Apr
06
Archive
Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category
Mar
27
Next month Trust Across America-Trust Around the World (TAA-TAW) begins its 10th anniversary celebration. As the largest global community focused exclusively on helping organizations build trust, we plan to introduce several new programs during the coming year.
Twelve Trust Alliance members have recently been named to serve a one-year term on our inaugural Trust Council. The diverse Council members have brought their unique expertise over the past ten years in assisting TAA-TAW in the development and execution of new programs and tools to elevate organizational trust.
Presented alphabetically they are:
Bart Alexander
Art Barter
Donna Boehme
Alain Bolea
Randy Conley
Stephen M.R. Covey
Charles H. Green
Deb Krizmanich
Holly Latty-Mann
Linda Fisher Thornton
Bob Vanourek
Bob Whipple
You can read more about the Council and its members at this link.
I have enormous gratitude to this group who have individually and collectively helped make TAA-TAW what it is today. I look forward to their input and guidance as we continue to develop new tools and programs in the future to continue to help organizations build trust.
Barbara Brooks Kimmel, CEO & Cofounder
For more information contact barbara@trustacrossamerica.com
Jun
19
Trust Across America Announces
“Top 10” Most Trustworthy Public Companies 2017
via its new Corporate Integrity Monitor
(the corporate Richter Scale of Trust)
Click here to view Issue #2 of Trust Across America’s Corporate Integrity Monitor.
Methodology: Since 2009 Trust Across America’s FACTS® Framework has been measuring and ranking public companies on five equally weighted quantitative indicators of integrity, forming the acronym FACTS- Financial stability, Accounting Conservativeness, Corporate Governance, Transparency and Sustainability. Our objective model (companies do not know they are being analyzed nor are any internal employee surveys completed) was initially constructed in 2008 and measures the corporate trustworthiness/integrity of the largest 2000 US public companies. Trust Across America’s Most Trustworthy Public Companies ranks the Russell 1000.
This, by order of magnitude, is the most comprehensive and fact-based ongoing study on this subject. We analyze quarterly and rank order by company, sector and market capitalization. We are particularly interested in tracking individual companies and sector trends over time.
2017 Highlights:
Companies in descending order:
- #1 Dr Pepper Snapple Group (tied) *
- #1 CSX Corporation (tied)
- #3 Best Buy Co., Inc.
- #4 Hasbro Inc. *
- #5 Johnson & Johnson
- #6 Xerox Corporation
- #7 Morgan Stanley
- #8 Nvidia Corporation
- #9 Visteon Corporation, Abbot Laboratories, The Home Depot*, Inc. (3 way tie)
* Named for two consecutive years.
No company is perfect. The 2017 highest scoring company(ies) received a “79” on a 1-100 scale.
The “Top 10” companies hail from 9 of 16 sectors. Industry is not destiny.
About the CEOs (as of December 2016):
- Seven CEOs have served in their position for at least 5 years
- Both CSX and Xerox have appointed new CEOs in 2017
- Average CEO age is 58
- At least four are foreign born
- Two have no education beyond high school
- Four possess an MBA or equivalent and three have Master’s in Engineering
- At least three were, at one time, employed by McKinsey & Company
We are pleased to see the expanding coverage of our FACTS Framework in publications including The Harvard Business Review, Strategic Finance Magazine, The Huffington Post, Globescan Dialogue, the Trusted Advisor Blog, FCPA Blog, and other publications. This release introduces Issue #2 of a new monthly publication The Trust Across America Corporate Integrity Monitor, available to our Trust Alliance members.
Congratulations to our 2017 corporate honorees!
For more information contact Barbara Brooks Kimmel, CEO and Cofounder
Barbara@trustacrossamerica.com
You may also join our Constant Contact mailing list for updates on our progress.
May
06
When a baby decides it is time to be born…”the show must go on.”
Such was the case on January 23, 2016 when approximately 103 million people were affected by a blizzard that hit the east coast of the US, requiring eleven states to declare emergencies, including New Jersey.
Assisted by local EMTs, the healthy baby was delivered at home on the living room couch, the second child of a couple with a fully paid health insurance policy. But the extreme weather conditions and treacherous roads required both the healthy mother and her new baby to be transported to the closest hospital, not one designated by the family’s insurance plan, and certainly not through any special requests on the family’s part. In less than 24 hours, both mother and child were released from the “unaffiliated” hospital, returning home to celebrate their new arrival.
