UncategorizedAugust 29th, 2015
What can we learn about trust from the great leaders, teachers, writers and philosophers?
JUST ABOUT EVERYTHING
This week we turn our attention to the words of Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner, coauthors of The Leadership Challenge, educators and management consultants. I have gotten to know Jim over the past several years, and he has recently been named one of our Lifetime Honorees as a Top Thought Leader in Trust. While many “talk trust,” Jim is one of just a small handful of people who “walks their talk.”
This article pulls together twenty of Jim and Barry’s most inspiring quotes. Regardless of your role in life- a parent, teacher, business, religious or military leader, the following contain many messages about character, competence and consistency, the key ingredients in building trust.
- “Exemplary leaders know that if they want to gain commitment and achieve the highest standards, they must be models of the behavior they expect of others.”
- “The leader’s unique legacy is the creation of valued institutions that survive over time. The most significant contribution leaders make is not simply to today’s bottom line; it is to the long-term development of people and institutions so they can adapt, change, prosper, and grow.”
- “There’s nothing more demoralizing than a leader who can’t clearly articulate why we’re doing what we’re doing.”
- “Titles are granted, but it’s your behavior that earns you respect.”
- “Find your voice by clarifying you personal values.”
- “Leaders enlist others in a common vision by appealing to shared aspirations.”
- “The best way to lead people into the future is to connect with them deeply in the present.”
- “You can’t fast track your way to excellence.”
- “Leaders don’t have to change history, but they do have to change “business as usual.”
- “Leading by example is more effective than leading by command.” Unite your constituents around a common cause and connect with them as human beings.”
- “Foster collaboration by promoting cooperative goals and building trust.”
- “The leader merely coordinates and puts into action the wants and desires of the group.”
- “People commit to causes, not to plans.”
- “Living in a cave does not make you a geologist and simply being in a management position does not make you a great leader.”
- “Leadership can’t grow in a culture that isn’t supportive of continuing development.”
- “Say thank you. Let the other person know that you appreciate his or her feedback and that you can’t get any better without knowing more about yourself and how your actions affect others.”
- “Leaders say YES.”
- “The worst thing someone can do is to see a problem and think it is someone else’s responsibility.”
- “The next time you see a problem and say “Why doesn’t someone do something about this?” take a look in the mirror and say instead, “I’ll be someone to do something about it.”
- “Model the Way – Inspire a Shared Vision – Challenge the Process – Enable Others to Act – Encourage the Heart”
My favorites are #1, #11, #13 and #20. How about yours? Want to read more from this series? We recently highlighted some of the best quotes on building trust from:
Barbara Brooks Kimmel is the Executive Director of Trust Across America-Trust Around the World whose mission is to help organizations build trust. She facilitates the world’s largest membership program for those interested in the subject. Barbara 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.
Our annual poster, 52 Weeks of Activities to Increase Organizational Trust is available to those who would like to support our work by making a small donation.
Did you know we have published 3 books in our award-winning TRUST Inc. series. They are yours when you join our Alliance.
Copyright 2015, Next Decade, Inc.
Alliance of Trustworthy Business Experts, Barbara Brooks Kimmel, barbara kimmel, Barry Posner, Jim Kouzes, leadership, organizational trust, trust, trust across america, values
If your life is anything like mine, you spend waste at least an hour every week, sometimes more, on a customer service issue involving some third party vendor who claims to be in business to enhance your personal or professional life. Comcast, Verizon, First Energy and all health insurance providers top this list. I’m not sure why these companies still bother using the word “service.” CHR or Customer Hindrance Representative would be more accurate.
These calls usually begin by pressing lots of buttons, entering many codes and personal information, and then being put on hold due to “heavy call volume” while being told the “call is important to us.” Often, before the offshore CHR picks up, the call is disconnected, and the process must be repeated. The latest “innovation” is notification that the call is being recorded. For whose benefit is that? One can only guess.
Who remembers when customer service meant something? When customers came before profits, calls were answered by an actual living being who had at least an elementary command of the English language, and who hadn’t been handed a robotic script to answer questions? It wasn’t really that long ago. But apparently now companies think they can save redirect money by hiring minimum wage, offshore CHRs and then, in the name of “training” hand them a list of responses that were certainly written by the legal department, and from which they cannot deviate. Not only are these companies sending a message that they do not trust their employees, apparently they also have little regard for their customers. The term “I apologize” is #1 on this script and so companies have taken two sacred words and devalued them into meaningless drivel that is supposed to solve all customer issues, regardless of the problem.
Is it any wonder why consumers have so little regard for the companies with which they do are forced to do business? Is it any wonder why trust in business continues to decline? Is it any wonder that more than 70% of employees are disengaged at work?
Who decided this was a “better way?” How did this happen? Is there a solution?
I propose a simple experiment.
- Put every manager on phone duty for one week. Heck, call it “The Golden Rule” CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) program and kill two birds with one stone.
- Send the entire legal department on vacation during this same time period.
