trust & truth · from *deru-, "strong, steadfast"
Words deserve respect. With this in mind a year or two ago, in the preClaudian world, I shared brief thoughts on the origins of some popular words. My purpose was to suggest that a little knowledge of their origins can add richness to our use of them. Here is another, on Trust and Truth.
Trust and truth are the bedrock of civilised behaviour and now under threat more than ever. Much of the way we live is built on trust, whether in institutions, each other or even ourselves. Without it, the quality of our lives can be seriously diminished by the fear of hurt or loss and lead to a state of constant anxiety. We back away from even minimal risk-taking, our daily lives are fraught with difficulty and communications can become merely transactional.
But when we are trusting, our lives expand and we can feel safe, safe to take risks, make mistakes, argue with people and put setbacks into correct perspective. Psychological safety is really only trust by another name, and if we are perceived as trusting we are more likely in turn to be trusted by others.
Patrick Lencioni makes trust the basis of his 5 (Dys)Functions of a Team pyramid, indicating that without a foundation of trust, the progress of a team towards Results (Trust, Conflict, Commitment, Accountability, and Results) may well be undermined. It was Lencioni who said: "When truth takes a back seat to ego and politics, trust is lost".
Which brings me to my point. "Trust" and "Truth" share a linguistic origin, the ancient word-root "deru-", which meant "strong" or "steadfast". When something is seen to carry the strength of truth, then the freedom brought by trust can follow.
Do you find it difficult to trust others? This is a well-known measure of personality and an important part of my self-awareness coaching. If you would like to work through this with me, do get in touch. You can reach me at richard@hilliardcoaching.com.