Trust Across America-Trust Around the World™

Trust yourself. Create the kind of self that you will be happy to live with all your life. Make the most of yourself by fanning the tiny, inner sparks of possibility into flames of achievement. Golda Meir, Former Israeli Prime Minister

Tonight at sundown marks the start of the Jewish High Holidays of Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year) and Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement.) The days in between are a period of reflection and repentance.

Occasionally I receive a note or a call from a religious leader acknowledging the importance of trust in our everyday lives.  But a Rabbi’s recent message struck a chord. This rabbi presides over a large congregation of business leaders. He said he regularly visits our website and had read our first book. It had inspired him to write a sermon about the subject of trust for the High Holidays. He joked about his audience being a captive one. “They have to listen.” The Rabbi acknowledged that “In most relationships, trust is taken for granted. It’s never discussed. But when the same occurs in business, the implications of low trust are much broader.”

A holiday is around the corner for most of us- Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years. These are times for family gatherings. They are an opportunity to discuss trust and its role in our everyday lives.

• If you have a young family, talk about family values and what they mean. Perhaps you can even make a written list and regularly refer to it at the dinner table. Update it and modify it over time.
• If your children are older, the discussion might focus on a recent trust breach from the news- the NFL or Home Depot.
• If you are spending time with adult friends, talk about the role of trust in your professional lives and how it might be improved.

Have the “trust talk.” It’s a great time of the year to do it.  But most important, never take trust for granted.

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.

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

Copyright © 2014, Next Decade, Inc.

My father said there were two kinds of people in the world: givers and takers. The takers may eat better, but the givers sleep better. Marlo Thomas

Yesterday I wrote about the importance of “being first in” when building trust.

Today’s blog is about staying to the right.

I divide the people I know according to a mental “trust chart” with a line drawn vertically down the middle.

The left side is called Wanters/Takers.

The right side is called Helpers/Givers.

The list of names to the left is much longer than the list to the right.

I don’t have a special category for those who claim they are givers, but are really takers in disguise. I just move them over to the left.

I’m baffled when people say “How can I help you?” when what they really mean is “How can you help me?”

The people on the left don’t understand the incremental steps that must be taken to build trust. They haven’t quite mastered the “character” component. In fact, it’s very likely that the people on the left aren’t interested in trust at all. They may just be short-term opportunists looking to seize a moment, not to build a relationship.

The people on the right want to build trust and they are the ones that matter. It’s amazing what happens in the world of trust when two helpers/givers get together. They understand the long-term strategic advantage of the “we” over the “me.” They push boulders up hills.

On which side of the trust chart do you fall?

What will you do today to be moved to the right?

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.

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

Copyright © 2014, Next Decade, Inc.

No one ever excused his way to success. ~Dave Del Dotto

“Don’t put off till tomorrow what you can do today.” I can’t tell you how many times I heard that expression as a child. It’s one I’ve passed along to my own kids.

I remember one particular night during my senior year in high school. I waited until the last minute to type a research paper (pre-computer, no “save” feature.) Before the typewriter ever had a chance to cool off, and in my hurry to meet the deadline, I took the only original typed copy and tore it into pieces. The marked-up draft sat unscathed. Suffice it to say, it was a long night.

When we rush to get things done, because we’ve waited until the last minute, oftentimes, the output is far from ideal. We may find that:

• Haste makes waste (the end product is subpar)
• Internal stress increases
• Something gets in the way of completing the job (we tear up the wrong paper, the computer crashes, an emergency arises)
• We make excuses
• We ask for an extension
• We don’t remember to do the work at all.

In business, being last to

• finish an assignment
• to show up at a meeting
• to meet a commitment or a deadline

may be an indication of a lack of competence, credibility and consistency, considered by some to be the main attributes of trust.

It is often said to give more work to the busiest person on the team. Perhaps it’s because they rarely finish last.

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.

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

Copyright © 2014, Next Decade, Inc.

“I’m not upset that you lied to me, I’m upset that from now on I can’t believe you.” 
― Friedrich Nietzsche

Today’s blog topic jumped right out of the headlines from the past 24 hours:

Football Must Regain the Public’s Trust

Trust Vital Between Officers & The Community

State Audit of Fayette Schools Shows Need to Restore Public Trust

Restore Public Trust

These headlines rarely change. Everyday we hear about the need to restore trust in education, communities, sports, business and government. The story is the same, only the names of the violators change. I can’t think of a single headline that ever read something like this ” We are Embracing Trust as a Business Imperative and Building it Into Our Foundation.”

