Archive

Archive for November, 2014

Nov
29

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There’s nothing more destructive to trust than deceit, and nothing more constructive than candor.

Jim Kouzes & Barry Posner, The Leadership Challenge

 (from Trust Across America’s Weekly Reflections on Trust 2014)

Organizational Trust this Week is a new feature beginning with the “Good”, moving through the “Debatable” and occasionally ending with the “Ugly.” Each story contains a trust component and at least one lesson for organizations seeking to make trust a business imperative.

 

THE GOOD

7 Essentials for Leaders to Develop Trust (starting with confidence)

Idaho comes down hard on trust violations. Maybe they should change their motto from the “Gem State” to the “Trust State.”

What does the Torah say about trust? A Rabbi’s message

 

THE DEBATABLE

Just hire the Ex-Con with the shortest rap sheet! Apparently Wells Fargo is the best of the worst!

Sorry, but integrity cannot be regulated!

 

THE UGLY

CEO Apologies? Really? More Uber weirdness.

 

OUR MOST POPULAR POST THIS WEEK

And finally, Trust Across America-Trust Around the World’s most popular post on LinkedIn Pulse this week. Sometimes saying “No” is better than saying “Yes.” Send us your stories for consideration in future editions of Organizational Trust this Week: barbara@trustacrossamerica.com

Barbara Brooks Kimmel is the Executive Director of Trust Across America-Trust Around the World whose mission is to help organizations build trust. She is also the editor of the award winning TRUST INC. book series and the Executive Editor of TRUST! Magazine. In 2012 Barbara was named “One of 25 Women Changing the World” by Good Business International.

Nominations are now being accepted for Trust Across America-Trust Around the World’s 5th annual Global Top Thought Leaders in Trustworthy Business.

Our brand new magazine TRUST! makes the case that in Financial Services, Industry is NOT Destiny

Fall 14 Trust Magazine-Cover

We will be publishing our third book at the end of November.

PrintND Trust CEO cvr 140602-ft914Trust front Cover

                                                                                               Coming Soon!

Should you wish to communicate directly with Barbara, drop her a note at Barbara@trustacrossamerica.com

Copyright 2014 Next Decade, Inc.

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Nov
26

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As a colleague reminded me yesterday, it’s been five years since the official “birth” of Trust Across America-Trust Around the World and during that time I have learned many lessons about what trust is and what it isn’t. I hope you enjoy this short “facts of trust” list. Which of these most resonates with you? What facts would you add?

  1. Everyone defines “trust”, “trusted” and “trustworthy” according to their own standards, not a universally accepted benchmark.
  2. Most people take trust for granted instead of “working” it into their daily agenda, through actions more than words.
  3. Instant rapport should not be confused with trust, nor should brand loyalty.
  4. When trust is tested, extend a second chance, but listen to what both your heart and your gut are telling you.
  5. There is no lie detector test equivalent for trust, but character, competence and consistency are great indicators.
  6. There will be betrayals and trust breaches. Use them as learning experiences.
  7. Standards should never be lowered nor integrity compromised for any reason, especially money.
  8. Trust is voluntary while compliance is regulatory. Don’t confuse what’s right with what’s legal.
  9. Trust cannot be restored if it never existed. It also can’t be broken in an instant if the existing foundation is strong.
  10. Every organization should have a Chief Trust Officer who works across silos, ensuring that the trust needs of all internal and external stakeholders are met.

Barbara Brooks Kimmel is the Executive Director of Trust Across America-Trust Around the World whose mission is to help organizations build trust. She is also the editor of the award winning TRUST INC. book series and the Executive Editor of TRUST! Magazine. In 2012 Barbara was named “One of 25 Women Changing the World” by Good Business International.

Nominations are now being accepted for Trust Across America-Trust Around the World’s 5th annual Global Top Thought Leaders in Trustworthy Business.

Our brand new magazine TRUST! makes the case that in Financial Services, Industry is NOT Destiny

Fall 14 Trust Magazine-Cover

We will be publishing our third book at the end of November.

PrintND Trust CEO cvr 140602-ft914Trust front Cover

                                                                                               Coming Soon!

Should you wish to communicate directly with Barbara, drop her a note at Barbara@trustacrossamerica.com

Copyright 2014 Next Decade, Inc.

