Trust Across America-Trust Around the World™

There are nights when the wolves are silent and only the moon howls. ~George Carlin

Today is Halloween, the second most lucrative holiday after Christmas, with Americans spending over $6 billion annually on costumes and candy.

Did you ever wonder about the origin of the phrase “trick or treat?” I hadn’t until today. For example, did you know that Halloween may have its roots in an ancient Celtic festival call Samhain? This article has all sorts of interesting facts about the holiday.

And if that doesn’t satisfy your appetite, you might want to read this one where the debate between who “owns” Halloween, the Celts or the Christians is explored in (maybe too much) depth.

All this information may leave you wondering what this post has to do with trust. In reality, it wasn’t all that easy to find the link, but the CDC will tell you in Halloween Health and Safety Tips.

Enjoy your day. I’ll be participating in a local “ghost walk” this evening to learn about all the haunted buildings in my community.

PS- Happy Birthday Mom!

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.

Have you seen our brand new magazine TRUST!

Copyright © 2014, Next Decade, Inc.

Destiny is no matter of chance. It is a matter of choice. It is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved–  William Jennings Bryan

Early this week we published the inaugural edition of TRUST! Magazine. It features stories of companies and leaders in the financial services industry who are NOT the bad apples we read about daily in the press. These stories contain dozens of best practices that can be emulated and replicated in companies that choose to put trust on their daily docket.

The people who contributed to this magazine are as diverse as the subject of trust itself- Jan Lynn Owen, a California Banking Commissioner, Brad Katsuyama, who’s name you may recall from 60 Minutes, Steven Mandis a former Goldman Sachs investment banker, Bruce Cahan a visiting scholar at Stanford University, Jack Hubbard, a member of our trust alliance, who has spent decades teaching bankers how to be trustworthy, and David Reiling the CEO of Sunrise Banks, to name just a few. These are the people who are leading the movement to change the way business is done. These are the people who not only talk trust but walk it too.

In compiling this magazine, I was reminded again and again that industry is not destiny. Similar to the NFL, the good players have their reputation’s tarnished by a handful of thugs.

Five years ago, Trust Across America-Trust Around the World developed the only holistic, quantitative measurement of the trustworthiness of public companies. We call it our FACTS Framework and we have been carefully tracking individual company and industry performance since then. The “trust trends”, and even the risks we see, are very different than what some of the companies choose to talk about, and what the opinion polls would have you believe. Companies that rise to the top of our model have similar DNA, regardless of their industry. Their thinking is holistic and “long-term” and they crush their competition.

Trust begins with trustworthy leadership at the Board & C-Suite level. We’ve published two award-winning books on the subject with a third out in November. Trust is built over time and in incremental steps. It doesn’t matter what the industry. The steps are the same. If trust is considered a business imperative, it is built into the corporate credo, vision and values, and practiced every day by everyone. It is reinforced at every opportunity.

No company is perfect, but trust ALWAYS begins with the internal actions of leadership. Don’t believe for a minute that industry is destiny. Not yet convinced? Read our magazine and see for yourself.

PS- An early observation based on sales… the majority of buyers are not US based. What does that tell you?

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.

Have you seen our brand new magazine TRUST!

Copyright © 2014, Next Decade, Inc.

A lack of transparency results in distrust and a deep sense of insecurity– Dalai Lama

How many of the following ten “trust” danger signs are present in your organization?

1. Passion is missing and so is the boss
2. Bureaucracy is increasing as is the compliance staff
3. Closed doors have become the norm, as well as the conversations behind them
4. Decisions take forever
5. Employees are disengaged and turnover is increasing
6. There is more talk and less listening
7. Nobody ever fails, a sign of little to no innovation
8. Empathy and kindness are rarities
9. Transparency has taken a back seat to secrecy
10. The “giving” has stopped and the day of the “free turkey” is over

The business case for trust  has been made. Beware of the “trust” danger signs and address them before distrust becomes the norm.

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.

Have you seen our brand new magazine TRUST!

Copyright © 2014, Next Decade, Inc.

Lay a strong foundation of trust or make a costly fix in the future. You decide.  Barbara Brooks Kimmel

Over time, homes built on weak foundations develop structural issues- cracked walls, crooked floors, leaky roofs. Organizations are no different.

Yesterday I was speaking with someone who holds a senior position in a startup company. I asked him whether trust is being built into the DNA. After he rolled his eyes, he said “the “team” was too busy for that.” I cautioned that the road ahead could be very bumpy and inefficient, and that long-term success was questionable. Then I turned my back and rolled my eyes!

Building trust into the business strategy at the startup stage increases efficiency (more timely, less costly) and is so much easier and less expensive than making the repairs later on.

These are three steps startups can take to build a foundation of trust. We call this our VIP Model (Values, Integrity, Promises Kept).

