathy, their ability to feel with others, which is a precursor of compassion (Zak 2012). Stress, which has risen sky-high for most people during COVID-19, is a potent oxytocin inhibitor. This makes the creation of trust from scratch even more challenging, but not impossible.

Credibility is generated by leadership behavior at all levels and in all sectors. It will be a determinant factor for the regeneration of public trust in the months to come. “The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality. The last is to say thank you. In between the two, the leader must become a servant” (De Pree 2003). Ultimately, trust depends on the ability of people to set a clear direction, because it gives others something to hold onto. For those at the top, it must be combined with the strength of getting out of the way of those under their leadership, trusting their ability to get the job done. A lesson learned from long-term research in business may apply more widely in the society post-COVID-19: Companies with a high-trust culture hold people accountable without micromanaging them. “They treat people like responsible adults” (Zak 2017).

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