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Nov
24

TAA_R2_EDIT-CS3

 

Under the theory that trust is built over time and in incremental steps, Ronald Reagan’s famous quote “Trust but verify” is a great one. It implies that as trust is being built, it’s important to keep your eye on the ball to ensure it is real and growing.

I also like the “Love all, trust a few” quote by William Shakespeare that may be more true now then when it was originally written.

Another good trust quote by “Unknown” is “Big or small, lies are lies.” No explanation needed for this one. There is simply no such thing as a little lie.

But this is the trust quote that I read most frequently, and also the one that does trust the biggest disservice.

“Trust takes years to build, seconds to break, and forever to repair” (also by Unknown)

This is simply not true.

1. Trust does NOT take years to build. While it is built in incremental steps, trust can occur very quickly if both parties consistently display good character and competence.

2. Trust CANNOT be broken in seconds if the relationship has a strong foundation of trust. It can only be broken quickly if the foundation is weak.

3. Trust DOESN’T ALWAYS take forever to repair. If trust is “banked” prior to a breach, the time it takes to repair it will be much shorter. This applies to both interpersonal and organizational trust.

Please don’t trivialize trust by using quotes that “just sound good.” Trust is the foundation upon which all great relationships are built. Let’s treat it with the care it deserves.

Barbara Brooks Kimmel is the Executive Director of Trust Across America-Trust Around the World whose mission is to help organizations build trust. She is also the editor of the award winning TRUST INC. book series and the Executive Editor of TRUST! Magazine. In 2012 Barbara was named “One of 25 Women Changing the World” by Good Business International.

Nominations are now being accepted for Trust Across America-Trust Around the World’s 5th annual Global Top Thought Leaders in Trustworthy Business.

PrintND Trust CEO cvr 140602-ft914Trust front Cover

                                                                                                 Coming Soon!

Should you wish to communicate directly with Barbara, drop her a note at Barbara@trustacrossamerica.com

Copyright © 2014, Next Decade, Inc.

 

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Nov
23

 

TrustGiving 2014 Logo-Final

 

Our TRUSTGiving 2014 weeklong trust awareness campaign is coming to a close. Members of our  Alliance of Trustworthy Business Experts have written guest blog posts this past week to help our readers navigate the complexities of trust and discuss what giving trust means to them.

This post will be the last of the series.

Imagine if people didn’t use drugs. The “Say no to drugs” campaign would become obsolete. If nobody smoked, there would be no need for scare tactic TV commercials on the dangers of cigarettes. Similarly, if everyone could be trusted, trust would not be considered the issue of the decade, as many believe.

We can end the trust crisis in short order by collectively choosing to shut down the people who are fueling it. 

Imagine if we refused to support:

  • Those who cheat and lie
  • Those who don’t keep their word
  • Those whose talk is never backed up by action
  • Those who show no loyalty
  • Those who hang with the “wrong” crowd
  • Those who ALWAYS put their own needs first
  • Those who make side door deals behind others backs
  • Those whose intentions aren’t quite what they claim
  • Those who say one thing but do something different
  • Those who confuse collaboration with self promotion

When your heart or your gut tells you that someone is doing the wrong thing, listen carefully and just say “No.”

As I wrote at the beginning of #TRUSTGiving2014, let’s get back to basics. Don’t “settle” for relationships that fall short in trust.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Barbara Brooks Kimmel is the Executive Director of Trust Across America-Trust Around the World whose mission is to help organizations build trust. She is also the editor of the award winning TRUST INC. book series and the Executive Editor of TRUST! Magazine. In 2012 Barbara was named “One of 25 Women Changing the World” by Good Business International.

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Nov
23
TrustGiving 2014 Logo-Final

 

Welcome to TRUSTGiving 2014, our first annual weeklong trust awareness campaign.  Join the Alliance of Trustworthy Business Experts as our members help our readers navigate the complexities of trust. We will be blogging (several times a day) and posting on Twitter #TrustGiving2014.

Holly Latty- Mann has some further advice for building trust during meetings.

You may have caught an earlier post regarding opportunities to build trust at the onset of your weekly management or departmental meeting. Because people tend to remember the first and final activities of meetings, let’s now take a look at tangible ways you can end your team meetings that can promote a more meaningful trust level between and among your team members. Again the activities take on the nature of willful sharing, and as such can serve as a crude measure of your company culture within the context of interpersonal comfort and social trust. 

