The loss of trust, says the philanthropist, is immediately connected to polarization within communities and from there to far-reaching divisions. “The first element is to rebuild trust in our world. The ability to reach across divisions and bring people together to collaboratively plan and develop solutions that are sustainable because all stakeholders are aligned behind that solution,” she explains.
Rockefeller starts from an individual point in order to recover collective trust. He assures that everyone has a defeat or trauma in the past and that only through overcoming this and being vulnerable about it, ideally in a group setting, does one begin to restore confidence: “Seeing behind the mask, that allows confidence to be increased in the group.”
David Rockefeller’s daughter explains that this is the starting point for later develop deep listening that can be exercised even if you do not agree with the other. This, he says, develops people’s ability to reach across divisions, work together and create lasting change. “Generate the ability to listen deeply and sincerely to the other even if you do not agree and, by that type of listening, the other comes to feel appreciated, which can actually compensate for the difference in opinions because people feel close to each other.”
Naturally, by accepting differences, he explains, one can come to think systematically and create solutions that are not just “a Band-Aid” for a problem. Rockefeller says that when people listen closely, they begin to appreciate each other’s perspective, then a collective sense of the problem is reached and therefore a more lasting solution.
The last component of the system created by Rockefeller is the inclusion and this is based on taking as part of the solution those who are usually left out of the design of solutions: “Including those affected by the problem quadruples the potential for genuine solutions.”
“And I would go so far as to say that whether you are in business or civil society, or whether you are a philanthropist or a government official, having the ability to listen deeply to people from other sectors or with different opinions is a very important skill. important in these days of separation, polarization and, indeed, lack of trust.