Trust Across America-Trust Around the World™

 

Trust is the lubrication that makes it possible for organizations to work.

 —Warren Bennis

In 2013 Trust Across America-Trust Around the World (TAA-TAW) formed a Trust Alliance that has grown to several hundred global professionals from for-profit and not for-profit organizations of all sizes, as well as leaders from media, government and sports; academics and researchers; leadership, organizational development and culture change to compliance, ethics and trust professionals, consultants and speakers.

We recently asked our members to comment on what the Alliance represents to them and how they benefit from membership:

(The Trust Alliance) is…a collection of like-minded professionals advocating for the importance of, and need for, developing higher levels of trustworthy behavior in leaders and organizations around the world. I belong to the Alliance for two main reasons. One – it allows me to be part of something bigger than myself. It’s a badge of honor, so to speak, to say that I stand along dozens of other professionals who share the same ideals about the importance of trust. We are standard-bearers of what trust could/should look like in personal and organizational relationships. Second – it’s a good network for me to access…

Another member and  former public company CEO summed it up best:

We are a group of leaders who believe that many of our organizational and leadership challenges can be addressed by showing others that building trust is a huge game changer for people and organizations.

And finally….

(The Trust Alliance) has unequivocally deepened and enlivened our company mission, administration, and operations.

TAA-TAW is proud of the work our members are doing and the resources we are creating, both individually and collectively. But perhaps most importantly, we are changing the way organizations think about trust. It’s not a soft skill, but rather a hard asset that when implemented as a business strategy, brings out the best in both leaders and their organizations.

To explore more about the benefits of becoming a member, please click here.

Barbara Brooks Kimmel is the CEO & Cofounder of Trust Across America-Trust Around the World whose mission is to help organizations build trust. She facilitates the world’s largest membership program for those interested in the subject. Barbara also serves as 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.

Have you seen our 2016 Trust Poster? It’s changing the way organizations do business.

Copyright 2016, Next Decade, Inc.

 

Certainly, everyone who has studied marketing learned the rule of “Giving the customer what they want.” But too often what the customer wants and what the customer actually needs are not the same.

For example, ask most leaders whether they believe a need exists to elevate the level of trust in their organization and without the blink of an eye, the answer will be a resounding “No!” Their understanding of organizational trust extends no further than increasing quarterly earnings, keeping Wall Street happy and following the advice of the general counsel. But if the level of organizational trust was what leaders believe it to be, innovation would be at an all time high, as would employee engagement and retention, those Glassdoor reviews would read a whole lot better, and decisions would be made, as Stephen M.R. Covey likes to say, “at the speed of trust.”

So why the glaring disconnect? It begins with the leader who simply does not know the right questions to ask and ends with the paid “experts”,”gurus” and “consultants” who deliver what many call “the happy talk song and dance” in the form of NSA trained and scripted speeches and seemingly quick and painless fixes forgotten before the ink dries on the check. It’s simply a revolving door of wasted time and money delivering what the customer wants.

The truth is that strategic trust not only takes time but also expertise to develop and implement. It requires leadership commitment, an understanding of organizational culture and core values, Board support, stakeholder buy-in and daily practice. It’s not built through happy talk and pre approved PowerPoint presentations, and rarely is it a quick fix. It requires a leader with a willingness to explore, with the right professionals (and there are only a handful), not what they believe they want but what they actually need. It requires vulnerability and a long-term perspective.

It’s no secret that most leaders continue to hold firm to the argument that the business case for trust simply does not exist, even though it does and continues to grow stronger. If you are a leader who wants to build organizational trust but cannot answer these questions, find someone who can help you. The returns will be game changing and the organization will flourish. If you are a service provider, stop giving the customer what they (think) they want and instead, take the time to find out what they need. If you are not the right person to fill that need, offer to help locate someone who can.

Barbara Brooks Kimmel is the CEO & Cofounder of Trust Across America-Trust Around the World whose mission is to help organizations build trust. She facilitates the world’s largest membership program for those interested in the subject. Barbara also serves as 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.