The end-of-meeting activity is purposefully shorter and lighter than the onset checking-in activity so that even the most reserved team members feel they have a viable place to engage.  With time these more reticent respondents may ultimately share at a deeper level such as the challenges of having a special needs child at home. This is when team members begin experiencing one another as real live human beings with a heartbeat. Team members invariably begin reaching out to one another in a show of support, even sharing similar experiences within their own life.

Consider the following brief activities to end your meeting. The content can either convey familial caring or offer a welcomed sense of levity. Either way, you can begin forging meaningful human connections with one another through these small, caring gestures:

End with a quote, as most quotes impart a wisdom regarding how to enhance life and living,

Offer meaningful information or tips such as the 4-7-8 breathing exercise to help manage stress,

Share a brief human interest story (maybe your own), news item, or even a joke or recipe, and

Invite other team members to share their favorite quote, tips, restaurants, and such. 

The degree of team sharing carries its commensurate level of team trust.  When we break momentarily from “work as usual,” we’re acknowledging the human side of one another where humor, sensitivity, and a certain sacred spirituality reside.  We are acknowledging the poet, the parent, the philosopher, and adventurer in one another among many other possibilities when we share from a diversity of resources. When we engage one another on a human level that forgets titles and job roles, we are providing the kind of psychological milieu that allows the spillover of good will and trust to permeate all interpersonal relationship dynamics throughout the organization and beyond.

Holly Latty-Mann, PhD, president and owner of The Leadership Trust®, uses her two doctorates in psychology to heighten and crystallize self-awareness and emotional intelligence at root-cause level. Her holistic, integrative model extends to the team and organizational levels to embolden trust-based collaborative efforts, thereby expediting both the creation and delivery of her clients’ innovative products and services. Contact Holly and learn more through leadershiptrust.org/info@leadershiptrust.org.

Barbara Brooks Kimmel is the Executive Director of Trust Across America-Trust Around the World whose mission is to help organizations build trust. She is also the editor of the award winning TRUST INC. book series and the Executive Editor of TRUST! Magazine. In 2012 Barbara was named “One of 25 Women Changing the World” by Good Business International.

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Nov
22
TrustGiving 2014 Logo-Final

 

Welcome to TRUSTGiving 2014, our first annual weeklong trust awareness campaign.  Join the Alliance of Trustworthy Business Experts as our members help our readers navigate the complexities of trust. We will be blogging (several times a day) and posting on Twitter #TrustGiving2014.

Deb Mills-Scofield provides some insight on the intersection of trust and risk taking.

Taking risk requires trust – to discover, try, re-try, be okay with uncertainty, imperfection and even fail.  That’s why learning how to inexpensively and quickly Experiment-Learn-Apply-Iterate is critical to building trust.

Experiment: Identify a market, customer segment or business model that needs shaking up.  Start with the market/customer needs first, not the solution, the product or service.  I call this “Rushing to Discover, Not to Solve.” Create a cross-functional team with air cover so they are free to try things.  Create some prototypes of potential solutions after you’ve discovered!

Learn:  Watch how your customers respond to your prototype.  Remember, this is still an experiment and you’re still testing hypotheses. Watch them use it, touch it, interact with it. Watch how they respond to what it does/doesn’t do, where their eyes go first, where they seem stumped or frustrated, where they seem excited.  Ask questions to clarify and understand, not to advise or judge.

Apply:  Take this learning and change your potential solutions, prototypes, accordingly.  You will be wrong about a lot! Go back to your customers with the changed prototypes and test again.  The purpose is to test your hypotheses so you can create a solution that really meets your customers needs, not your needs.

Iterate:  Repeat Experiment-Learn-Apply until you create a meaningful, valuable solution for your customers or determine you can’t. 

The ELAI model is pretty straightforward.  Don’t overcomplicate it.  Get out and do it! You’ll be surprised at the level of trust and know-how you create!

Deborah Mills-Scofield has her own consultancy on innovation and strategy & is a partner in a Venture Capital firm.  Deb writes for Harvard Business Review, Switch and Shift & other venues, including her blog, & has contributed to several books. Her Bell Labs patent was one of AT&T & Lucent’s highest-revenue generating patents.  She can be reached at @dscofield or dms@mills-scofield.com.

