Given the state of the world today, perhaps it’s no surprise that governments the world over are seen as largely untrustworthy. In fact, the 2015 annual "Trust Barometer," developed by global PR firm Edelman, shows us that trust is generally one of the world's scarcest commodities. And governments and their leaders are not in rare company. Corporations, NGOs, sports bodies, and institutions of all kinds are held in lower repute today than at any time in the 13 years Edelman has been probing who and what commands citizens’ and consumers’ trust.
But what might come as a surprise is which governments are bucking this trend, and by wide margins. The country most trusted by its citizens is the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the Arabian Gulf federation of seven emirates that is an oasis of stability, modernity, diversity and tolerance. Similar in size, population, and growth trajectory, Singapore has a government that also ranks among the most trusted— a small island nation built upon strong economics and diversity. I recently returned from a brief trip to the UAE, a country I have visited frequently and where I have had a bird's eye opportunity over the years to observe its dramatic transformation. So its ranking at the top of the Edelman trust league table is no surprise to me.
Out of the UAE desert has emerged a thriving, modern commercial hub. Credit: Thinkstock, Alexander... [+]
What is it about the UAE and Singaporean governments and their leaders that engender trust among their people? In my view, it’s all about authentic vision and consistent execution. True, small jurisdictions with tight, authoritative leadership structures can be more decisive and nimble, and the UAE’s oil wealth hasn’t hurt. But the UAE is in an admittedly troubled neighborhood, and Singapore never had any natural resources. The answers lie elsewhere.
While the United States struggles with gridlock politics, citizens react by turning away from government as a problem-solving tool. Similar reactions in other politically disjointed economies—from certain other oil-producing nations to EU member states—make understanding the UAE and Singapore strategies all the more important as case studies for restoring trust in other countries as well.
A simple review of the recent history of these two countries offers a sense of how they’ve achieved their enviable trust levels. One doesn’t need to dial back too far in history, though, to see how far they’ve come, how fast, and how many problems they’ve had to overcome.
As recently as the 1950s, the Trucial sheikhdoms that preceded the formation of the UAE were poor and struggling. Feuds among the tribes and the drop off in the region’s important pearl trading industry damaged citizen morale and deprived the region of a valuable source of income. To say the region lacked a cohesive narrative vision – a clear compelling national direction – is an understatement. When the cash-strapped British government decided to pull the plug on their defense and other commitments, the rulers had no choice but to take the future into their own hands and forge a new nation in 1971.
The deserts of what was soon to become the UAE began to transform in earnest with the serious production of Gulf oil in the late 1960s. Rather than just living well off its oil wealth, the UAE began and has continued to plan for an ambitious post-oil future. Beginning in the 1970s, the Emirates embarked on a reform agenda to remake the country through investments in development and financial transformation, including tourism and logistics infrastructure.
Thanks to the country’s emphasis on long-term planning, Dubai today has become a major financial center in the region and one of the world’s largest trade hubs. The UAE’s clear, compelling vision statement—“we want to be among the best countries in the world by 2021” at the Golden Jubilee of the Union—is built on tangible pillars of success. Behind this ambitious mission, the country’s leadership has delivered in areas of critical importance to its citizens, investing in smart technologies, transforming K-12 education, encouraging the growth of high-value added sectors through dedicated economic zones, and making investments into healthcare infrastructure, to name just a few of its recent achievements.
Singapore also boasts one of the highest levels of citizen trust in government. It consistently ranks among the top countries on the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business rankings, has stellar credit ratings across all major agencies, and has one of the most educated labor forces in the world. When it became independent from Malaysia in 1965, Singapore was an island city-state without any natural resources of its own and ranked among the poorest countries in the world. It faced the scars left by the remnants of civil and ethnic strife between Malays and ethnic Chinese, and beyond the will of its people, had few clear competitive advantages. Perhaps most threatening to the fledgling country’s security was its reliance on Malaysia for freshwater. In just a few decades, the country has been able to capitalize on its diversity and overcome its water issues by investing heavily in sustainable water technology from diverse sources known as its “Four Taps.” Lee Kuan Yew, the recently-deceased founding Prime Minister, envisioned a future for Singapore as an economic powerhouse, and focused on setting up the strong institutional foundations necessary for this success, including a world-class educational system, strong rule of law, and a business-friendly market environment. He backed up his vision with credentials, leading Singapore to boast an average annual growth rate of 6.8% from 1976 through 2014.
At the core of both countries’ success is visionary leadership carried out with determination. But lofty vision, even with committed intention, will not breed success unless it is executed well—as Thomas Edison once said, “Vision without execution is hallucination.” And what the leaders of the UAE and Singapore have done exceedingly well has been to recognize their countries’ competitive advantages and create measurable, targeted plans—albeit ambitious ones—centered on these advantages. In the UAE, this has meant using natural resources as the bedrock for GDP growth, and moving to diversify the economy from there. For Singapore, this meant the creation of a highly skilled workforce, which today makes it one of the most competitive brainpowered economies in the world. Both governments consistently take the risks necessary to convert ideas into action.
The UAE’s and Singapore’s emphasis on strategic foresight has allowed these countries to envision a future that reaches beyond the conventional and established norm. Equally as important, their leaderships’ ability to translate this message for their audiences has naturally engendered citizens’ trust.
Behind such clear, compelling visions supported by credible and tangible execution – and success -- trust must naturally follow.