Have you seen our 2016 Trust Poster? It’s changing the way organizations do business.

Copyright 2016, Next Decade, Inc.

 

It’s almost Week #3 of 2016. How many readers took the advice of Kouzes & Posner on building organizational trust in Week #1 or of Bob Vanourek in Week #2?

This is the third article in a series of weekly ideas to elevate trust in your organization, pulled from our third annual 2016 Trust Poster, 52 Ideas That You Can Implement to Build Trust.

This idea is offered by yours truly (Barbara Brooks Kimmel), the CEO and cofounder of Trust Across America-Trust Around the World. 

Agree on a set of core values, practice and reinforce them daily

Or, as Peter Drucker said, “the enterprise must have simple, clear, and unifying objectives.”

 Moving towards a trust-based business strategy requires the following steps:

• First, the Board of Directors, then the CEO with C-Suite support must acknowledge and embrace the importance of building trust. The business case has been made but the vast majority of organizations continue to ignore it.
• Regularly communicating the values and culture.
• Mandating and ensuring that those values are meeting the long-term needs of all internal and external stakeholders and across all silos- shareholders, employees, customers, suppliers, community, etc.
• Always “walking the talk.”

If you are looking for an example of a company that embraces its core values, look no further than Starbucks:

With our partners, our coffee and our customers at our core, we live these values:

• Creating a culture of warmth and belonging, where everyone is welcome.
• Acting with courage, challenging the status quo and finding new ways to grow our company and each other.
• Being present, connecting with transparency, dignity and respect.
• Delivering our very best in all we do, holding ourselves accountable for results.

We are performance driven, through the lens of humanity.

If you currently hold a leadership position or aspire to be a trustworthy leader, remember that if leaders haven’t identified the organization’s values, it’s unlikely that trust can work its magic. And by the way, trustworthy leaders also ask the right questions!

The third week of 2016 starts soon! Be sure to spend some time on building trust.

Barbara Brooks Kimmel is the CEO & Cofounder of Trust Across America-Trust Around the World whose mission is to help responsible organizations build trust. She facilitates the world’s largest membership program for those interested in the subject. Barbara also serves as 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 2016, Next Decade, Inc.

 

 

We are heading into Week #2 of 2016. How many readers took the advice of Kouzes & Posner on building organizational trust in Week #1?

This is the second blog in a series of weekly ideas to elevate trust in your organization, pulled from our third annual 2016 Trust Poster, 52 Ideas That You Can Implement to Build Trust.

This idea is offered by Bob Vanourek, a former CEO and multi-year Trust Across America Top Thought Leader honoree, and a Trust Alliance member. You can read more about Bob’s work at this link.

 Identify what builds trust and what breaks trust

Action: Hold several small-group discussions with your colleagues. Elicit their thoughts on:

1. Why is trust important?
2. What builds trust?
3. What breaks trust?
4. What can each of us do to build trust?

If you currently hold a leadership position or aspire to be a trustworthy leader, remember that if leaders can’t identify trust builders and busters, they are missing out one of the best opportunities to improve their workplace.  And by the way, trustworthy leaders also ask the right questions!

The second week of 2016 starts soon!

Thanks Bob. Best wishes for 2016.

Barbara Brooks Kimmel is the CEO & Cofounder of Trust Across America-Trust Around the World whose mission is to help responsible organizations build trust. She facilitates the world’s largest membership program for those interested in the subject. Barbara also serves as 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 2016, Next Decade, Inc.

 

Welcome to 2016!

This is the first blog in a series of weekly ideas to elevate trust in your organization, pulled from our third annual 2016 Trust Poster, 52 Ideas That You Can Implement to Build Trust.

This first idea is offered by Jim Kouzes (a 2015 Trust Across America Lifetime Achievement Award Winner) and Barry Posner of The Leadership Challenge:

 

In building trust leaders go first

What does this mean?