Barbara Brooks Kimmel is the Executive Director of Trust Across America-Trust Around the World whose mission is to help organizations build trust. She is also the editor of the award winning TRUST INC. book series and the Executive Editor of TRUST! Magazine. In 2012 Barbara was named “One of 25 Women Changing the World” by Good Business International.

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Nov
22

TAA_R2_EDIT-CS3

 

Trust is the core issue impacting organizational, team and leadership effectiveness. Noreen Kelly, Noreen Kelly Communication (from Trust Across America’s Weekly Reflections on Trust 2014)

 

Organizational Trust this Week is a new feature beginning with the “Good”, moving through the “Debatable” and occasionally ending with the “Ugly.” Each story contains a trust component and at least one lesson for organizations seeking to make trust a business imperative.

 

THE GOOD

Do you lead with trust? This is your opportunity to be heard and seen!

Our #TRUSTGiving2014 campaign is coming to a close and our Alliance members covered the importance of trust from A-Z with guest blog posts this week.

Got good customer service? Only if trust is a component.

THE DEBATABLE

What is the role of trust in cyber security? This article makes the case.

THE UGLY

When the trust certifiers can’t be trusted, we have a real issue!

Are you an Uber user? Their CEO thumbs his nose at trust.

Trust gets messy when employees don’t feel respected. Can you blame them?

OUR MOST POPULAR POST THIS WEEK

And finally, Trust Across America-Trust Around the World’s most popular post on LinkedIn Pulse this week. Sometimes it’s the simple stuff that matters. In this one, we get back to basics and a simpler time. Send us your stories for consideration in future editions of Organizational Trust this Week: barbara@trustacrossamerica.com

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL! The holidays are a great time to have a conversation about trust.

Barbara Brooks Kimmel is the Executive Director of Trust Across America-Trust Around the World whose mission is to help organizations build trust. She is also the editor of the award winning TRUST INC. book series and the Executive Editor of TRUST! Magazine. In 2012 Barbara was named “One of 25 Women Changing the World” by Good Business International.

Nominations are now being accepted for Trust Across America-Trust Around the World’s 5th annual Global Top Thought Leaders in Trustworthy Business.

Our brand new magazine TRUST! makes the case that in Financial Services, Industry is NOT Destiny

Fall 14 Trust Magazine-Cover

We will be publishing our third book at the end of November.

PrintND Trust CEO cvr 140602-ft914Trust front Cover

                                                                                               Coming Soon!

Should you wish to communicate directly with Barbara, drop her a note at Barbara@trustacrossamerica.com

Copyright 2014 Next Decade, Inc.

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Nov
21
TrustGiving 2014 Logo-Final

 

Welcome to TRUSTGiving 2014, our first annual weeklong trust awareness campaign.  Join the Alliance of Trustworthy Business Experts as our members help our readers navigate the complexities of trust. We will be blogging (several times a day) and posting on Twitter #TrustGiving2014.

The headlines speak for themselves…

  • Trust in business is down
  • Washington can’t be trusted
  • The NFL has trust issues.

….or do they? 

Have you ever paused to consider that businesses, Washington and the NFL are all run by people?  Institutions are only as trustworthy as those who lead them. In reality, we don’t have a crisis of trust. We have too many “low trust” leaders.

Trust is built on three pillars: Character, competence & consistency. If the first of these pillars comes naturally, the second two are easy to construct. How do you measure character? Michael Josephson has built his “Character Counts” program on 6 pillars. Notice the first is trustworthiness.

If you lead an organization and the headlines are continuously working against you, take a few minutes to consider the following:

  • Do you cheat or deceive others?
  • Are you reliable? (consistency)
  • Do you keep your word?
  • Do you have courage to do the right thing?
  • Do you have a good reputation? (competence)
  • Are you loyal?
  • Do you stand by your family, friends and country?

You may have noticed that competence and consistency are attributes of good character. If organizations were run by people who could answer “Yes” to all these questions, or even took the time to consider them, the headlines would read differently.

Being trustworthy is not rocket science. It’s simply a choice. Make it yours.

Barbara Brooks Kimmel is the Executive Director of Trust Across America-Trust Around the World whose mission is to help organizations build trust. She is also the editor of the award winning TRUST INC. book series and the Executive Editor of TRUST! Magazine. In 2012 Barbara was named “One of 25 Women Changing the World” by Good Business International.

