As the Executive Director of Trust Across America, I often find myself discussing the difference between being legal and being ethical. The legal side of the discussion is pretty easy to explain. If you and/or your organization comply with the law, you are meeting your legal requirement. Being ethical- not so easy to describe. It’s going beyond what’s legal to “doing the right thing” and I’ve learned there is no standard for the “right thing.”

In reading today’s headlines, I may have found a perfect case study for legal vs. ethical, right in my own backyard. Talk about not “getting it!” The story has do do with NJ taxpayers paying dozens of school superintendents twice via a paycheck and a pension. It’s called “double-dipping” and it’s perfectly legal. But is it ethical? You can read the full article here.

bit.ly/12m0p3Q

BARBARA KIMMEL INTERVIEWS DEB MILLS-SCOFIELD

Barbara Kimmel: Deb – tell us a bit about your background, qualifications and expertise. If you have written a book, please provide the title.

Deb Mills-Scofield: I was raised to challenge and question the status quo. I went to Brown University and helped create the Cognitive Science concentration and went to Bell Labs after graduation where I received a patent for one of AT&T & Lucent’s largest revenue generating products. I have my own strategy and innovation consulting practice, am a partner in an early stage Venture Capital firm, teach a class on business model innovation at Oberlin College. I love spending time at Brown on the Engineering Advisory Council, as a Visiting Scholar mentoring students in entrepreneurship and social ventures, and guest lecturing. I also blog for Harvard Business Review. I’ve done a few startups that failed and succeeded and love working with young entrepreneurs to keep my business acumen nimble and open-minded.

Barbara Kimmel: Trust Across America’s mission is to rebuild trustworthy business behavior across the globe.  How would you generally define trustworthy business behavior? 

Deb Mills-Scofield: The golden rule is a great start – do unto others as you would have them do unto you, no matter what the situation.  This means keeping commitments and promises, being accountable, acting with integrity, being vulnerable and humble, and understanding that having the right doesn’t make it right.  It means always being able to look your customers and employees in the eye because you know you’ve done the right things.

Barbara Kimmel: In your opinion, what are some of the specific components of trustworthy business behavior?

Deb Mills-Scofield: Treating people (customers, employees, etc.) fairly, which isn’t always equally; taking the 2^nd, 3^rd etc. order consequences of your business’s operations and offerings into account in decision-making (for customers, employees, communities, environment); focusing on profit and money as outputs (means to an end) which enable outcomes (ends) of purpose and meaning; first truly understanding customers’ needs and circumstances before rushing to a solution.  This starts with the people around you, your personal relationships with peers, bosses, those that work for you and goes on from there.

Barbara Kimmel: We all know that the erosion of corporate trust is a big problem. What are companies doing to combat this, and is it enough?

Deb Mills-Scofield: Companies are trying in various ways.  A common way is compliance – which is obedience of the mind, not heart – to the letter of the law versus the spirit of the law.  I think it has to start with leadership making themselves vulnerable, admitting they are wrong, that they need input and don’t know all the answers but know the direction.  Leader need to trust their people: treat them like adults, reward, recognize, give autonomy and permission to try, fail and learn, let them create their own jobs and self-organize.  And this is done in sincerity and authenticity towards the goal of freeing one’s people to delight customers instead of constantly checking to see if it improves the bottom line (outcome vs. output again).

Barbara Kimmel: Is the global “trust” climate improving or worsening? What actions will turn things around?

Deb Mills-Scofield: At a macro level, I think it is worsening.  Even if it is getting better, there is a time lag before people will trust again.  In my practice, admittedly self-selecting, I see a concerted effort to increase genuine trust and integrity within the organization and with customers and suppliers.  The issue is having the tenacity to stick with while you’re building up credibility and a track record.

Barbara Kimmel: Can you provide a few examples of companies that are doing the “right” thing in your opinion? What steps are being taken by these companies that sets them apart?

