How many people in this world do you trust?
My answer is ‘All of them’ until they suggest to me that they cannot be trusted. If we start from a position of trust, we normally end up approaching discussions and negotiations in a positive and constructive frame of mind. if you trust employees, for example, then ‘industrial relations’ can also be positive and constructive.
This means that – whatever the personal, ethical and social implications, adopting a stance of ‘trust first’ makes good business sense.