There is enormous societal confusion swirling around the term “trust” that stems from this “restoration” approach. It is based on the assumption that trust was present before the crisis. In almost every case it wasn’t. Building a foundation of trust is a proactive decision made by the leaders of an organization, and it is built in incremental steps. In every one of the headlines above, I will venture to guess that trust was never a component of the leadership agenda, nor its Board of Directors.

Unfortunately, trust is taken for granted. It is assumed that it just “exists” when, in reality, it rarely does. Some leaders might argue, “Why bother? Maybe we’ll get lucky and never face a crisis.” I would respond that it’s much less expensive to build a foundation of trust, than it is to “manage” a crisis and attempt to build trust after the crisis. Building a foundation of trust also brings tangible and intangible benefits. These are just a few:

• Improved collaboration driving decision-making speed, efficiency and innovation
• Greater personal effectiveness for all involved, improving team projects and the odds of their coming to fruition
• Increased employee responsibility and competence
• Improved morale
• Faster/more efficient new business development
• Win/win opportunities both internally and externally

These are some pretty good reasons for building a foundation of trust. Don’t you agree? And remember, you CANNOT regain or restore something that never existed.

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.

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

Copyright © 2014, Next Decade, Inc.

Are you a trustworthy captain steering a trustworthy ship?

That’s the question we have been asking for the past few months via an online survey that we are calling the Leader’s Project. It’s purpose is to bring focus and context to what is meant by trustworthy leadership and the resulting organizational trust.

These are some tough questions, but we guarantee that just reading them will provide plenty of food for thought and perhaps a new path forward for all leaders who understand the importance of placing trust at the top of the agenda.

If you are brave enough to tell your story, we want to hear it. In fact, one CEO who has taken the test will be featured in the first edition of TRUST! The Magazine scheduled for publication in October.

Visit the link for the full questionnaire. This is a sampling of the questions it contains.

• SUCCESS: What role does trust play in ensuring the success of your organization?
• COSTS: What are the costs/implications of not having a high level of trust in your organization? (200 words max)
• COLLABORATION: How do you transform a siloed, reactive, heroic leadership culture to one that is trust-based, team-focused, and collaborative? (200 words max)
• CULTURE: What values, principles or beliefs does your organization follow that are essential to building a foundation of trust? (200 words max)
• LEADERSHIP: Which do you consider your “Best Practice” in trustworthy business behavior– the strategy that separates you from your competitors? (200 words max)

At a minimum, spend just a few minutes thinking about the questions above, or complete our full survey and share your best practices so others can learn from them.

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.

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

Copyright © 2014, Next Decade, Inc.

Recently, a friend relayed a story about a colleague who is ALWAYS 10 minutes late for meetings. She said she “trusts” this person to always show up late. We laughed about the (mis)use of the word “trust” and moved on.

But what my friend is actually doing is forgiving her colleague for her lack of accountability by ignoring her tardiness. I’ll bet nobody has ever spoken to this person about arriving on time.

Accountability is a large component of trust, but one of the least discussed.

So how do you build accountability into your organization?

Be the Role Model: Leaders can’t demand accountability without first modeling it. Deliver on your expectations and do what you say you will do. Then, set up the following action plan to instill its importance in your team:

• Role identification: Team members need to understand their roles.
• Expectations & Goals: Identify them in a way that the team understands and accepts.
• Don’t Be a Dictator: Work the accountability plan together. Get the early “buy-in.”
• Discuss it: Place the plan on the agenda for discussion, and make modifications, with the team, when needed.
• No Excuses: Once the accountability plan is in place, enforce it as the leader and encourage it between team members.  No excuses for:

1. Missing deadlines
2. Tardiness
3. Too many mistakes
4. Low quality output
5. Showing up late to the meeting.

The outcome of an accountability plan is trust. It’s a win/win!

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.

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

Copyright © 2014, Next Decade, Inc.

The other day I read an interesting article called “Gaining Their Trust” in Human Resource Executive Online.

According to this article,  HR leaders must earn the trust and respect of their C-Suite colleagues and board members.

Something about this doesn’t sound quite right.

Isn’t it the Board and C-Suite’s responsibility to lead with trust and then to extend that trust to not only HR leaders but all leaders?