Deb Mills-Scofield: There are the famous ones you hear about – Whole Foods, Zappos, etc.  I know several ‘unknowns’ that are remarkable.  One is Menasha Packaging, a 164yr old 6^th generation family business over $1B that has to be one of the most incredible teams I’ve ever worked with in terms of compassions, integrity, honesty, transparency resulting in terrific profitability and growth. Their president, Mike Waite’s (who is joining me for the Feb 13^th  Trust Across America radio show) primary concern is making sure his people, at all levels, can live their dreams at home.  The leadership lives up to their commitments, gives their people autonomy, allows failure, encourages self-organization and keeps a flat organization with a true open-door policy.  The other company is Thogus, a 21^st century manufacturing polymer and 3D printing company.  Matt Hlavin, the president, makes sure he owns the culture – keeping it vibrant, open and transparent about his strengths and weaknesses.  It truly does feel like a family.

Barbara Kimmel: Anything else you would like to add as a closing comment?

Deb Mills-Scofield: I’m a bit concerned that trust will become, if it hasn’t already, a buzzword.  The issue and importance is that it has to come from within the person, from the heart.  It should have only one real motive – it’s about ‘the other’, not about you. It shouldn’t be a way to achieve corporate growth, career advancement etc.  It should be because you genuinely want to be trustworthy and that you want the best for your people, your customers, and your stakeholders.  Anything less is not sustainable.

Barbara Kimmel: Deb, I share your concerns that a new industry of “trust-washing” will emerge, if it hasn’t already.  I appreciate your insights and all you do to foster trustworthy business.

Deb Mills-Scofield can be reached at: dms@mills-scofield.com

Do you have questions or comments? Email Barbara@trustacrossamerica.com

News Release

For Immediate Release

For Additional Information contact:

Barbara Kimmel

Executive Director

Trust Across America

908-879-6625

Trust in Business Essential for 2013:

Global Experts Join Forces to Combat Trust Crisis

Chester, N.J.  January 3, 2013—After a well-documented 10+ years of declining trust in government, business and the media, Trust Across America (TAA) (www.trustacrossamerica.com) and its ambassadors are launching the Campaign for Trust™, a two-year initiative to reverse this cycle.  “As the leaders in information, standards, data and the Who’s Who of trustworthy business, this is the next step in our initiative that began in 2009,” said Barbara Brooks Kimmel, a Co-founder and the Executive Director.

In the fourth quarter of 2012 TAA created The Alliance of Trustworthy Business Experts (ATBE) to collaborate in advancing the cause of trustworthy business through the creation of trust tools and communications outreach. Over 100 global thought leaders from Fortune 500 companies; leading academic institutions; global media and consulting have joined since the mid-October launch.

Much of the work of the alliance will be via strategic partnerships with our Founding Members listed alphabetically: Patricia Aburdene (Co-author of Megatrends 2000); William Benner (WW Consulting); Randy Conley (The Ken Blanchard Companies); Stephen M.R. Covey (Franklin Covey-Speed of Trust); Linda Fisher Thornton (Leading in Context); Bahar Gidwani (CSRHub); Charles Green (Trusted Advisor Associates); Nadine Hack (beCause Global Consulting); Michael Hopkins (MHC International); Gary Judd (Franklin Covey-Speed of Trust); Barbara Kimmel (Trust Across America); Jim Kouzes (The Leadership Challenge); Deb Krizmanich (Powernoodle); Mike Krzus (Co-author of One Report); Greg Link (Franklin Covey-Speed of Trust); Linda Locke (Reputare Consulting); Edward Marshall (Author Building Trust at the Speed of Change); Jon Mertz (Thin Difference); Deb Mills-Scofield (Innovanomics™); Robert Vanourek (Triple Crown Leadership); and Bob Whipple (Leadergrow Inc.).

According to Kimmel, “We will be assembling a Trust Toolbox™ in 2013 to assist businesses in building trust with their stakeholders. Collaborative projects in development include the publication of a book- Trust Inc.: Strategies for Building Your Company’s Most Valuable Asset, a collection of short essays from our global thought leaders; the Trust Directory™ designed for companies who seek advice and counsel; the creation of trust assessments; the development of a Trust Index™; educational Trust Talks™; a monthly publication called the Trust Sheet ™, announcing trust alliance member news from around the world; and the opening of our online Trust Store™, a virtual one-stop shop for trust products.”