According to Kouzes and Posner, the five practices of exemplary leadership are:

1. Model the way– Leaders do what they say they will do.
2. Inspire a shared vision– Imagine and believe in an exciting and attractive future and enlist others in a common vision.
3. Challenge the process– Search for opportunities to innovate grow and improve. Then experiment and take risks.
4. Enable others to act– Foster collaboration and build trust, and make it possible for others to do good work.
5. Encourage the heart– Recognize contributions and celebrate values and victories.

If you currently hold a leadership position or aspire to be a trustworthy leader, remember that in building trust, leaders go first. The first week of 2016 starts right now! And by the way, trustworthy leaders also ask the right questions!

Thanks Jim and Barry. Best wishes for 2016.

Barbara Brooks Kimmel is the CEO & Cofounder of Trust Across America-Trust Around the World whose mission is to help responsible organizations build trust. She facilitates the world’s largest membership program for those interested in the subject. Barbara also serves as 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.

 

 

“Many in leadership roles feel the need to have all the answers, while true leaders ask the right questions.” Barbara Brooks Kimmel

“LRN (the business ethics and corporate compliance firm) recently surveyed more than 900 C-suite executives and found that they were three to eight times more likely to believe that their organizations were highly values-based than the more than 35,000 less-senior employees taking part in the same study.” bit.ly/1JJ0Up8

That’s a pretty compelling argument for the disconnect between the beliefs of senior leadership and their employees, and Trust Across America sees the same pattern in its own research. The solution to closing this perception gap is very simple. Leaders must take ownership of the issue and be open to honest feedback. Until they admit, (perhaps as the New Year strikes 12) that their organizations are not, in fact values based, 2016 will bring more of the same.

Here are ten questions every authentic leader should be asking before work resumes in 2016:

1. Do I consider profitability the most important measurement of trust?
2. Who is more important, my customers or employees?
3. What are our organizational values? Are all stakeholders aligned? How am I advancing these values?
4. Are we effectively communicating our values?
5. Do I walk my talk?
6. Have I asked our stakeholders if they trust us?
7. Is there a way out of our crisis mentality mindset?
8. Do I understand the difference between compliance, ethics and trust?
9. Am I leading or managing?
10. Am I trustworthy?

For leaders who find this worthy of their attention, additional questions are available in this free resource on our website called The Leaders Project.

Another great resource for authentic leaders…. for the third year, Trust Across America-Trust Around the World has assembled, with the help of dozens of global experts, an annual TRUST POSTER. The 2016 theme is 52 Ideas That YOU Can Implement to Build Trust. 

Barbara Brooks Kimmel is the CEO & Cofounder of Trust Across America-Trust Around the World whose mission is to help responsible organizations build trust. She facilitates the world’s largest membership program for those interested in the subject. Barbara also serves as 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.

 

Yesterday, at a small holiday gathering someone asked simply, “Does anyone care about Trust Across America-Trust Around the World’s programs?” This year-end post is being written in response to that question.

Trust Across America? Who cares?

Our friends care: We have built a holistic multifunctional circle of friends who have individually (and at times collectively) helped steer us in our mission to build organizational trust.

Our Alliance cares: Now entering it’s 4th year our Trust Alliance has worked collaboratively to publish three award-winning books in our Trust Inc. series, five issues of TRUST! Magazine (the most recent issue being downloaded almost 30,000 times) three annual “Trust Ideas” posters and a host of organizational trust tools, of which virtually none existed before the alliance formed.

Our Top Thought Leaders care: Now in its 6th year Trust Across America’s annual honor is bestowed on the Trust Across America Top Thought Leaders whose daily work helps elevate organizational trust and ethics and who hold this award in high regard on both their websites and in their biographies.

Our Most Trustworthy Public Companies care: Now in its 5th year, this annual honor is given to the “Top 10” Most Trustworthy Public Companies in the US. Many of these companies use this award to recruit new talent and in their marketing and communications messages. Unlike other “Top” awards, companies do not know they are being judged, nor do they participate in the review process.

