We often get referrals from trusted friends and family because 4 in 5 Americans (81%) view their personal connections as trustworthy in the information they provide. Much fewer believe social media/advertising to be trustworthy. - Online Survey by The Harris Poll from February 2, 2024 to February 5, 2024 among 1,079 U.S. adults, ages 18+.
After we moved into our current house, I was searching to find a heating and cooling company who could install a smart thermostat in a dual-zoned area of our house. I did get referrals even though we just moved here and left messages with detailed explanations of what I was looking for. Never had I experienced so much modern-day "ghosting."
Driving my husband to work after he had rotator cuff surgery that year, a heating and cooling van pulled up beside us at a light. I didn't recognize them and asked my husband to text me their name and phone number.
Before I ever even contact a service professional (or publish anything on my website), I do a lot of online research - due diligence. I've had too many experiences where the ad, website, service process or work did not reflect who they truly were. I also read very few 5-star reviews since these notoriously can be fake, paid reviews with a discount or literally made-up. Instead, I read the 1- and 2- star reviews.
From the negative comments, did the person have a legitimate reason for posting this or was this just a rant for something of their own doing? Did the service professional offer a response and was it professional and reasonable? If the service professional doesn't respond or responds defensively with no ownership or deletes the negative review, there is no trust.
We always want to know the best about someone or something but what we really need to know is the worst before we can begin to trust them. No one is perfect, even those who get all 5-star reviews.
I hired that heating and cooling company, and they did exactly what they said they could do.
It was surprisingly difficult to find a relevant definition of trustworthy other than the dictionary definition until I found Bruce Kasanoff's version: "Trustworthy means to take ownership of your words and actions and recognize that you live in a world in which they will increasingly be recorded, remembered, analyzed, and replayed."
He goes on to describe that cringeworthy moment when a son or daughter of a personal friend, posts on Facebook, “Still drunk. Blew off work” or something to that effect. It's like buying a billboard in Times Square that conveys, “I am not trustworthy. Don’t hire me.”
Memory is all around us. Every connection through a digital device leaves a trace. Each time you use your phone, watch, tablet, laptop and even your car contributes to your digital footprint in some manner. There's a difference between being passively trustworthy and proactively trustworthy - so much more I will show you in future posts. - Extreme Trust, Don Peppers and Martha Rogers and Ghostwriter's Credo — Be Trustworthy — Bruce Kasanoff
If you read the About section of my website, you'll know that I was a Financial Controller. What always amazed me was that someone on my staff would do great work managing an aspect of the company's financials only to find out at some point that their own personal finances were in disarray.
People will find out the truth, now more than ever. Whatever you disclose in words, comments, likes, reactions, pictures, video, leaves a trail of your character whether you realize this or not. The online world is building a profile of your character.
If your online character and real-life character don't reconcile, there is no trust. To be trustworthy, the two must be same. Otherwise, you are just a character for the "on-camera" scrolling feed.
Trustworthy sources are out there, the caveat is that you'll need to dig deeper to find them. It doesn't take going down a rabbit hole, but it does require going beneath the surface.
Want to Know If Someone Is Trustworthy? Look for These 15 Signs | Inc.com
Who Do You Trust — Bruce Kasanoff
This is not a popular subject of published content or writing. Finding relevant (personal finance + technology), credible sources was difficult. Many related to academic writing or workplace guidelines. In addition to the resources above, I created this relevant guide.
5 Ways to Find Trustworthy Sources - Due Diligence
Photography credit - Cary Wauters - Antelope Canyon, AZ