Trust vs. dominance.
That’s the battle we’re in.
I’ve been thinking about the world through this prism lately particularly when it comes to leadership.
Personally, I’ve always been a believer in the trust model of leadership. Transformation becomes possible if you can earn trust.
Trust is the currency.  The gold standard.

Trust is the end result of an investment in a relationship.
It takes time, there’s will be up and downs, but if you can get there the rewards are infinite.
The All America City era Delray Beach was  built on trust.
And trust needs to be built brick by brick. So the process is important too. It requires an investment of time.
Time.
Now there’s a concept.

Today’s world teaches us to be impatient.

We want instant results, therefore we’re often unwilling or unable to commit to a process that does not offer immediate rewards or guarantees.
But if you choose trust over dominance there are no shortcuts.  You have to put in the time. You have to take the risk.

Trust is fragile, it depends on people showing up, it depends on institutions living up to their promises, and it depends on citizens doing their part by getting and staying engaged.

The matriarchs and patriarchs of our Black community called it “the covenant”—you either lived up to it or you didn’t. The best leaders strived to honor the covenant, to keep their promises and follow through on plans co-created by leadership and citizens.
The worst “leaders” we’ve had abused that trust. Invariably they failed. It’s a guaranteed way to lose.
And those who violate the covenant harm us all. For every breach, for every broken promise, the price gets higher and higher. It gets harder and harder to rebuild trust.
What results is cynicism.
Cynicism is hard to overcome.

Sadly, we live in a cynical age. It is the highest tax in the land.
Other “leaders” bypass trust altogether and go straight for the exercise of raw power.
Dominance seems to be the “style” of the moment. Pick a team, stick with the team (no matter what) and double down on mean. If you have an advantage press it, if your opponent is down kick them, and if you are caught in a lie never admit you were wrong and question why anyone would ever dare question you.

What results is a bullying model in which those charged with serving us turn the tables and demand that we serve them, or else.
Granted, you can achieve short term results via this method. But you don’t get buy in, you don’t get the benefit of all the people, only those on your team. This model also creates followers not leaders so those benefits are minimal.
I don’t think this is a sustainable model.
But dominance is having a moment, there’s no doubt.
Dominance is also exacting a price, because bullying leave scars. You may get some results by breaking dishes, but you create a mess too, with some sharp edges to clean up.
I’m hopeful that we can get back to a trust based model of leadership, where consensus building, compromise and talking to others who don’t share our views is the way forward.
It’s a move toward unity—knowing we will never quite achieve it but believing it’s worth the effort to be inclusive.
It’s also a move toward community, a move toward a more perfect union, a kinder and gentler place where empathy, trust and freedom of expression are cherished, appreciated and protected. A place where we feel safe from bullies. And when they show up, we send them packing.