Trust Across America-Trust Around the World™

It’s no secret that trust is either completely ignored or taken for granted in most organizations. In fact, usually its a pattern of systemic low trust, followed by a crisis, for the word “trust” to even make its way on to the organization’s radar. And then the wrong question is asked.  How do we “rebuild” trust (even though it never existed)? What a mess.

Why is this? These are the 5 most common excuses for ignoring trust:

1. Boards and C-Suites (in most organizations) have never considered trust as a business imperative or strategy.
2. Organizational trust is mistaken for compliance which is confused with ethics.
3. Organizational trust cannot be regulated. It’s voluntary.
4. When a trust breach occurs, often the punishment doesn’t fit crime so there is little deterrent for repeating the “crime.”
5. Trust is soft and can’t be measured. And that which can’t be measured, can’t be managed.

It’s #5 that perhaps bears the least weight. There are numerous measurements of organizational trust and trustworthiness. Trust Across America-Trust Around the World has aggregated 5 years of data proving the Return on Trust in public companies. Other global trust experts have validated assessment tools measuring the most important indicators of qualitative trust in leaders, teams, employees, etc.

Organizations choosing  to be proactive about trust must turn over the right rock to find the help they need. It doesn’t come from legal, compliance, risk, crisis management, CSR, sustainability, marketing or traditional leadership expertise. The only way to craft a trust-building strategy that “sticks” is by having the right people do it, and those are trust experts, no one else.

Taking trust for granted is like breathing…until the heart attack makes it impossible. Then the victim tries to find the best Band Aid to temporarily stop the disease when it could have been totally avoided. Leaders who choose to be proactive about trust have a huge advantage over their competitors. All the excuses in the world won’t change that.

Have you answered our June “Pulse” on Trust question? Today is the last day to vote. It will take no more than 30 seconds.

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.

Welcome!

Our monthly roundup is another collaborative undertaking of our Trust Alliance, selected blog posts on a variety of organizational trust topics. The subjects are as diverse as the expertise of our members!

By reviewing these posts, you will have a better appreciation for the importance of embracing trust as an organizational imperative.

Let’s get started!

Edward Marshall discusses the link between trust and the thriving workplace

Donna Boehme weighs in on the role of Boards in compliance

Randy Conley describes how trust is not a destination, but rather a journey.

Nadine Hack explains how the truth can set you free.

My most popular post this month was a Mother’s Day Special containing 20 quotes on building trust from the very lovable Dr. Seuss.

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.

Welcome!

Our monthly roundup is the latest collaborative undertaking of our Trust Alliance, selected blog posts on a variety of organizational trust topics. The subjects are as diverse as the expertise of our members!

By reviewing these posts, you will have a better appreciation for the importance of embracing trust as an organizational imperative.

Let’s get started!

You think you can’t ruin your reputation in 140 characters? Think again. David Penglase explains just how easy it is (all the way from Australia!)

Duke’s Coach K is one of my trust heroes and Randy Conley not only agrees but shares the secrets to trustworthy leadership.

While many will argue that trust should always be extended, Nan Russell provides three reasons why trust is not always the best practice. Agreed!

Have you ever considered how trust acts as a lubricant? Bob Whipple shows us six ways.

It was a close race for the most popular post of “yours truly” this month, but the winner was America’s “Top 10” Most Trustworthy Public Companies announced in the Spring issue of TRUST! Magazine.

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.

Collaboration fosters better decision-making, and by working together, groups can achieve extraordinary outcomes.

On a personal level, collaboration:

• Improves communication skills
• Stimulates critical thinking
• Enhances self esteem
• Builds confidence
• Motivates individuals to take risks
• Builds self-control
• Allows for evaluation of personal values and goals
• Builds empathy
• Teaches to listen with respect
• Develops conflict resolution skills
• Shifts the focus from the “short term” to the “long term”

As a group, collaboration:

• Increases productivity
• Speeds up decision-making
• Encourages creativity
• Simplifies workflows
• Pools skills and resources
• Fosters diversity
• Increases profitability
• Brings balance to decision-making
• Encourages win/win situations
• And most importantly, builds trust

High trust organizations embrace collaboration which leads to high productivity and profitability.

The next time someone asks you to collaborate, perhaps your first response won’t be “What’s in it for me?”

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.

The Spring issue of TRUST! Magazine, celebrating trustworthy organizations,  is now available. It’s free by signing up at this link.

Copyright 2015, Next Decade, Inc.

Welcome! Our monthly roundup is the latest collaborative undertaking of our Trust Alliance, self selected blog posts on a variety of organizational trust topics. The subjects are as diverse as the expertise of our members!

