Building Community Trust in Remediation

When disaster strikes, your response defines your brand. Environmental crises like oil spills or emissions scandals test more than your systems. They test your values, leadership, and preparation. The stakes are high: ↳ Act quickly, or risk losing trust. ↳ Be transparent, or face public backlash. ↳ Show empathy, or damage relationships for good. Let’s look at two outcomes: • Coca-Cola faced water depletion criticism in India. ↳ They rebuilt trust by launching sustainability initiatives and partnering with local communities. ↳ Their transparency turned backlash into credibility. • BP’s response to Deepwater Horizon became a cautionary tale. ↳ Downplaying the spill and showing little empathy cost them $65 billion—and trust they may never recover. The takeaway? Crises reveal your priorities. How to prepare for the moments that matter: 1. Act Fast: Acknowledge the issue immediately. Speed shows responsibility, and silence erodes trust. 2. Be Transparent: Share regular updates—even the tough ones. Honesty builds credibility. 3. Show You Care: Admit mistakes, express empathy, and focus on the impact to people and the planet. 4. Build Trust Beforehand: Strengthen relationships with communities and experts now—they’ll be your allies in a crisis. Environmental disasters are a company’s ultimate stress test. The question is: Will your actions match your values? Let’s talk about what preparation looks like. 👇 If you found this valuable: • Repost for your network ♻️ • Follow me for more insights on brand reputation • Join 25,500+ subscribers for actionable tips to protect your brand: https://lnkd.in/edPWpFRR #CrisisManagement #BrandReputation #SustainabilityLeadership

A CHALLENGING SCENARIO - When artisanal miners are resistant or hostile, consider the following strategies: Initial Contact/Engagement 1. Use local intermediaries: Engage local leaders, community elders, or respected individuals to facilitate introduction and build trust. 2. Start with small groups: Target smaller groups or individuals, gradually expanding to larger communities. 3. Non-confrontational approach: Avoid direct confrontation or criticism, focusing on shared goals and benefits. Building Trust 1. Empathy and understanding: Acknowledge historical mistrust, listening to concerns and validating experiences. 2. Transparent intentions: Clearly communicate your goals, emphasizing benefits for the community. 3. Consistency and reliability: Demonstrate reliability through regular visits and follow-up actions. Alternative Engagement Methods 1. Radio or media campaigns: Utilize local media to raise awareness about responsible mining practices. 2. Community events: Participate in local events, festivals, or markets to engage with miners informally. 3. Educational materials: Distribute informative materials (e.g., pamphlets, posters) highlighting benefits of sustainable mining. Collaboration with Local Authorities 1. Partner with local government: Work with local authorities to gain access and build credibility. 2. Law enforcement support: Collaborate with law enforcement to address potential security concerns. 3. Joint community outreach: Conduct joint outreach programs with local authorities to promote responsible mining. Incentives and Benefits 1. Economic incentives: Offer financial benefits, such as improved market access or fair prices. 2. Social benefits: Provide access to healthcare, education, or infrastructure development. 3. Technical assistance: Offer training and equipment to improve mining efficiency and safety. Respectful Withdrawal/Retreat 1. Avoid confrontation: If faced with hostility, withdraw and reassess approach. 2. Re-engagement strategy: Develop a new strategy, considering alternative entry points or intermediaries. 3. Long-term perspective: View engagement as a long-term process, focusing on gradual progress. Last Resort 1. Seek external expertise: Consult with experts in conflict resolution or community engagement. 2. Government intervention: Collaborate with higher-level authorities to address critical issues. 3. Re-evaluate objectives: Assess whether objectives align with community needs and adjust accordingly. Remember, building trust and engaging artisanal miners requires patience, empathy, and persistence. Adapt your approach as needed to address unique community dynamics.

