{"id":2681,"date":"2015-06-10T09:03:00","date_gmt":"2015-06-10T13:03:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.trustacrossamerica.com\/blog\/?p=2681"},"modified":"2015-06-10T09:03:00","modified_gmt":"2015-06-10T13:03:00","slug":"5-frequent-excuses-for-ignoring-organizational-trust","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.trustacrossamerica.com\/blog\/?p=2681","title":{"rendered":"5 Frequent Excuses for Ignoring Organizational Trust"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"TAA_R2_EDIT-CS3\"<\/a><\/p>\n

It’s no secret that trust is either completely ignored or taken for granted in most organizations.\u00a0In 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. \u00a0How do we\u00a0“rebuild” trust (even though it never existed)? What a mess.<\/p>\n

Why is this? These are the 5 most common excuses for ignoring trust:<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Boards and C-Suites (in most organizations) have never considered\u00a0trust as a business imperative or strategy.<\/li>\n
  2. Organizational trust is mistaken for\u00a0compliance which is confused with ethics.<\/li>\n
  3. Organizational trust cannot be regulated. It’s voluntary.<\/li>\n
  4. When a trust breach occurs, often the punishment doesn’t fit crime so there is little deterrent for\u00a0repeating the “crime.”<\/li>\n
  5. Trust is soft and\u00a0can’t be measured. And that which can’t be measured, can’t be managed.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    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<\/a> in public companies. Other global trust experts<\/a> have validated assessment tools measuring the most important indicators of qualitative trust in leaders, teams, employees, etc.<\/p>\n

    Organizations choosing \u00a0to 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.<\/p>\n

    Taking trust for granted is like\u00a0breathing…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.<\/p>\n

    Have you answered our June “Pulse” on Trust<\/span><\/a><\/span> question? Today is the last day to vote. It will take no more than 30 seconds.<\/p>\n

    Barbara Brooks Kimmel<\/strong>\u00a0is the Executive Director of\u00a0<\/span>Trust Across America-Trust Around the World<\/span><\/a><\/span>\u00a0whose mission is to help organizations build trust, and runs the world’s\u00a0largest membership program<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span>for those interested in the subject. She\u00a0is also the editor of the award winning\u00a0<\/span>TRUST INC.<\/span><\/a><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>book series and the Executive Editor of\u00a0<\/span>TRUST! Magazine<\/span><\/a><\/span>. In 2012 Barbara was named \u201cOne of 25 Women Changing the World\u201d by Good Business International.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Our annual poster,\u00a052 Weeks of Activities to Increase Organizational Trust<\/span><\/a><\/span>\u00a0is available\u00a0to those who would like to support our work by making a small donation.<\/p>\n

    Did you know we have published 3 books in our award-winning\u00a0TRUST Inc. series<\/span><\/a><\/span>. They are yours when you\u00a0join our Alliance.<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

    Copyright 2015, Next Decade, Inc.<\/p>\n