Trust - the key element.

Just a short entry tonight as I'm waiting for Sandy to come back from a shopping expedition with her relatives. I've banged on about trust in terms of knowledge sharing. However, I was wondering about a larger question today - trust in our leaders. When I lived in South Africa we listened for unbiased news to the BBC and over the years the BBC was seen as a paragon of virtue.

The trust that is built up in people or organisations can take a long time to develop but like the walls of Jericho can collapse ever so easily. I think that the reaction of people to the scandal about editing and the phony phone ins have made a massive dent in peoples perceptions of the BBC and the perception that it is different because it's not commercial.

Also I'm glad in a world where I can get information from a variety of sources and although it may be conflicting or wrong - I do find that through that variety more truth shines through. This search for variety isn't new.

The Greek writer Herodotus 2500 years ago believed in ther simple art of asking one source a question and then asking another and compare the answer. He also taught the value of self doubt and a rabid sense of curiosity that is not easily satisfied. Maybe we as knowledge managers should learn to walk about and talk to people to look and to listen.

I have been criticised for walking about and practising these but I beleive that not only do they develop the social networks but we can observe what is going on and not what superiors are telling us are going on.

The other is trust in our leaders - I think that the news today regarding the CPS not finding anyone to prosecute in the cash for honours scandal (at least it hasn't been cliched with a 'gate') will be met with a weary shrug of the shoulders and the stock of our elected leaders will take another lurch lower.

As another blogger points out in a blog today 20/07 Guido Fawkes points out about the link between the number of peers created and how many were donors to the Labour party.

Trust in an organisation is key to knowledge sharing and if there is no trust in the leaders of the organisation this I then believe percolates down the organisation. If there is trahison de clercs at the top of the social society does that effect us as people.

I hope not and I think not. Just a thought on a late Friday night. I'm reading an article on talent in organisations and I hope to post a comment over the weekend.