Vision & Values: Leaders must collaboratively identify what the organization wants to achieve. Why does it exist and what does it stand for? Bring the team together to write a statement of values or a corporate credo. Discuss it weekly. Modify as required. Don’t know where to start? Here’s a sample. We can direct you to other resources as well.

Integrity: Model openness and vulnerability; use transparent decision making; listen carefully; ask for input; don’t bite off more than you can chew; don’t exaggerate or make false claims; communicate and then communicate again.

Promises: What are the goals and intentions for each of your stakeholder groups? What promises can you make and what steps do you need to take to fulfill them? Do not make promises you can’t keep.

Don’t wait to build trust into your organization’s DNA. The stronger the foundation, the lower the likelihood of cracked walls in the future.

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.

Have you seen our brand new magazine TRUST!

Copyright © 2014, Next Decade, Inc.

A warm smile is the universal language of kindness. William Arthur Ward

There are several frameworks and models of trustworthy leadership. Some describe the “three C’S” of Character, Competence and Consistency, while another substitutes “consistency” for compassion. Randy Conley, the Vice President of Client Services & Trust Practice Leader for The Ken Blanchard Companies, and one of our Alliance members, employs the ABCDs as a model (Able, Believable, Connected, Dependable.) At Trust Across America we like to say that trustworthy leaders are VIPS’s (Values, Integrity and Promises kept.)

Yesterday a colleague shared this Harvard Business Review article discussing the work of behavioral science researchers at Princeton (Amy Cuddy and Susan Fiske) and Lawrence University’s Peter Glick.  Simply, the most influential traits of great leaders are warmth and strength. The difficulty comes in deciding which comes first, and if you are like me, you will be surprised at the findings.

Why are these traits so important? Because they answer two critical questions: “What are this person’s intentions toward me?” and “Is he or she capable of acting on those intentions?” Together, these assessments underlie our emotional and behavioral reactions to other people, groups, and even brands and companies. 

When considering the most important traits of those who lead with trust, which do you think comes first, warmth or strength?

Drop me a note at Barbara@trustacrossamerica.com or leave a comment.

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.

Have you seen our brand new magazine TRUST!

Copyright © 2014, Next Decade, Inc.

Organizational Trust this Week is a new feature beginning with the “Good” and 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

Industry is NOT destiny, even in financial services. Our new magazine TRUST! tells the stories of the “good guys” who have built trust into the DNA of their organizations.

This article gets right to the heart of trust as a business imperative. Trust: The Must Have for the 21^st Century Leader

Five Ways Elite Teams Must be Lead (including trust & loyalty)

Five Powerful Habits of Extraordinary Leaders (a trusting workplace is key)

THE BAD

The word “expert” has always intrigued me. After all, what is an expert? Why Don’t Americans Trust Experts?

Splitting the Roles of Chairman & CEO are good for companies (and good for trust) so why the resistance?

THE UGLY

Academic fraud is a tough “trust nut” to swallow. Negligence or Worse?

OUR MOST POPULAR POST THIS WEEK

And finally, Trust Across America-Trust Around the World’s most popular post on LinkedIn Pulse this week. One CEOs Advice About Trust

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.

                                                                                               Coming Soon!

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

Copyright © 2014, Next Decade, Inc.

“Destiny is not a matter of chance, but of choice.

Not something to wish for, but to attain.”

— William Jennings Bryan

Since the financial crisis of 2008 the media’s fixation on the “rotten apples” in the industry has been unrelenting. Under the theory that “bad news sells” the public is reminded daily and left with diminishing expectations for a return to a more trustworthy financial services environment.

But what if I told you there is a silver lining? Contrary to popular belief, when it comes to trust, industry is NEVER destiny.

In the inaugural edition of TRUST! Magazine, we bring together global experts to help us explore companies and leaders who have chosen a different path. These are NOT the stories we hear about in the news, but they are the ones that SHOULD be reported. We have chosen to provide the public with the “other side” of this coin, not just corporate window dressing “best practices,” but actually, the “real deal.”

Trust has been built into the corporate DNA at these financial institutions. It is at the heart of how business is done, and it is practiced and reinforced daily. When we started Trust Across America-Trust Around the World in 2009, our mission was to highlight the “good guys” and showcase their best practices in an unbiased and impartial manner.  Consistent with our approach over the past five years, our readers will not find a single advertisement in this 50+ page magazine. We have elected instead to charge a small fee to cover our costs.

We hope you find value in the Magazine and choose to share it with others. Together we can push this enormous trust boulder up the hill.

ACCESS THE TABLE OF CONTENTS AND LEARN MORE

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 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.