Researchers care: We maintain the largest living bibliography of trust research (free) thanks to the generosity of one of our friends and colleagues. It’s accessed constantly and updated as researchers contribute new material.

The Media cares: Our press coverage continues to expand.

Our Website Visitors care: Organizations very much care about the subject of organizational trust. Occasionally we audit visitors to the site according to our web stats. Here’s who stops by: repeated visits from Fortune 500 and other multinational companies; federal and state government agencies, both domestic and foreign; universities and colleges around the world; and we’ve even seen some visits from the White House!

Since January 2013, 742,000 visitors have accessed 2,276,000 pages of material. We think that’s quite a bit of caring!!

Cheers to you Bob for challenging me to write this year-end post. And thank you to ALL our friends, Alliance members, Top Thought Leaders, Trustworthy Public Companies, Researchers, Media, website Visitors and Blog Post Readers who care. Without you, there would be a whole lot less trust in the world.

Here’s to more caring in 2016!

Barbara Brooks Kimmel, CEO and Cofounder Trust Across America-Trust Around the World

PS- Drop me a note at barbara@trustacrossamerica.com and let me know you care!

 

How many of the following are ongoing issues in your office?

1. High employee turnover and absenteeism
2. Negative water cooler conversations
3. Slow decision making and low innovation
4. A seemingly never ending series of crises
5. Stagnant or diminishing profitability

If you answered “yes” to one or more of the five issues listed above, your office is suffering from low “T” and the prescription for a return to health rests squarely on the shoulders of leadership. So what is low “T?” It’s low trust and the single most common and debilitating impediment to successful organizations.

The good news is low “T” is easily cured. Leaders just need to acknowledge the disease and implement a trust building prescriptive culture. Why not set a goal of starting that process on January 1, 2016? Here are a few ways to head down the path to recovery:

In every interaction with every person, ask yourself: “What can I do in this moment to strengthen the trust between us? Jim Kouzes & Barry Posner

You don’t build trust by getting louder; you build trust by getting closer. Richard Fagerlin

Take a younger employee to lunch and ask them a lot of questions and listen-to-learn. Jon Mertz

Terminate toxic people, even the star performers. Bob Vanourek

Build a foundation of organizational trust to soften the blow from the next breach. Barbara Brooks Kimmel

We have a great tool to help you. For the third year, Trust Across America-Trust Around the World has assembled, with the help of dozens of global experts, an annual TRUST POSTER. The 2016 theme is 52 Ideas That YOU Can Implement to Build Trust.  It not only makes a great inexpensive “gift of trust” for the holidays but provides many of the keys to reversing the cycle of organizational mistrust. These are just a few suggestions on ways to use these posters that are already in place in many organizations for 2016:

• Hang one in your office as a conversation starter with visitors, employees or colleagues.
• Give them as gifts to key influencers in organizations suffering from low “T.”
• Send them to clients along with the suggestion to place on their bulletin boards in the employee lounge as well as share an “idea a week” in their management team meetings.
• Mail them to remote employees.
• Give them to your kid’s teachers, send one to the mayor and police chief, and share them with local business owners.

Everyone can benefit from high “T” in 2016!

Read more about the 2016 poster at this link.

Do your part by joining our movement today!

 

Barbara Brooks Kimmel is the CEO & Cofounder of Trust Across America-Trust Around the World whose mission is to help responsible organizations build trust. She facilitates the world’s largest membership program for those interested in the subject. Barbara also serves as 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.

 

Back by popular demand, our 2016 third annual trust poster provides…

52 Ideas That YOU (as a leader) Can Implement to Build Trust

 

Today I’ve randomly selected thirteen of the 52 ideas from our global community of trust and leadership experts to share as you plan your strategies for 2016.

1. When it comes to building trust, leaders go first. