Edelman’s annual Trust survey is out. Some of the numbers actually went up this year, but as in previous years, they are basically describing a trust “crisis.” The numbers vary by country and by industry, but there’s enough consistent bad news to leave us (once again) with the feeling that we’re not doing enough on the issue of trust in our organizations.

I am not surprised, of course. Trustworthy is one of the four basic human elements we talk about in Humanize–elements that have been missing from our cultures and processes for the last 100 years. Until more companies figure this out, our trust numbers are going to remain low.

So what do we do about it? Edelman provides a list of 16 attributes that contribute to trust. At the top of their list they include listening to customers, treating employees well, and communicating frequently and honestly about the state of the business. The list goes on in the categories of integrity, products and services, purpose, and operations. This is all good, but we might be overcomplicating things. I think trust is fundamentally about the visibility of two things:

1. Competence
2. A true commitment to the interests of others

We trust competence. If you perform badly, we don’t trust you. That one is really quite simple. So the more you can make visible that you are competent at what you are doing, the more we are going to trust you in general. I will stress, though, that this does not imply that you should hide your failures. Note that I said trust is about the VISIBILITY of those two things. If you only make visible the positive, it makes me nervous. I wonder what you’re hiding. But if I see the whole you–including the mistakes AND what you’ve learned from them–then I will trust you more. Bragging and demonstrating competence are two different things. So Edelman’s “attributes” around products and services and operations are mostly about being competent.

Committing to the interests of others is essentially about not being selfish. We don’t trust selfish people. They focus on THEIR interests, not ours. Someone who is trustworthy is someone who will protect my interests, even if they don’t have to. Maybe a different word is “care.” I trust people who care–about me, about the environment, about justice, about treating people well. All of that shows a focus on the interests of the other rather than the interests of the self, or at least a proper balance of the two. The rest of Edelman’s atributes (integrity, purpose, engagement) are about committing to the interests of others.

So, CEOs…. I’d like to have a word with you. Your trust numbers (according to Edelman) are pretty bad. Globally, trust in business is right in the middle: 50%. That’s not great, but it’s not horrible either. But trusting leaders to tell the truth? That’s only 18% world-wide (15% in the U.S.). So the next time you’re walking from your office building to go get lunch, count off ten people on the street you walk by, and try to guess WHICH TWO actually think you might tell the truth!

Only two out of ten people trust you are telling us the truth (for Government leaders in the U.S. it’s only 1 in 10, by the way). We really need you to turn that around. Trust increses speed and agility. Trust helps tap into the power that we are currently squandering with a workforce that is disengaged. We’re not going to access that when your trust numbers are that low. And I’m not even playing to your ego here and suggesting that you are the hero that can turn the trust equation around with your exemplary behavior.

I’m telling you that you’re holding us back! There are already people in your company that are probably doing a good job at demonstrating competence (including the learning from failure part) and showing that they care. That’s why our trust levels for business as a whole are up to 50%. But you’re holding us back as you potter around in the executive suite, knowing that 8 out of 10 people think you’re lying, but not doing anything about it. Okay, maybe that’s a bit harsh. But we really do need you to step up, CEOs. I know you’re busy. I know you’re overwhelmed, in fact, and you are accomplishing a great deal. But I recommend you take a look at your priorities and find ways to weave in the competency and caring elements in visible ways. Be more transparent. Speak more truth. Maybe take the time to explain things a bit more than you do now. Get clear on what your interests are and what other’s interests are so you can demonstrate your commitment. I think the leaders that figure this out and model it for others in the organization will tap into new power.