One of the more important relationship decisions we make is whether we default to trust or default to distrust.
There are obviously trade-offs on both. And it depends a lot on what situation you’re in.
The benefit of defaulting to trust is that trust begets trust. People have a wonderful way of repaying the trust you place in them.
The downside, of course, is that once in a while, you’ll find somebody who will misuse that trust. And hurt you. Some in small ways, some in much larger ways.
Defaulting to distrust means you place a very high bar before you trust somebody. That obviously insulates you from those failures in trust.
But it also means you get to enjoy very little of the upside. Because trust is the foundation of great relationships.
My thesis is that while there are environments where distrust might be the dominant strategy, in most professional environments, defaulting to trust tends to be the way to go. There’s a lot more upside because the strength of the relationships you build often end up shaping the rest of your career.
There’s no right answer, of course. There’s just trade-offs. Don’t let a “policy change” be the outcome of a bad experience or a tough upbringing.
Best to choose our default intentionally and thoughtfully.
A Learning a Day 