We wrote about this extensively in our second book, TRUST INC., a Guide for Boards & C-Suites. In fact, 60 experts weighed in with 100 strategies for Boards & C-Suites to lead with trust with internal stakeholders.

Stephen M.R. Covey speaks frequently about the 5 Waves (Incremental Steps) of Trust in an Organization:

READ WAVE #2 and #3 CAREFULLY!!!

WAVE 1: Self Trust (personal credibility)

WAVE 2: Relationship Trust (behavior with others)

WAVE 3: Stakeholder Trust (alignment with internal stakeholders)

WAVE 4: Market Trust (external reputation)

WAVE 5: Societal Trust ( global citizenship- social consciousness, corporate citizenship, and corporate social responsibility.)

The responsibility of gaining trust lies squarely with the Board and C-Suite, whose first priority should be in building relationships and ensuring alignment with their internal stakeholders, not the other way around.

Trust-focused organizations must:

• Have a well-defined mission, corporate credo and strong values
• Hire the “right” people who are aligned with those values
• Lead with trust.

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.

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

Copyright © 2014, Next Decade, Inc.

The Rutger’s University President has issued an apology to the Penn State President for offensive actions of Rutger’s fans at a recent football game.

Did he do the right thing? Was he extending trust?  Was this an act of integrity and ethics?

I’m on the fence on this one.

But this I know. Build trust and avoid crises and scandals (or at least minimize their impact).

Fail to proactively build trust, and the fallout from a scandal will continue for years.

What do you think? Please 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. In 2012 Barbara was named “One of 25 Women Changing the World” by Good Business International.

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

Copyright © 2014, Next Decade, Inc.

“One can’t assume that trust accrues automatically through the mere passage of time. It grows through incremental steps and deliberate actions.” Charles H. Green, Trusted Advisor Associates

This quote will appear on the cover of the third book in our award-winning TRUST INC. series. The book, TRUST INC., 52 Weeks of Activities and Inspirations for Building Workplace Trust will be published in November 2014 as an inspirational holiday gift.

Stephen M.R. Covey speaks frequently about the 5 Waves (Incremental Steps) of Trust:

WAVE 1: Self Trust (personal credibility)

WAVE 2: Relationship Trust (behavior with others)

WAVE 3: Stakeholder Trust (alignment with internal stakeholders)

WAVE 4: Market Trust (external reputation)

WAVE 5: Societal Trust ( global citizenship- social consciousness, corporate citizenship, and corporate social responsibility.)

Organizations cannot effectively build Wave 5 until the first 4 are constructed. Imagine waking up in the morning and putting your shoes on first. Yet that’s exactly what many organizations have done.

Said another way, building organizational trust cannot be accomplished via an a-la- carte menu. Choosing to start building trust at Wave 4 or 5, with the intent of using it as a short-term promotional or communications tool, rather than a long-term, ground up, incremental trust strategy is a bad choice. Planning and executing a corporate citizenship or corporate social responsibility program without first mastering self trust, relationship trust, stakeholder trust and market trust eventually backfires. And when the crisis strikes, the weak trust foundation crumbles. We see evidence of this almost daily. Some of the biggest names in CSR also happen to be some of the greatest trust & ethics violators. Just pick up the newspaper on any given day. In this age of increasing transparency, these organizations are fooling no one but themselves.

So my advice today to all organizations, but particularly corporate America, get dressed before you put on your shoes.

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.

                                                                                                  Coming Soon!

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

Copyright © 2014, Next Decade, Inc.

What do we mean when we say “Trust is a Lifestyle?”

• Trust is not a mathematical equation or formula
• It is not a memo to be circulated at a meeting
• It is not negotiated via a contract or a regulation
• It cannot be delegated
• It is not something to be “built” in the wake of a crisis
• It is not “the buzzword of the day.”

When we hear the word “trust” we should envision a way of being, a lifestyle that includes:

• Acting with integrity at all times, no exceptions
• Respecting others
• Making ethical decisions
• Shaking the hand of a partner in business or in your personal life, looking them in the eye, and telling them that you are extending trust.

Build a lifestyle of trust, beginning with self-trust, and extend trust to those around you. It will be reciprocated.  You will experience a higher quality of life, as will those who learned from your example.

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.

                                                                                                  Coming Soon!

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

Copyright © 2014, Next Decade, Inc.