Simply Lisa

My husband and I took our daughter, aka "the kid," to the surgical center to have her tonsils removed. We met the staff on a tour a few days earlier so there were a lot of hellos and high-fives as we checked in. A clothes change, a warm blanket and 45 minutes later, we were holding the kid's hands as she walked to the operating room with the anesthesiologist. We continued to hold her hands as he talked with her about the mask, placed in gently over her face and quietly guided her to sleep.

Talk about trust.

In a recent post, the hrbartender struggles with the concept of giving trust versus earning trust. She questions, "are most people willing to give trust unconditionally?" As I was leaving the operating room and walking to the doctor's waiting area, this very thought crossed my mind. Did we unconditionally offer our trust (and our daughter) to the staff of the surgical center? Did we do so too quickly?

No, we did not.  We have come to completely trust our pediatrician of 8+ years as a partner in our daughter's health. What did we base our trust on beyond him? Initially we based our trust on the medical profession but we ultimately based our on trust on research and reputation.

Before the surgery we trusted the providers and our trust continues after the surgery. We trust, but it is not unconditional. For us, the providers are in what the hrbartender referred to as ‘trust limbo.’ The providers were amazing with the kid, but I personally have go to see what a person is made of, over time, before unconditional trust can enter the relationship equation. 

This trust equation extends far beyond the provider-patient relationship and into every aspect of your personal and professional life. HR professionals, take a moment to consider your interactions, your reputation,  your decisions. How long do you keep people in 'trust limbo' with you?

Are you on the path to trust? 

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