But the biggest surprise for this family was yet to arrive.
The following week a hospital bill was delivered for $53,000. And in case you are not totally shocked by that number, it didn’t include subsequent invoices from the EMTs, emergency room doctors, nor the $39.00 adult diaper that was “sold” to the mother following delivery, to name just a few “incidentals” that brought the total “hit” to over $60,000.
Now this family, who should be bonding and celebrating the birth of their healthy second child, is instead:
1) Faced with a daunting bill that no insured young middle class family could ever possibly pay, and mounds of paperwork and invoice totals that change with every postal delivery.
2) Spending countless hours away from their children and professional obligations listening to prerecorded messages claiming “our menus have changed,” “your call is important to us” and “we are experiencing unusually high call volume.”
The following are some not so simple questions for insurance companies, hospitals, doctors, miscellaneous health services providers and any other parties who would like to weigh in on this story:
What responsibility, if any, do organizations have to ensure their customers are treated fairly, ethically and in a trustworthy manner?
Has corporate greed and the “maximization of shareholder value” permanently replaced doing what’s right?
If this child had been born to a family with no health insurance what would their bill be?
How can this family, who believed they had done everything “right” except better timing the birth of their baby, expeditiously resolve this and “get on” with what matters and their daily lives?”
I suppose the moral of the story is “buyer beware:”
Even under the most extreme circumstances caused by acts of nature, thousands of dollars in monthly health insurance premiums don’t “cut it” once companies are asked to honor their obligations and do the right thing. Why is this so?
Please send any suggestions or advice to barbara@trustacrossamerica.com
Barbara Brooks Kimmel is the CEO and Cofounder of Trust Across America-Trust Around the World whose mission is to help organizations build trust. Now in its seventh year, the program’s proprietary FACTS® Framework ranks and measures the trustworthiness of over 2000 US public companies on five quantitative indicators of trustworthy business behavior. Barbara is also the editor of the award winning TRUST INC. book series and the Executive Editor of TRUST! Magazine.
Copyright 2016, Next Decade, Inc.
Aug
29
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:
- John Wooden
- John C. Maxwell
- Zig Ziglar
- Mahtma Gandhi
- Dr. Seuss (for Mother’s Day)
- George Bernard Shaw
- Military Leaders (for Memorial Day)
- Napoleon Hill
- Deepak Chopra
- Quotes for fathers, from fathers and about fathers (for Father’s Day)
- Peter Drucker
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.
May
16
What can we learn about building trust from the world’s greatest leaders, teachers, writers and philosophers?
JUST ABOUT EVERYTHING
We recently highlighted the greatest quotes on building trust from:
This week we turn our attention to George Bernard Shaw an Irish playwright and founder of the London School of Economics. Did you know that he received both a Nobel Prize in Literature and an Academy Award? This article pulls together twenty of his most inspiring quotes. Regardless of your role in life- a parent, teacher, business or religious leader, George Bernard Shaw has many messages about character, competence and consistency, the key ingredients for building trust.
- “Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.”
- “The liar’s punishment is, not in the least that he is not believed, but that he cannot believe anyone else.”
- “Never wrestle with pigs. You both get dirty and the pig likes it.”
- “Those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.”
- “The most tragic thing in the world is a man of genius who is not a man of honor.”
- “Silence is the most perfect expression of scorn.”
- “Success does not consist in never making mistakes but in never making the same one a second time.”
- “If you have an apple and I have an apple and we exchange these apples then you and I will still each have one apple. But if you have an idea and I have an idea and we exchange these ideas, then each of us will have two ideas.”
- “After all, the wrong road always leads somewhere.”
- “Better keep yourself clean and bright; you are the window through which you must see the world.”
- “Doing what needs to be done may not make you happy, but it will make you great.”
- “Power does not corrupt men; fools, however, if they get into a position of power, corrupt power.”
- “When a stupid man is doing something he is ashamed of, he always declares that it is his duty.”
- “A gentleman is one who puts more into the world than he takes out.”
- “Imitation is not just the sincerest form of flattery – it’s the sincerest form of learning.”
- “We are made wise not by the recollection of our past, but by the responsibility for our future.”
- “Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance.”
- “But to admire a strong person and to live under that strong person’s thumb are two different things.”
- “The power of accurate observation is commonly called cynicism by those who have not got it.”
- “My way of joking is to tell the truth. It’s the funniest joke in the world.”
My favorites are #3, #8 and #19. How about yours?