By reviewing these posts, you will have a better appreciation for the importance of embracing trust as an organizational imperative.

How did one company reverse a culture of skepticism through a simple strategy?

Read Donna Boehme’s First Step to Ethical Culture.

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An organization’s culture matters–it is what creates the productive energy of the workforce that can differentiate your company from all others. To this end, the CEO is the Chief Cultural Officer, who provides the direction, focus, and consistent support for the principles, values, vision, mission, and how people are going to work together in the company.

Edward Marshall explains Why Your CEO Must Also Be Your Chief Culture Officer

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Are we just settling for “avoiding conflict and tension?” Are we missing an opportunity to teach those we lead that respect is the minimum standard for workplace behavior, and that there is so much more?

Linda Fisher Thornton asks: Is Respect Enough?

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Humans have proven time and again that they prefer a good story to being tied down by those pesky facts.

Charlie Green discusses Facts, Phrases and Ferguson

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Trust Across America’s most popular blog post this month on LinkedIn Pulse. These are 10 observations I have made about trust and trustworthiness in American society:  10 Harsh Truths About Trust & Trustworthiness

Our next monthly roundup will be published at the end of April.

Barbara Brooks Kimmel is the Executive Director of Trust Across America-Trust Around the World whose mission is to help organizations build trust. She runs the world’s largest membership program for those interested in learning more, and 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.

As the co-founder and Director of Trust Across America – Trust Around the World, I’ve been studying organizational trust (and trustworthiness) for the best part of seven years, have spoken to hundreds of global experts, and read thousands of articles, blog posts and books. I’ve also edited and contributed to three books in our TRUST Inc. series, publish a magazine called TRUST!, and regularly attend and speak at conferences. Some might call me an expert, but nothing could be farther from the truth. In fact, the more I learn about trust and trustworthiness, the less I understand it.

If you are like me, it’s almost impossible to go a full week without the news covering another major trust violation. Last week it was Hillary’s turn, before that Bill O’Reilly following on the heels of Brian Williams, and so on. These stories come and go and the American public has come to accept them as the norm. In fact, with each violation, the shock factor seems to diminish.

The following are ten observations I have made about trust & trustworthiness in American society:

• Because there is no universally accepted definition of trust, your definition of trust and your standards of trustworthiness are different than mine. In fact, even prisoners think they are more trustworthy than the general population. Some of the self-proclaimed trust and leadership experts I have met are the least trustworthy upon close and careful inspection of their character, competence and consistency, yet they believe they are in a position to advise others.

• As family “time” has eroded over the past generation, the moral compass that, in the past guided future generations (parenting) has all but disappeared. Compound this with the “win at all costs” mentality promoted by coaches on athletic fields across America and future generations may not be empowered with the right tools or behavior.

• America’s entire public educational system is based on “grades” not learning, and cheating and grade inflation have become an accepted norm in schools and universities. Parents “game” the system by having their children classified as “math anxious or test frightened” so they are allotted extra time on tests to boost that all important GPA, and Athletes have it the best. In other words, parents are not helping their children to grow up to be trustworthy adults.

• Government officials, beginning with our local community leaders place their political agendas before the betterment of the constituents who elected them, and this obliterates the opportunity to build community trust. Our elected officials believe that if they don’t violate any laws, they are trustworthy. Americans are very forgiving of trust violations and even outright lies. In fact they overlook them.

• Same goes for corporate America. Our “win at all cost” athletes and students are considered to be the “best in class” and are recruited by major companies. There’s no “moral compass litmus test” administered before the job offer. Similar to our government leaders, corporate leaders also believe that as long as they stay “just to the right” of compliance, and grow their quarterly earnings, there is no need to give a second thought to cultivating a trustworthy organization or hiring for the “right” reasons. Stock buybacks, executive compensation and short-termism are all trust busters.

• Boards of directors don’t understand the role of organizational trust any better than the leaders they select. One need look no further than the composition of most Boards to appreciate and understand this.

• Trust CANNOT be regulated yet many think it can. As my colleague Alain Bolea at Business Advisors Network commented in a recent article:

Rules are often put in place to curtail the abuses of the past. A “leader” that is only guided by compliance begs the question: What would their behavior be in the absence of rules? Does one want to follow someone that needs rules to know what is right? Or are true leaders to inspire trust by staying clear of conflicts of interest and abuses of power.

• The word “trust” is so overused and misused that it is no longer sacred. The media throws around the word “trust” as if it were  a headline hot potato. Frequently, journalists and writers confuse trust with regulation, loyalty and ethics. But the word “trust” is a better sound byte, so why not misuse it?