Communication leads to community, that is, to understanding, intimacy and mutual valuing. Rollo May

Nan Russell, a member of our Trust Alliance and author of Trust, Inc.: How to Create a Business Culture That Will Ignite Passion, Engagement, and Innovation, shares 12 Communication Practices That Elevate Communication and Build Trust in today’s blog post:

The communication practices below lift understanding, create aligned purpose, improve relationships, and enable healthy and productive differences, and while doing so, increase trust-building:

1. Know what matters to the people you lead
2. Have dialogues without personal agendas or assumed answers
3. Express heartfelt, specific gratitude
4. Be forthcoming about your objective, purpose, or goal
5. Align your actions with your words
6. Operate with thoughtful transparency
7. Paint word-pictures to make something seeable, doable, and purposeful
8. Be about the right action, not the action that’s right for you
9. Be open to all methods of communication
10. Offer feedback as opinion, not fact
11. Listen to learn
12. Be the message, not the messenger, for respect, integrity, and compassion

Communication that builds trust is elevated because it brings honesty, integrity, authenticity, and caring into the conversation.

Thank you Nan for sharing this guest blog post with us. For more information about Nan, visit her website.

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. 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.

                                                                                               Coming Soon!

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

Copyright © 2014, Next Decade, Inc.

Followers who tell the truth, and leaders who listen to it, are an unbeatable combination  — Warren Bennis

Last week Jack Haren, the President and CFO of Mohawk Fine Papers, Inc. delivered a short speech at the CFO of the Year Luncheon in Troy, NY. Mohawk is North America’s largest privately owned (4th generation) manufacturer of fine papers, envelopes and specialty substrates for commercial and digital printing. Jack chose the subject of trust and was kind enough to allow me to reprint his speech.

I have selected the question: What advice would you give someone going into leadership position for the first time? 

Putting aside the obvious ingredients of diligence and hard work, the INSIGHT that I would share is that long term career success is powered by the ability to generate TRUST.

Merriam- Webster dictionary defines trust as the assured reliance on the character, ability and strength of someone or something.

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As a mentor, I would remind them that Trust cannot be purchased. It doesn’t come with a college degree, your family name or your zip code.

It can only be earned.

It comes forth from the values you exhibit…the way you interact with peers, subordinates and superiors.    

It comes when you demonstrate that the MEANS that you employ to accomplish an end have as much to say about your success as the final result.

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I would remind them that Trust is fueled by consistency, fairness and openness.

It is strengthened by adversity.

It is built up over a series of experiences, a series of projects, a period of years.

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Finally, it is a quality that will draw others to you.  It is an essential of  leadership.

BUT a caution…it is very fragile… so handle it with great care.

Thank you Jack. Your commitment to trust is reflected in the ongoing success of your company.

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. 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.

                                                                                               Coming Soon!

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

Copyright © 2014, Next Decade, Inc.

Culture does not change because we desire to change it. Culture changes when the organization is transformed – the culture reflects the realities of the people working together every day – Frances Hesselbein

Bob Whipple of LeaderGrow and a member of our Trust Alliance, was kind enough to contribute today’s guest blog post. He tackles the question of how trust is impacted when organizations make major changes.

When organizations make major changes, such as reorganizations, mergers, or acquisitions, the trust that was in the  groups prior to the action is often lost quickly. This happens for a variety of reasons, as I have documented in my book Trust in Transition: Navigating Organizational Change (ASTD Press, 2014)

The success of the entire change process depends on trust—the trust level before integration and the trust maintained during the process. It matters a lot on the conditions going into the action. There are three possible situations as follows:

1. There is high trust within both groups to begin with. This is the best condition because it allows for people to weather the shock of the change, having some faith that things can work out in the end.
2. One group has high trust, but in the other one the culture has been damaged by prior leadership behaviors. The entity with higher trust will usually do better in the negotiation because there is more free flow of information and fewer problems to hide.
3. When both groups have low trust, it becomes extremely difficult to make progress because there is work to be done around all the interpersonal issues at every juncture. If a group has low trust in their own organization before a merger, then there is little hope that they will have more trust in the other group. It becomes a real mess to unscramble.

As the integration unfolds, the level of trust going in to a major change has a lot to do with how successful it will be.  Make sure that you test the level of trust and keep it strong throughout the process for the best result.

Bob Whipple, MBA, CPLP, is a consultant, trainer, speaker, and author in the areas of leadership and trust.  He is the author of: Trust in Transition: Navigating Organizational Change, The Trust Factor: Advanced Leadership for Professionals, Understanding E-Body Language: Building Trust Online, and Leading with Trust is Like Sailing Downwind.  Bob has many years as a senior executive with a Fortune 500 Company and with non-profit organizations.

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. 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.

                                                                                               Coming Soon!

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

Copyright © 2014, Next Decade, Inc.