- Replace the script with these 7 words: Let me see what I can do.
Barbara Brooks Kimmel is the CEO & Co-founder of Trust Across America-Trust Around the World . Established in 2008, the program’s mission is simply to provide tools and assistance to organizations interested in building stakeholder trust. Barbara runs the world’s largest organizational trust membership program. 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.
Barbara is an award-winning communications executive and former consultant to McKinsey who has run her own firm, Next Decade, Inc., that has been unraveling and simplifying complex subjects for over twenty years. She holds a BA in International Affairs from Lafayette College and an MBA from Baruch at the City University of NY.
Barbara Brooks Kimmel, barbara kimmel, CSR, customer service, organizational trust, trust, trust across america
I wish I could take credit for the title of this article but it belongs to Marillyn A. Hewson, Lockheed Martin’s CEO and a Trust Across America 2015 Top Thought Leader in Trust. In a recent article in National Defense Magazine, Ms. Hewson discusses the steps required to integrate trust and ethics. If you don’t have time to read the full article, these are the five steps:
- Establish an ethics program grounded in values
- Build a culture of communication
- Lead by example
- Address issues quickly
- Hold business partners to the same standards
As Hewson shows, this process pays off.
The leadership consulting firm KRW International recently looked into business ethics. They found that moral leaders actually tend to make their companies more profitable. Employees rated their bosses on attributes like character and integrity, and sure enough, businesses led by upright CEOs saw an average return on assets nearly five times greater than those led by bosses perceived to be less moral.
This is further evidence of Trust Across America’s updated business case for trust, the first article in the spring issue of TRUST! Magazine and our claim that trust is the “ultimate” compliance and ethics program.
The majority of business leaders continue to hold fast to their beliefs that trust is a “soft” skill, while the enlightened minority embraces trust as a business imperative and reaps the rewards.
Barbara Brooks Kimmel is the CEO & Co-founder of Trust Across America-Trust Around the World . Established in 2008, the program’s mission is simply to provide tools and assistance to organizations interested in building trust. Barbara runs the world’s largest organizational trust membership program. 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.
Barbara is an award-winning communications executive and former consultant to McKinsey who has run her own firm, Next Decade, Inc., that has been unraveling and simplifying complex subjects for over twenty years. She holds a BA in International Affairs from Lafayette College and an MBA from Baruch (City University of NY).
Barbara Brooks Kimmel, barbara kimmel, KRW International, leadership, Marillyn Hewson, organizational trust, trust, trust across america
What can we learn from organizational trust missteps, and occasionally the steps that propel us forward in a positive way? This was the question we asked when designing our new Trustlets series (quick case studies on organizational trust.)
The following is a sample Trustlet from our first series:
Takata/General Motors/Fiat Chrysler: Automakers and the Public Trust
Overview:
The largest consumer product recall in U.S. history was announced in May 2015 when Takata, after numerous deaths, doubled its faulty airbag recall to 34 million vehicles, impacting 11 automakers. This comes in the wake of the General Motors airbag crisis that claimed over 100 lives, as well as a Fiat Chrysler airbag recall. All three cases are attributed to “cost cutting” measures.
For the first time in history, the NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) is exercising legal authority that it gained about 15 years ago from the Transportation Recall Enhancement, Accountability, and Documentation Act, or TREAD Act.
Articles to be read before discussion:
Read Newsday: Automakers Risk Losing the Public Trust Forever
Read Reuters: Takata Faces Questions Over Airbag Fix
Read Detroit Free Press: NHSTA Tightening Oversight
What industry conditions or behaviors lead to greater regulatory action? What social solutions are available to create greater trust on the part of consumers?
Questions for discussion:
- What could Takata have done differently?
- Is tightening oversight the only solution to restore consumer trust?
- What steps must the automakers take to restore consumer trust?
- What should an automotive CEO be doing to walk the trust talk?
- When cost cutting measures result in deaths, should executives serve jail time?
Who is the intended audience for Trustlets? A few suggestions…
- Executive Education
- Undergraduate & Graduate Business Classes
- Work Teams in Every Organization
- Boards & C-Suites
- Workshops & Facilitated Discussions
Participants will gain a deeper understanding of the role of trust in organizational strategy. Trustlets compel participants to apply their theoretical ideas and practical trust experiences to real-world cases.
If you are interested in learning more about our Trustlets series, please click here.
Copyright © 2015 Next Decade, Inc.
Barbara Brooks Kimmel, barbara kimmel, leadership, organizational trust, trust across america, Trustlets
In your opinion what are the three most important characteristics of a trustworthy individual? That’s the simple question we are asking this month. Can you spare 30 seconds to respond? Here’s the link:
bit.ly/1LWmNVB
The results of our July Trust Quest in cased you missed it….
linkd.in/1Mc5h08
Thank you so much for weighing in. We will report on the results later this month.
Barbara Brooks Kimmel, Executive Director, Trust Across America-Trust Around the World
Trust Quest
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