What is trust and how do you maintain and build upon the trust you already have? Further, how can you build trust when it doesn’t exist?These are important questions for today’s rapidly changing world. The word trust goes to the core of who we are as individuals and as a country because it forms the foundation for effective communication. When trust exists, almost everything else is easier and more comfortable to achieve. Trust is the supreme moral, ethical and social value that is not the exclusive province of any individual organisation or group. It denotes honesty, confidence, truthfulness, reliability, dependability, responsibility, faith, etc.Dr Duane C Tway in his book “A Construct of Trust” defines trust as “the state of readiness for unguarded interaction with someone or something”. He calls trust a construct because it is constructed of three components: “the capacity for trusting, the perception of competence, and the perception of intentions”. The capacity for trusting means that your total life experiences have developed your current capacity and willingness to risk trusting others. The perception of competence is made up of your perception of your ability and the ability of others with whom you work to perform competently at whatever is needed in your current situation. The perception of intentions is your perception that the actions, words, direction, mission, or decisions are motivated by mutually-serving rather than self-serving motives.The challenge of government, business, community leaders, churches, schools and family units is to create an atmosphere of mutual trust that is applied to our everyday lives so that we create a culture of being more helpful, considerate, respectful, and sensitive. Trust is the cornerstone and foundation for present and succeeding generations, not just in theory but in practice. These are the attributes that made Bermuda a very special place to live, visit and do business. We must ensure, without fear or favour, that these attributes are not compromised.It is vitally important that politicians, business leaders, public servants and the public at large earn and maintain the respect, support and trust of each other. Trust inspires confidence, reliability and mutual respect. It makes it easier for people to work together and it makes business and social life predictable. It is the linchpin that holds countries, organisations and families together. We, in leadership positions, need to make trust infectious through leading by example.Trust in our multicultural, multi-faith society should be deeply rooted as a core value. Therefore, the willingness to trust and honour one another and seek the common good must transcend religious, political and social bias. Trusted relationships allow us to connect successfully with others.One of the most important things we do in life is interact and communicate with other human beings with integrity, truthfulness and transparency. Providing information about the rationale, background and thought processes behind decisions is another important aspect of maintaining trust. Being trustworthy and civil in our everyday lives is a time-honoured way of improving the quality of this interaction. A better quality of human interaction makes for a better life, which is likely to be more meaningful, healthier, happier and productive.Trust is built and maintained over time. Trust is telling the truth, even when it is difficult, and being truthful, authentic, and trustworthy in our dealings with others. It is not a matter of technique, but of character. It is not because of our polished exteriors or our expertly crafted communication, but simply because of our honesty. A lack of trust between stakeholders is what is wrong with Bermuda today. This is exacerbated by economic and social stress that is impacting the entire community. In these troubling times, we must work hard to restore trust and make it clear to the public that we honestly feel their pain and commit ourselves to work together for the greater good.In our aggressive and competitive society, there is a greater need for us to be civil without thinking of ourselves as being diminished; to be assertive but sensitive; and to practice respect for others as we would want others to respect us.