Kicking off the campaign will be the January 14 announcement of Trust Across America’s 3rd annual Top Thought Leaders in Trustworthy Business. Our 2013 recognition list will honor the late Dr. Stephen R. Covey, whose professional accomplishments in the field of trust were instrumental to the founding of the Trust Across America initiative four years ago.

According to Amy Lyman co-founder of Great Place to Work Institute and author of The Trustworthy Leader, “The evidence is irrefutable. Cultures of trust, created by leaders who are credible, respectful and fair bring with them significant economic, social, community and environmental benefits. It is what every employee wants and what every business leader should strive for.” Trust Across America, through its new trust alliance, hopes to develop the requisite tools to enhance cultures of trust, and encourages those interested in furthering the cause of trustworthy business to join the alliance. trustacrossamerica.com/cgi-bin/alliance.cgi

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Basic human decency- has it disappeared? It certainly seems that way- and perhaps this is why trustworthy business behavior has too.

My holiday wish for all of you is to consider the following professional business practices and share them with your team, every month beginning in January.  Together we can begin to rebuild human decency in 2013 and collectively elevate the level of trust in business. Naïve? – Maybe, but certainly worth a try.

January–  Promises: If you make a promise, keep it.

February– Behavior: Practice what you preach.

March– Accountability: If you say you are going to do something, follow through.

April– Obligations: If you owe someone money, pay them. Don’t hide behind your legal department.

May– Integrity: If you are told something in confidence, don’t betray it.

June– Teamwork: Have your colleague’s back.

July– Respect:  Be on time for the meeting or the phone call.

August– Honor: Your handshake should be worth as much as a written contract.

September– Humility:  Be humble. Don’t brag about how much money you make and all the toys you bought with it.

October– Social Responsibility: Practice good corporate social responsibility regardless of whether a “program” is in place to do it.

November– Selflessness: Think of others before yourself.

December– Trust:  Don’t forget that trustworthy business is not about quarterly earnings and international expansion, but rather about “doing the right thing.”

Barbara Kimmel, Executive Director

Trust Across America

You may direct questions or comments to Barbara@trustacrossamerica.com

It seems like business leaders may finally be waking up to the importance of trust as as a brand/company asset.

This week we heard from Sheryl Connolly Ford’s Futurist, about the increasing value of trust as the “new black” www.businessinsider.com/fords-biggest-trends-for-2013-2012-12, and from Cheryl Guerin Senior Vice President at Mastercard, positing that trust is an advantage for established companies. www.businessinsider.com/trust-could-be-the-achilles-heel-of-new-payment-companies-2012-12

Amen ladies! Perhaps it’s the Sheryls/Cheryls of the world, or female business leaders for that matter, who are about to turn the “trust” switch to the “on” position as a management tool that should not be ignored.  Trust is measurable and companies that embrace it as a business tool reap the rewards. Trust Across America has been preaching this, to a growing audience, for quite some time. www.trustacrossamerica.com/blog/?p=573

Let’s just hope that companies are genuinely waking up to the importance of stakeholder trust, rather than using trust as the latest “in” buzzword.

What do you think?

Barbara Kimmel, Executive Director

Trust Across America

Barbara@trustacrossamerica.com

The Steward of Trust for 2013

Good Business New York Leading Women for 2012 has named Trust Across America’s Founder, Barbara Kimmel, among its honorees.

The accomplished women listed below inspire us, surprise us, and give us hope that the world can be a better place. Each of these determined women honored this year is working diligently to solve critical social and economic problems.

These courageous women tackle our most challenging modern issues including environmental sustainability, human rights, business trust, equitable capital allocation, social enterprise, women’s economic empowerment, and ethical leadership with indefatigable energy and dedication.

The “Good Business New York™ Leading Women of 2012” includes economists, lawyers, thought leaders, journalists, policy makers, activists, investors, corporate executives, entrepreneurs, philanthropists, scientists, quants, and academics. Some are known to us personally at Good-b; others are not. All of these women have been selected for their impact and effectiveness in the world of business and finance.

