Last week in Scotland I was involved with a panel discussion where some guidance was sought for what makes Scotland stand out on the world stage when it comes to business. At that moment it came to me to state something that perhaps could have been obvious.
Scots are known the world over, and for centuries, for being of Integrity, having a high standard of Ethics, and, to summarise, being people you can TRUST.
Now, over the years I have supported clients around their brand, positioning, vision, purpose, values and more, Many times when they have stated such values, I have encouraged them to look less generically and more uniquely.
This time, however, in a world where so much is uncertain, change happens so fast, and where we have so much “fake news” and distrust of media and institutions, perhaps this “back to basics” approach is more than enough to help Scotland stand out in the crowd?
You can trust a Scot!
Now, where did that insight come to me from to say just that at that moment? How do I know what I know?
Trust is one of the themes I’ve been focussed on in conversations, reading, research, including Distributed Trust. No wonder something relevant for the moment popped out.
One more thing. This graphic is from the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Scotland (ICAS). Though I have not had any involvement in accounting in my work for a long time, I remain proud to be a member of a body where the members are known, above all else, for their Ethics. I applaud ICAS for their constant focus on Ethics (see here).
