A statistic stopped me cold recently.
According to the 2026 Edelman Trust Barometer, 7 out of 10 people are hesitant or unwilling to trust others. That means most of the people you interact with every day — colleagues, clients, prospects, and direct reports — are walking into conversations with their guard up. Not because they are difficult people. Because the world has made them cautious.
We are living through a trust recession. And if you lead people, sell anything, or build a business, that reality is showing up in your results right now.
The Ground Is Shifting — And People Feel It
The same Edelman research found that only 32% of people believe the next generation will be better off than today. When people feel uncertain about the future, trust becomes harder to extend. That hesitation doesn’t stay at home. It walks right into your workplace, your sales conversations, and your leadership interactions.
It shows up when a client assumes they’re about to be sold to before they’ve been understood. It shows up when collaboration inside a team slows because people are protecting themselves instead of leaning into each other. It shows up when employees quietly wonder whether the people making decisions actually understand what it’s like on the ground.
Distrust is not just a social issue. It is a business issue — one that directly affects culture, productivity, collaboration, and growth.
Trust Hasn’t Disappeared. It’s Become Personal.
Here’s what the research also reveals: while institutional trust has struggled, people are actually gaining trust in those closest to them — neighbors, coworkers, and friends.
That tells us something critically important.
People no longer automatically extend trust to brands, organizations, or titles. They trust individuals. They trust the people who take the time to know them, understand them, and show up consistently in their lives.
Trust has become personal. And that changes everything about how we lead and how we sell.
Trust Grows Through Investment and Proximity
This is something I have been teaching for years in my work as a human connection expert. People trust the people who invest in them.
Not the person who shows up when there is a transaction to close. Not the one who appears once and disappears until the next opportunity. People trust the ones who consistently show up, pay attention, remember the details, and make them feel genuinely known.
Trust grows in proximity. It builds through repeated interaction, shared experiences, and small moments of genuine connection over time. When someone feels like you truly see them and care about what matters to them, trust forms naturally — and it compounds.
This is exactly why relationships have become the most powerful competitive advantage available in business today.
What Changes When Trust Is Present
When people feel known by you, the entire dynamic shifts.
Conversations open up. Collaboration accelerates. Decisions move faster. I learned this firsthand early in my sales career. I was taught to knock on doors, pitch quickly, and move to the next prospect. But the more I operated that way, the more I felt something was missing. Transactions might close deals, but relationships build businesses.
When I stopped chasing the quick sale and started genuinely investing in people, everything changed. Referrals increased. Clients stayed longer. Conversations became richer and more meaningful. That is the compounding power of proximity and investment in relationships.
The Real Opportunity in a Low-Trust World
In an environment where most people are hesitant to trust, the person who consistently shows up, invests in others, and builds genuine relationships over time stands out immediately. Not because they are trying to be different. Because they are doing something increasingly rare.
They are being human.
This is why I believe so strongly in building relationships before you need them. When trust already exists, everything else becomes easier. Business moves faster. Teams perform better. Opportunities emerge that would never exist otherwise.
The Edelman data confirms what many of us already sense. Trust is fragile right now. But relationships are powerful. And the people who understand how to invest in them will always have an advantage.
Because business and life still move the same way they always have.
At the speed of relationships.
Barb Betts is a keynote speaker and Human Connection Expert. If you’re ready to build a relationship-driven culture on your team or at your next event, visit barbbetts.com.