We live in times of crises. Critical social and economic challenges are more important than ever to address, and even more importantly to resolve. These women are among the champions and change makers who are creating real and positive change. Most of these women are well known in their circles, but none are household names. Some operate behind-the-scenes; others take center stage. Our goal atGood Business New York™ is to celebrate the important work that each of these remarkable women do everyday with committment, personal sacrifice,  passion, purpose, and sheer determination – work that might sometimes go unnoticed by the general population, but is never-the-less shaping the positive changes taking place in business and society.  At Good Business New York™, we honor the triumphs and accomplishments of these 25 Leading Women in the face of real challenges.

After eight months of deliberation and research at Good Business New York™, we have selected 25 amazing women to represent the power that one person has to make a big difference. We believe they deserve even greater recognition for the socially, environmentally, and economically sustainable work they do every day. They serve as role models for women and girls everywhere.

We celebrate these 25 dynamic women who inspire and empower us to create a better world for all. The“Good Business New York™ Leading Women for 2012” offer us hope that a more equitable and sustainable economy is possible, one that serves all levels of society fairly and responsibly and doesn’t leave millions of the world’s inhabitants out. We congratulate and applaud all of them for what they do every day for our communities and our world.

To review the complete list, please click on the link below.

good-b.com/?p=10329

“I am honored to be included among this list of outstanding women,” said Barbara Kimmel. “This recognition reconfirms that the work I am doing at Trust Across America is not only helping to restore trust in the business community, but is also being more widely acknowledged by prestigious organizations like Good Business New York”.

Who Are the Tri –State’s Most Trustworthy Public Companies?

Even though trust in corporations is dropping nationwide,  many companies in the Tri-State area exhibit high levels of trustworthy behavior and many are surging ahead of the S&P as America recovers from its most recent recession. According to Trust Across America (TAA), the Tri-State area’s most trustworthy companies are:

New York:       

Gold- Hess Corporation                    

Silver- Transatlantic Holdings Inc.  

Bronze- Avon Products, Inc.            

For more details: tinyurl.com/4bn6zn3

New Jersey:          

Gold- Prudential Financial, Inc.

Silver- Cytec Industries Inc.

Bronze- Sealed Air Corporation

For more details: tinyurl.com/5t5cxlw

Connecticut:        

Gold- Praxair

Silver- Rockville Financial

Bronze- United Technologies

For more details: tinyurl.com/65ekk43

Trust Across America shines the spotlight on world-class companies exhibiting high levels of trustworthy business behavior, while providing a roadmap for other organizations to follow. Although trust was difficult to accurately measure in the past, TAA has compiled a composite set of trust metrics and worked closely with organizations that measure them.  The result is a new model called FACTS™, an acronym that stands for Financial stability and strength, Accounting conservativeness, Corporate integrity, Transparency, and Sustainability, with each factor evenly weighted. The power of this model is that it is objective, quantitative, and rich in independent metrics. 

Barbara Kimmel, Executive Director of Trust Across America states: “There are no perfect companies.  However, many companies have touted themselves as trustworthy and have been given a free ride because corporate America has lacked a definition of trust and tools to measure it. Our data can see through the smoke and mirrors.”

So while the news continues to be filled with surveys showing that consumer and investor mistrust of business is rising, we can now focus on the companies that are working hard to earn the public’s trust. As a result, consumers can now choose to do business with these trustworthy companies, while investors have an added level of protection from the next corporate scandal. 

 Trust Across America is a program of Next Decade, Inc., an award-winning firm that has been unraveling and simplifying complex business subjects for over 20 years. TAA provides a framework for public companies to improve trustworthy business practices, as well as showcasing role models that are exhibiting high levels of trust and integrity.

What were the most trustworthy business sectors in 2010? We recently ran this question through our FIDES ™ computer software. We bundled all the companies in our database (almost 3000), sorted by sector and pressed “go!” Here are the top 5 sectors- there are 16 in total:

Basic Materials– lead by Lubrizol (www.lubrizol.com) and Eastman Chemical (www.eastman.com)

Oils-Energy– lead by Hess (www.hess.com)

Utilities– lead by Pinnacle West Capitol Corp. (www.pinnaclewest.com)  and Oge Energy (www.oge.com)

Consumer Staples– lead by Avon Products (www.avoncompany.com)

Auto-Tires-Trucks– lead by Cummins Inc.  (www.cummins.com)

Our data incorporates five key drivers of trustworthy business behavior: Financial stability/strength; Accounting conservativeness: Corporate integrity; Transparency and Sustainability. We call this FACTS (tm).

