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Strengthening Character to Build Trust

Strengthening Character to Build Trust

by Starling Insights

Starling Insights Editorial Board

Sep 12, 2025

Observations

In an op-ed published in the Financial Times , Edward Brooks, Director of the Programme for Global Leadership at the University of Oxford and Executive Director of the Oxford Character Project, argues that rebuilding trust in our institutions will require nurturing strength of character.

He points to a World Economic Forum survey showing that 39 percent of core job skills will change by 2030. This, of course, has implications for our approach to education. But skills aren't everything, Brooks emphasizes. "Skills are empty without character — the deep dispositions that guide thought, feeling and action; provide direction; and enable leaders to build trust," he writes.

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