“They didn’t even know the name of our Director of Planning.” ✨Why to get to know communities before you start planning projects - and 4 tips to get started.✨ That quote was from when I worked in Southern New Jersey. There was an outside group that came into the county to do resilience planning. The group said to the community, “For instance, we would want to engage your Director of Planning.” The community instantly lost respect for this outside group. How could these outsiders even pretend to know anything about the community, if they hadn’t even taken the effort to know the name of their Director of planning? ************************* I experienced something similar when I started working in Northern Mexico years ago from my graduate research. I had irrigation managers roll their eyes at me while I was talking. Then I finally got to know more of the history of the region. I mentioned the Easter earthquake they experienced, and some of the specific impacts I heard about. Finally, the irrigation managers took me seriously. One of them even looked at me and said, “What did you say your name was?” You must meet a minimum baseline knowledge before you start working with new communities or they will not take your recommendations seriously. **************************** 4 easy tips to get started 🔹 Get to know the names of some of the key community leaders. 🔹 Study maps. Get to know the basic geography - where the different neighborhoods are, the cities, the county boundaries. -> Pro tip: For environmental work, you may need a watershed map to see the natural landmarks as well. 🔹 Get to know a few key events that are still impacting them today. 🔹 Finally, before you start that first focus group or community planning meeting, make sure you do an in person visit. -> Pro tip: In rural areas, this may involve a farm or a site visit. In urban areas it’s equally important but may involve the visit to a community center or something similar. ➡️ What would you add to the list? What are some simple steps that you have found work well to get to know new communities to help build trust? _______________________________ Hi, I’m Elizabeth, founder of a boutique, environmental economics consulting firm. Follow along, if you want to hear tips on strategic planning, community engagement, and applied economics research.

I met an inspirational woman named Roberta A Albany at DIA who shared her #patient perspective on building #trust with #communities of #color in #clinicalresearch. Roberta was a cancer patient and when she went through her life changing experience, she realized that her voice could help so many more like her. In her own words "I speak up for the voiceless. I give voice to the voiceless". Her advice would be beneficial for anyone involved or passionate about improving #representativeness in #clinical #trials: 🎯 Fundamentally and most importantly, all #implicit #biases (intentional or unintentional) must be acknowledged by everyone and then reduced and eventually eliminated. When all involved parties recognize these biases and then move past them, the real work can begin. 🎯 Allow patients who have lived or continue to live with their personal history of their disease(s) to represent their #marginalizedcommunities from the beginning. Allowing these patients to begin educating their own communities creates a foundational trusting relationship. 🎯 After establishing this trust, research professionals and other stakeholders can enter this dialogue to continue advancing the (hopefully) bidirectional learning process that helps that community learn more about #clinical #research options and helps researchers learn more about that community. Roberta's key advice is 😍. "When you go in those communities, don’t leave. I’ve used elections as an analogy. The only time you hear from some candidates is every two years or every four years (the election cycles in the US); once they get elected, they’re gone. Take the time and truly come into our communities, the communities where you really don’t want to go to, and you’ll find out that we’re smarter than you think. Earning trust is just the beginning of it. It’s not the end of it. If you leave when your study is done, the impression you will leave behind is that you were only there to collect data, not trying to help the people." Roberta ends with "It will take years to undo all the unjust structural barriers that have marginalized and continue to marginalize communities of certain colors. Everybody wants to jump on the bandwagon and say that they are allied. I say, like the great #advocate for #socialchange John Lewis: How about you be my accomplice?” READ MORE: https://lnkd.in/eeGqhqj3 #AmazingHumans #equitymatters

Here's the truth about trust that nobody is talking about especially in healthcare and humanitarian work. After 10+ years in the field, managing everything from emergency responses to a $508 million TB/HIV project, I have learned something critical. It's not just about medical expertise or strategic planning. It's about trust. Let me break this down for you. There are 3 non-negotiable elements that build trust in any role: 🎯 Reliability ↳ Doing what you said you would do, even when no one is watching. 🎯 Clear Communication ↳ Saying the hard things early, clearly, and respectfully. 🎯 Consistency ↳ Showing up with the same integrity whether things are going smoothly or falling apart. I will never forget this one moment during a high-pressure COVID-19 outbreak. Our entire response effectiveness didn't just depend on protocols. It relied on the trust we'd built with local health workers and community members. Why did it work? Because we had: → Shown up consistently → Communicated clearly → Trained them properly → Listened actively When the critical moment came, they didn't hesitate to act. That's what saved lives. Here's what I have learned: Trust is not earned through perfection. It's earned through presence. It's earned in those moments when everything is on the line. And it's become the backbone of every success I've had in both healthcare systems and humanitarian contexts. P.S: Which of these three do you value most in the people you work with: reliability, clear communication, or consistency? #dominatelinkedinmissionbythelioness