One of the goals of Trust Across America is for the top trustworthy companies to start sharing best practices with their peers.

Do you have any questions or comments? Email me at barbara@trustacrossamerica.com

Today, Trust Across America™ (TAA) (www.trustacrossamerica.com)  announced the results of their audit of almost 3000 public companies and named Hess (www.hess.com ) as the Most Trustworthy Public Company for 2010. Barbara Kimmel, Co-founder of Trust Across America states that “While no company received a perfect score, Hess came out on top.”

The audit incorporates over 500 data points with respect to five key corporate indicators of trustworthy business behavior: Financial stability and strength, Accounting conservativeness, Corporate integrity, Transparency, and Sustainability, aptly called FACTS™.

The model was developed in collaboration with two Harvard MBA’s and a leading PhD quantitative analyst. The audit process, which took almost two years to complete, is “the most holistic and comprehensive trust “health” checkup for public companies,” according to its founders.

A statement on the Hess website indicates that the company has “six core values that represent its collective conscience and embed them in their organization: Integrity, People, Performance, Value Creation, Social Responsibility and Independent Spirit. Their business is “built on long standing relationships founded on trust.”

The companies  that ranked among the “Top Ten” embed trustworthy business behavior in their corporate culture. They are listed below in alphabetical order. 

Albemarle www.albemarle.com

Best Buy www.bby.com

Cummins www.cummins.com

Eastman Chemical www.eastman.com

Hess www.hess.com

Lexmark www.lexmark.com

Lubrizol www.lubrizol.com

Sonoco Products www.sonoco.com

Texas Instruments www.ti.com

USANA www.usana.com

Trust Across America™ (TAA) is a program of Next Decade, Inc., an award-winning firm that has been unraveling and simplifying complex subjects for over 20 years. TAA provides a framework for public companies to improve trustworthy business practices, as well as media opportunities to highlight companies that are exhibiting high levels of trust and integrity.

Contact: For more information contact Barbara Kimmel, Executive Director, Trust Across America barbara@trustacrossamerica.com  or simply hit reply.

Now, more than ever, consumers want to make the best purchasing decisions from companies they trust- those that will stand behind their products. While most people would agree that trust and integrity are the foundation of our economy, the news is full of surveys showing that consumers’ mistrust of business is on the rise, but we must not forget that great businesses still exist. 

So whether you are stopping for gas, taking a vacation, buying a computer, getting a cup of coffee, looking for auto or health insurance, or buying a new pair of shoes, you can rest easy that a purchase from one of the following is coming from a trustworthy source that has earned your support: 

                         Alfac www.aflac.com

                         Best Buy www.bby.com

                         Carnival Corp www.carnival.com

                         Cigna  www.cigna.com

                         Costco  www.costco.com

                         Federal Express www.fedex.com

                         Hess www.hess.com

                         JC Penney www.jcpenney.com

                         Lexmark www.lexmark.com

                         Mattel www.mattel.com

                         Nike www.nike.com

                         Progressive Corp www.progressive.com

                         Starbucks www.starbucks.com

                         Timberland www.timberland.com

                         UPS www.ups.com

                         US Airways www.usairways.com

                         Whirlpool www.whirlpool.com

While no company received a perfect score from Trust Across America, our audit incorporated over 500 data points with respect to five key corporate indicators of trustworthy behavior: Financial stability and strength, Accounting conservativeness, Corporate integrity, Transparency, and Sustainability, aptly called FACTS™.

Trust Across America™ (TAA) is a program of Next Decade, Inc., an award-winning firm that has been unraveling and simplifying complex subjects for over 20 years.  TAA provides a framework for public companies to improve trustworthy business practices, as well as media opportunities to highlight companies that are exhibiting high levels of trust and integrity.

Contact: For more information on our methodology please visit our website at www.trustacrossamerica.com or email:  barbara@trustacrossamerica.com