{"id":902,"date":"2013-12-06T13:57:17","date_gmt":"2013-12-06T18:57:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.trustacrossamerica.com\/blog\/?p=902"},"modified":"2013-12-06T13:57:17","modified_gmt":"2013-12-06T18:57:17","slug":"twelve-months-of-trust-for-2014","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.trustacrossamerica.com\/blog\/?p=902","title":{"rendered":"Twelve Months of Trust for 2014"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a0\"2014-Calendar-Happy-New-Year-81\"<\/a><\/p>\n

With the right plan, any leader can build trust!<\/b><\/p>\n

Trust Across America \u2013 Trust Around the World<\/a> offers this 2014 gift to all leaders – twelve months of trust-building activities. Help us elevate trust by incorporating these strategies into your own organization.<\/b><\/p>\n

<\/b>January<\/strong>: Trustworthy leadership<\/b> \u2013 A culture of trust cannot exist with an untrustworthy leader. Trustworthy behavior must start at the top and flow down through every manager in any organization.<\/p>\n

February<\/strong>: Transformation<\/b> \u2013 Productivity and execution begin when the leader creates a set of values and goals that are shared, accepted and adopted by all stakeholders. Leaders should regularly address all stakeholders about the steps being taken to build trustworthy behavior within the organization. Trust should not be confused with compliance.<\/p>\n

March<\/strong>: Tools<\/b> \u2013 There are many trust “tools” leaders can use to build trust with their internal and external stakeholders. These run the gamut from metrics and assessments to online surveys and training.<\/p>\n

April<\/strong>: Treatment<\/b> \u2013 The Golden Rule says to \u201ctreat others the way you want to be treated.\u201d This certainly holds true for trust. The leader that extends trust to his or her stakeholders is more likely to have it returned.<\/p>\n

May<\/strong>: Teamwork<\/b> \u2013 Teamwork leads to better decisions and better outcomes. Teams create trust, and trust creates teams, especially when silos are broken down.<\/p>\n

June<\/strong>: Talk<\/b> \u2013 Your stakeholders need to know what steps you are taking to build a trustworthy organization. Quarterly numbers are no longer the \u201cbe all and end all.\u201d In fact, evidence is mounting that a trustworthy culture and profitability go hand in hand.<\/p>\n

July<\/strong>: Truth <\/b>\u2013 Truth-telling is at the core of trust. Any leader who wants to build a trustworthy organization must have an extremely comfortable relationship with the truth. No company is perfect and it\u2019s not necessary to air all the dirty laundry \u2013 just don\u2019t lie about it or intentionally mislead. In times of crisis, a habit of truth telling yields particularly good returns.<\/p>\n

August<\/strong>: Transparency<\/b> \u2013 Merriam Webster defines \u201ctransparent\u201d as visibility or accessibility of information, especially with business practices. A leader who thinks he or she can still hide behind a veil of secrecy need only spend a few minutes on social media reading what their stakeholders are saying.<\/p>\n

September<\/strong>: Thoughtful<\/b> \u2013 Not all stakeholders need to know the company\u2019s trade secrets, or what the CEO had for dinner. But if your company is serious about increasing trustworthiness, consider engaging all your stakeholders in rich, thoughtful conversations. View them as vital contributors to a better organization.<\/p>\n

October<\/strong>: Tolerance <\/b>\u2013 A trusted leader is open to new ideas that may not align with his own. Tolerance empowers stakeholders with ownership and leads to higher engagement at all levels.<\/p>\n

November<\/strong>: Time<\/b> \u2013 Building a culture of trustworthy business does not happen overnight. It takes time, maybe even years \u2013 but not decades. The leader who invests the time to educate himself or herself about how to build trust with teams and stakeholders \u2014 then develops a plan, communicates and implements it \u2013 will be rewarded with greater stakeholder trust. When a slip-up occurs, those who \u201cbanked\u201d trust will recover faster.<\/p>\n

December<\/strong>: Trust<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 Don\u2019t forget that trustworthy business is not about quarterly earnings and international expansion, but rather about building long-term trust.<\/p>\n

Yours in trust! Barbara Brooks Kimmel, Executive Director<\/p>\n

Trust Across America – Trust Around the World<\/a><\/p>\n

Barbara has edited a new book called Trust Inc., Strategies for Building Your Company\u2019s Most Valuable Asset<\/a>, bringing together over 30 experts who offer advice and suggestions on elevating trust in any organization.<\/p>\n

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Copyright \u00a9 2013 Next Decade, Inc.<\/p>\n