• And speaking of the media, they continue to perpetuate low trust by focusing only on the bad actors, giving no “space” to those who are doing the right thing.

• I frequently talk about trust with leaders of organizations of different shapes and sizes.  Not only do they not “get it” they have little interest in learning. They believe trust is all about falling into someone’s arms and hoping they catch you.  Instead of embracing trust as a business strategy, leaders hold their collective breaths hoping they are not the subject of the next news headline.

Is there a silver lining to this bleak picture?  Yes, because some families still gather around the dinner table every night and not every child is a cheater. There will always be the Bobby Knights vs. the Mike Krzyzewskis, and the first day of work for a new hire at Zappos may be very different than the first day at JP Morgan. In other words, industry is not destiny. Like most things in life, trustworthy people and organizations line up along a bell curve. Half are below average, but half are above average, and a select few find themselves all the way to the right. They are the heroes and stars that should be making the headlines.

Just the other day, someone told me that Trust Across America – Trust Around the World is making a difference. I suppose the growth of our Alliance proves that we are moving in the right direction. But a gnawing fear remains. Trust is not only misunderstood, overlooked or taken for granted by most people, leaders and organizations, it’s also voluntary. And, after all, why give a second thought to that which is not regulated, at least not in America?

Barbara Brooks Kimmel is the Executive Director of Trust Across America-Trust Around the World whose mission is to help organizations build trust. She runs the world’s largest membership program for those interested in learning more, and 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.

Welcome! Our monthly roundup is the latest collaborative undertaking of our Trust Alliance, self selected blog posts on a variety of organizational trust topics. The subjects are as diverse as the expertise of our members!

By reviewing these posts, you will have a better appreciation for the importance of embracing trust as an organizational imperative.

If you only read one post, read this one!

In Psychology Today, Nan Russell explains “The Real Reason Most Leaders Aren’t Thinking About Trust”

Doug Turner Shows How Trust Precedes Innovation in HR Voice.

Are You Leading With a Wounded Spirit? Effective leadership is about who you are as a person—your values, beliefs, and character—and much less about what you actually do in terms of leadership techniques or practices. If your inner life as a leader is off track, it diminishes the impact you have on others. In this post Randy Conley shares five warning signs you may be leading with a wounded spirit.

Holly Latty-Mann explains how avoiding confrontation erodes credibility and trust.

Creating and sustaining trust requires an ongoing commitment in all our endeavors, personally and professionally.  As it’s something we pass on to those with whom we interact, Nadine Hack wrote this post about that process.

Linda Fisher Thornton asks 7 Questions For Ethical Culture Building.

And finally, my most popular post for the month: Build Organizational Trust, Ten “Ts”

Our next monthly roundup will be published at the end of March.

Barbara Brooks Kimmel is the Executive Director of Trust Across America-Trust Around the World whose mission is to help organizations build trust. She runs the world’s largest membership program for those interested in learning more, and 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.

Donna Boehme recently shared a Wall St. Journal article by Ben DiPietro called I Wouldn’t Trust Us if I Were You.

A survey of 1,000 security and IT executives from around the world found 25% of respondents saying if they were a customer of their organization, they wouldn’t trust their company to store and manage their personal data…The research findings reveal some interesting contradictions between the perception and the reality of data security.

The article goes on to explore the findings from other data security surveys. But it was the comment at the end by Bruce K. that drove the point of today’s blog post home. Bruce writes:

Several years ago when I was working for a large international firm I found that the senior company execs that knew the least about IT were the most confident about their companies security and in many cases these were the companies that had the most porous borders. and data security controls.

Does the same apply to other important yet overlooked factors impacting organizational trust? Employee engagement, innovation, speed of decision making, and most important, profitability? As companies remain “stuck” in quarterly earnings and “compliance only” mentality, are senior execs ignoring the conditions that elevate organizational trust?

Data breaches are just one symptom of a diseased organization. Perhaps the impact of the others is not as deeply felt, but sometimes those are the ones that pose the largest threat to long-term success.

Our Trust Alliance has assembled a basic membership toolkit of organizational trust resources to help leaders in the best organizations get better by building trust into their long-term business strategy. The rest can continue to turn a deaf ear to trust and wait for the next data breach.

Barbara Brooks Kimmel is the Executive Director of Trust Across America-Trust Around the World whose mission is to help organizations build trust. She runs the world’s largest membership program for those interested in learning more, and 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.

There is no doubt that trust is broken in most organizations. If you doubt the validity of this statement, here’s a quick test.

