Trust is Not Blind Faith

Several months ago, one of my favorite bloggers -- Charlie Judy, author of HR Fishbowl -- wrote a post titled "Trust? Screw that."  It's a powerful read and one I suggest you take a look at.

In the post, Charlie talks about trust and its place in the work environment.  I totally agree with him that trust in the workplace is evaporating.  Quickly.  And once there's an aura of distrust, it's very difficult, if not impossible, to get working relationships back on solid footing.

But I wanted to add a little something to the conversation about trust.  Because I don't believe that trust equates with blind faith. 

When I think of trust, I think of having confidence or openness with a person.  And should that bond of trust ever be broken, I would be able to recognize it.  With blind faith, the confidence and openness is still there...but if the bond is broken, a person is unable to see it.  (I guess that's why they call it 'blind' faith.)

It's okay to trust people -- in both your personal and professional life.  My question would be to whom should you give blind faith?  And is blind faith appropriate in the work place?

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this.

• Are trust and blind faith the same thing?
• Can organizations regain the trust of their employees?
• Is there a place for blind faith in our workplaces?

Trust is a critical part of any working relationship so it's important that we examine it.  I trust you'll drop me your thoughts in the comments.

(Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on HR Bartender.  The concept of trust eroding in the workplace still exists.  So we wanted to resurrect the conversation.)