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Nov
21
TrustGiving 2014 Logo-Final

 

Welcome to TRUSTGiving 2014, our first annual weeklong trust awareness campaign.  Join the Alliance of Trustworthy Business Experts as our members help our readers navigate the complexities of trust. We will be blogging (several times a day) and posting on Twitter #TrustGiving2014.

Andy Rosenbloom shares a human story about trust and business success.

The Business of Being Human 

Why do so many businesses struggle with the concept of trust as a business strategy?

Trust is a human emotion – not a business activity.  Too many companies are content to work towards their goals of increasing revenue, stock value, and market share without taking into consideration the people they affect and how those people’s opinions shape the company’s profitability.   

When human emotions like empathy, generosity or trust make their way into business, the outcome can be surprising.

I expect to be given good pizza when I visit my favorite corner pizzeria.  I give the restaurant $2.50 and they give me a slice.  That’s not trust, it’s merely a transaction.

Trust in a pizzeria is earned when the owner of the business steps out of the “zone” of the business transaction to demonstrate his or her own sense of humanity.  Greeting the customer by name, offering a free taste of a specialty slice, or remembering a frequent order go a long way towards building trust.  

And how does this trust make it’s way back towards the business goals described above?  In the same way that we humans get excited to introduce our trusted and beloved friends and family to others, the businesses that we trust are the one’s we love to talk about.  

I make frequent recommendations to my friends to visit the restaurant which offered to serve me a free meal when I told them that I lost a $300 gift certificate.  On the restaurant’s part, it was a terrible business decision.  But the owner of the eatery knew better than to make that call from the standpoint of business alone.  She put her trust in me that my story of the lost gift card was true and we shared a moment of humanity that I will never stop talking about.   

Andy Rosenbloom is a food marketing specialist who consults with K-12 foodservice programs across the country.  He is dedicated to honesty, trust and transparency and rewards trustworthy businesses with his loyalty and referrals. Follow him on Twitter @andyrosenbloom

Barbara Brooks Kimmel is the Executive Director of Trust Across America-Trust Around the World whose mission is to help organizations build trust. She is also the editor of the award winning TRUST INC. book series and the Executive Editor of TRUST! Magazine. In 2012 Barbara was named “One of 25 Women Changing the World” by Good Business International.

Copyright 2014, Next Decade, Inc.

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Nov
20
TrustGiving 2014 Logo-Final

 

Welcome to TRUSTGiving 2014, our first annual weeklong trust awareness campaign.  Join the Alliance of Trustworthy Business Experts as our members help our readers navigate the complexities of trust. We will be blogging (several times a day) and posting on Twitter #TrustGiving2014.

Giving your trust to others is a gift according to Susan Mazza.

Giving the Gift of Your Trust

Trust is a precious gift not to be granted lightly.  To give someone the gift of your trust you must be willing to take a stand that they matter enough for you to invest something with them that matters to you.  

It is a way to honor your belief in another and lift them up.  If you want to get in touch with just how honoring this can be, think about a time when someone gave you the gift of their trust.

To maximize the opportunity however, it is critical to be clear about what you are entrusting them with and why it matters to you.  Only then can the gift truly be received based on a mutual commitment.  There is no room for judgement based on expectations. Clear, open, honest and complete communication are prerequisites.

Like any gift, giving someone the gift of your trust is best given with no strings attached and without expectations.  It may be risky, but giving someone the gift of your trust is one of the surest ways to forge a relationship that can be the source of something extraordinary. 

Susan Mazza works with leaders and their organizations to transform their performance from solid to exceptional as a business consultant, leadership coach and motivational speaker. CEO of Clarus-WORKS, Founder/Author of Random Acts of Leadership™, and Co-Author of The Character-Based Leader, Susan was named one of the Top 100 Thought Leaders in Trustworthy Business by Trust Across America in 2013.

Barbara Brooks Kimmel is the Executive Director of Trust Across America-Trust Around the World whose mission is to help organizations build trust. She is also the editor of the award winning TRUST INC. book series and the Executive Editor of TRUST! Magazine. In 2012 Barbara was named “One of 25 Women Changing the World” by Good Business International.

Copyright 2014, Next Decade, Inc.

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