1. Do you look forward to getting up and going to work in the morning? Now ask the person sitting next to you the same question.
2. What was the level of employee turnover in your organization in 2014?
3. Do you like your boss, or does he like himself more? When was the last time he/she spoke TO you instead of AT you?
4. Has trust as a “business imperative” ever been discussed at a staff meeting?
5. Can you list the three most important values in your organization?

Get the picture? The good news…. if leadership hasn’t woken up to the value of trust, appoint yourself as the Chief Trust Officer today, start instilling some trust in your organization, and chances are, you will like your job more by the end of 2015. Your colleagues will thank you and maybe your boss will wake up too! It’s a win/win for all.

Late last year we published the 3rd book in our award-winning TRUST Inc. series. It’s called TRUST Inc. 52 Weeks of Activities and Inspirations to Build Workplace Trust . We also published a year-end companion poster with 52 ways to increase organizational trust, as recommended by some of the world’s leading experts, and members of our Trust Alliance.

The first activity can be completed in less than one hour. It’s called “Listening for Leaders” and was written by Charles H. Green, one of the world’s foremost authorities on trust-based relationships.

This is a brief introduction to the activity:

Objective: Concretely demonstrate to leaders a way of interacting with others that increases influence through empathetic listening.

Requirements: 3 persons, each with a particular “difficult client/colleague” situation.

30 – 40 minutes elapsed time.

Can be done in multiples of three persons, with a strong facilitator

Process overview: The exercise is done in three iterations. Each of the three gets a chance to role-play:

Person A. a difficult client of their own

Person B. an advisor or follower of the difficult client/colleague

Person C. an observer

Each iteration proceeds as:

a. 60 seconds for the “client/colleague” person to describe the situation – out of role character

b. 4 minutes for the role-play – in character

c. 3 minutes debrief, led by the observer

This activity also includes Notes to Facilitators, Debrief Instructions & a Wrap Up.

Interesting idea?  It’s the first of 52. Get the book, print the poster and hang it on your wall. Start your new career as the Chief Trust Officer in your organization today. There’s no reason to wait for the boss to do it. I dare you!

If you need help along the way, visit our website for free resources on building organizational trust. We can even recommend a local expert to visit and share their expertise.

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 2015, Next Decade, Inc.

Did you know that Trust Across America-Trust Around the World is celebrating the 2nd anniversary of the formation of its Alliance of Trustworthy Business Experts? This global group includes corporate executives, consultants and academics from a variety of silos- leadership, innovation, compliance, teams & HR, entrepreneurship, etc. The common thread is a shared interest in elevating levels of trust within organizations.

Our members are prolific writers. Some of them have shared their “best” 2014 suggestions on building organizational trust. If you are doing more than just “talking trust” and actually “walking it,” don’t miss this!

Articles & Blog Posts

Nan Russell offers 5 Tips to Fix Your Broken Communications and Build Trust

Deb Mills-Scofield asks Are You Just a Leader or a Just Leader?

Mark Fernandes shares his thoughts on what it is like Inside the Walls of a Values-Based Leadership Organization

Taina Savolainen on Trust & Innovation Interplay

Barbara Brooks Kimmel’s Most Popular Article of the Year asks the question, What Quote Does Trust the Most Disservice?

Bob Vanourek explores how to Learn to Trust Your Own Judgement

Charles H. Green offers advice on What to Do When Others Abuse Your Trust

Donna Boehme weighs in on GM’s DIY Compliance

Linda Fisher Thornton reminds us that in Building Trust We Must Know What to Weed Out

Lea Brovedani reviews what happens in  Messing Up and Keeping Trust

Books

In 2014:

Trust Across America-Trust Around the World added two new books to it’s award-winning TRUST Inc. book series:

TRUST Inc., a Guide for Boards & C-Suites

TRUST Inc., 52 Weeks of Activities & Inspirations for Building Workplace Trust

Carol Sanford’s The Responsible Entrepreneur: Four Game Changing Archetypes for Founders, Leaders and Impact Investors, is the WINNER of the Best Entrepreneurship Book of 2014 via 800CEOREAD.

Karin Hurt’s Overcoming an Imperfect Boss discusses ways to elevate trust at work.

Bob Whipple wrote Trust in Transition, Navigating Organizational Change

Magazines

Did you know that we released the first issue of our quarterly magazine TRUST! in the fall of 2014? Our next issue will be out at the end of January,

Posters

Finally, we have created a poster for 2015 called Weekly Activities to Increase Organizational Trust. For a small donation, you can download this poster and help build trust in your organization in the coming year.

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.