Barbara Brooks Kimmel is the Executive Director of Trust Across America-Trust Around the World whose mission is to help organizations build trust, and runs the world’s largest membership program for those interested in the subject. 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.
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.
Apr
09
Welcome to our “living bibliography” on trust.
We are pleased to provide the latest free update to our followers.
This bibliography is provided courtesy of Bob Easton, an essay contributor to our book, Trust Inc., Strategies for Building Your Company’s Most Valuable Asset.
Robert (Bob) Easton is a Senior Managing Director at Accenture, where he has been for the past 15 years. Bob has worked and lived throughout the world including: New Zealand, Australia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan, China, Germany, London and currently, the United States. He is well known for the contributions he has made to building trust based relationships. Bob’s specific research interest is in the relationship between trust and well-being and the implications for trust models and flourishing institutions. He calls for a positive deviance of trust and proposes a new conceptualization of trust to achieve this deviance –appreciative trusting or ‘the deliberate and intentional pursuit of maximal trust in others-even to the limits of prudence’. Bob can be contacted at robert.j.easton@accenture.com.
The bibliography will be updated monthly as we receive new references and resources. Please send your suggestions to Barbara Kimmel. E-mail: barbara@trustacrossamerica.com
Again, the latest update can be accessed here. We hope you find it useful.
Barbara Brooks Kimmel is the Executive Director of Trust Across America-Trust Around the World whose mission is to help organizations build trust, and runs the world’s largest membership program for those interested in the subject. 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.
Our 2015 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.
Copyright 2015, Next Decade, Inc.
Jan
23
The World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos is in full swing, and as Sebastian Buckup, the Director of the Program’s Development Team reports, the world has lost trust in:
Progress
Markets
Government
Few would disagree, but on closer read, one will not find the word “leadership” mentioned until the discussion on government. I will continue to contend that the world has not lost trust in progress, markets or government, for that matter. The world has lost trust in the leaders who are impeding progress and innovation, fostering inefficiency in markets and placing their governmental “power” before the best interests of the people who elected them.
The world is not facing a crisis of trust, but rather one of untrustworthy leadership. Until the focus shifts from inanimate objects like progress, markets and government to the human beings behind these institutional walls, the global trust crisis will continue unabated.
On Monday, and for the fifth year, Trust Across America-Trust Around the World will be announcing its Top Thought Leaders in Trust, a group of approximately one hundred professionals who collectively hold the key to reversing the cycle of mistrust in all organizations, via the “human” approach. And while a few are even in attendance this year at Davos, no one individual can change the course of this negative trust trajectory.
Imagine if this Top Thought Leader group convened in Davos (or maybe even somewhere warmer) with the sole intent of tackling the real crisis and building the tools leaders need to put trust back in their organizations. That’s the meeting I want to attend. How about you? How can we make that happen?
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.
Our 2015 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.
Copyright 2015, Next Decade, Inc.
Dec
24
Customer service is perhaps the most essential component in building and maintaining trust, and yet it is often the most abused. While the customer service team is the first interaction with the public, and the first opportunity to lay that essential trust foundation, in many organizations it represents an “easy” cost cutting “line item.” As the economy improves, you might think companies would shift their pocketbooks back to their customers, but in my experience, it’s not happening. Just think for a moment about why companies choose “off shore” customer service call centers and the issue becomes clear.
Don’t get me wrong. There are many wonderful businesses who understand that without their customers, their windows are permanently shuttered. This year, I have had first-hand experience with all the companies listed below and will continue to support the bottom line of the first six.
1. Kohler– their products are not inexpensive, but they stand behind them in an exemplary way. Something breaks? Give them a call. You will speak with a knowledgeable customer service rep who will have you happy and off the phone in no time.
2. American Express– I recently called them for the first time and was startled by the professionalism and expertise of their CSRs. The gentleman I spoke with told me he had been with the company for many years, has worked in all aspects of the card division and often hops on the phone to help customers, as he had with me. Wow!
3. Constant Contact– for those of you who maintain large mailing lists or databases, there are no computers answering the phone at Constant Contact. Call them any time and watch how quickly they assist you. You can almost see the smiles on their faces as they answer your questions.
4. Amazon– publishers hate them but when it comes to customer service, they have their system so “right” that one need never speak to customer service! Orders can be placed quickly and efficiently, and packages are delivered. It’s that simple.
