Does it take the type of outrage, disbelief, horror and widespread media coverage of an event like 9/11 to awaken our consciousness to the trust deficit?  If so, we have it.  A new global threat is engraving a tattoo on the chest of humanity.  Will this common vulnerability distance us further or unify us?  What is certain is that it’s time to prioritize our efforts on a cure for the root cause rather than an antidote for the carnage. This stands true not only for the diseases that afflict us physically, but also for those that harden and decay our souls.

You will probably remember where you were on the fateful day of 9/11 2001. The event marked our memories and mobilized counterterrorism measures with an astonishing allocation of currency and resources. There were 2977 fatalities that day, a tragedy that is not lost on us. Yet 647 000 Americans die from heart disease each year at a rate of one every 37 seconds and I would argue that our memories are not marked by this fact. Are we misdirecting effort?  In society and business are we disregarding the root cause of events thus making our efforts in correcting them inefficient?  Let’s temporarily go back to heart disease. There is compelling evidence that heart disease (and cancer) can be prevented by following a healthy, nutritional diet, exercising regularly, getting enough sleep and managing stress more effectively. Should we not be focusing our resources on prevention rather than the $219bn heart disease costs the US each year in health care services, medicines and loss of productivity? By the same rationale if the spend and resource allocation resulting from 9/11 was aimed at building trust, empathy and respect prior to the event, perhaps today we would not even know what 9/11 means. 

 Are we able to answer the question posed in the heading of this article? Can unifying vulnerability rebuild the twin towers of trust and respect?  Vulnerability is at the very heart of trust. As a speaker and coach on trust I can make that statement with assurance. Vulnerability is the acknowledgement that we are interconnected and need the co-operation of others to be happy and successful.  In summary, we are so much better, together. Experiencing adversity highlights vulnerability and when vulnerability is expressed through showing our authentic selves to others it demonstrates our trust in them. Trust attracts trust and off that base people will openly share with each other. That’s connection! We are facing adversity on an unprecedented global scale and if we embrace vulnerability humanity has a real chance at unity.

Contact Shane on 0837775012 or shane@idthree.co.za to arrange an engagement for your business so you can address the root cause and allow trust to be the catalyst for performance