By Lisa Hauf
Earlier in the school year, I had questions about a procedure the school implements. So, I did what anyone should do when they have questions, I asked. I asked why it happens the way it does. I questioned why parents aren’t informed about certain situations. The next thing I know, I’m sitting down with the principal and assistant superintendent. Guess what happened when we sat down and talked? I got answers. A level of trust started to form.
Forming trust isn’t always one-sided. In my case, it took reaching out to the school and asking questions; this can play into any aspect of our lives – from relationships at work, with friends and even our spouses. But when we ask those questions, we must listen with an open mind and be willing to learn.
I was recently at a public relations conference and almost every speaker used the word “trust” because it is crucial in everything we do. Faith breaks easily, but before it breaks completely, we must hold some responsibility to seek answers and find the truth.
In the world of social media, it is easy to fall prey to misinformation parading as fact. How can we build or maintain trust, unless it becomes a two-way effort?
What about the food we eat? Is it fair to assume what one farmer or rancher does is what they all do? How do we know our meat is safe? How do we know it is okay to feed our children oatmeal in the morning? We need to form a level of confidence and this can be hard when there is an excess of negative content being pushed at us. This is when it becomes our job to ask the questions.
As consumers, let’s take responsibility to find out the truth. We must be held accountable before we allow the trust to be broken.
If you have questions about farming and ranching, please reach out to On Your Table and ask your questions. We have several farmers and ranchers who are ready and willing to honestly share why they do what they do on their farm. It could give you insights into your food you never thought about before.
Lisa Hauf is mom to three young boys and the director of public relations for NDFB.