5. Wegmans– while most people don’t look forward to their weekly food shopping chore, Wegmans makes it pleasant and satisfying. From quality to cleanliness, reasonable prices and great staff, it’s hard not to trust them. Not only will they “bag” your groceries, but they will even take them to your car. Compare that to the service at your supermarket.
6. Starbucks– yes, their products are “pricey” and occasionally a Barista may spell your name incorrectly on your cup, but the Starbucks experience is pleasant for customers of all ages. It isn’t by accident. Howard Schultz cares and he makes sure everyone who works for him does too.
This list would not be complete without flipping the coin to the worst customer service companies of 2014.
Fortunately, this list is a bit shorter than the one above.
1. Chrysler Group– for issuing me an undated safety recall notice involving the ignition switch, power steering, engine and breaking. The notice states the following: “Chrysler intends to repair your vehicle free of charge. However, the part required to provide a permanent remedy for this condition is currently not available.” Huh? It’s now at least 4 months since this notice was received and the dealer advises that Chrysler still has not made parts available. And Chrysler has yet to follow up on its recall notice. Correct me if I’m wrong. Isn’t this the same story as General Motors earlier this year? Did you know Chrysler is owned by Fiat in Italy? What’s going on here?
2. Amerihealth NJ – it would be difficult to find a worse customer service disaster than this one. Even escalating complaints to the President’s office doesn’t work. The person you speak with will tell you that they receive dozens of calls every day, including those from lawyers on behalf of clients with the same exact issues. Nothing this company does is right from holding on the phone for hours (literally) to not sending insurance cards, getting your address wrong, incorrectly processing claims, to billing. Yet they have received designations of excellence and best places to work! Go figure. Thankfully, I will be escaping from this nightmare come January 1.
3. Comcast – This is the company that claims they “care” but a claim and an action are not the same. And ….
4. CenturyLink – these two companies work pretty closely because in our geographic area, without the service of one the customer is “stuck” with the other. The companies know it and so there is no reason to give the customer any sort of service. It’s monopolistic business practice at its worst. The customer comes dead last in every interaction all the time. Be prepared to spend endless hours on the phone with no resolution. The option, disconnect your phone and TV and save yourself the aggravation. In my case, CenturyLink loses my business only because Comcast has a faster internet speed.
Any time the customer has the option to send a message with their pocketbook, they should do so.
Support companies who support and respect you. Dump the companies that don’t.
I know these stories will resonate with many of our readers. Who should be added to the top list of “good guys?” Send your recommendations to 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.
You can order our books here.
Copyright 2014 Next Decade, Inc.
Dec
21
Last week an acquaintance reported on the ten biggest reputation disasters of 2014- City of Ferguson, Flight MH370, Ray Rice, Bill Cosby and so on…. The focus remains on the negative under the premise that “bad news sells.” I’m tired of these stories. They serve no purpose other than to attract “eyeballs” and perpetuate negativity. How about you?
Not all is gloom and doom. When I launched Trust Across America-Trust Around the World more than five years ago, one of our objectives was to redirect attention to the “good guys.” There are plenty of them, but their stories continue to get hidden amongst the bad news. The list below is not about philanthropy or CSR. It’s about trustworthy leadership values and their impact on all stakeholders, not just shareholders.
These are….
The Ten Best CEO “Trust” Stories of 2014 (not necessarily in rank order)
#1 David Reiling, CEO at Sunrise Banks Answers the Toughest Questions about What Makes a Trustworthy Leader in our new magazine TRUST!
#2 Starbucks Howard Schultz “Comes Out” on Building Trust, and Why it May Decide the Future of their Organization… and a bit more detail here
#3 Nancy Lyons of Clockwork in Minneapolis Redefines Employee Engagement
#4 Elon Musk at Tesla Shares His Patent Secrets with His Competitors. Read why.
#5 Capital One’s Richard Fairbank Has a People Centered Vision. His company also made our Top 10 Most Trustworthy Company List for 2013.
#6 Trade Joe’s Employees Dance in the Aisles for Autism
#7 Herve Humler Announces Ritz Carlton as First Founding Partner at Impact 2030
#8 Marathon Call at Zappos Shows the Value Tony Hsieh Places on Customer Service
#9 Rick Holley CEO of Plum Creek Timber Gives Back Bonus, Says He Doesn’t Deserve it
#10 When Good Guys Finish First, The Second Coming of Market Basket CEO Arthur T. Demoulas
Let’s celebrate these trustworthy leaders and the companies they run. Let’s work together to continue the “trust trend” in 2015.
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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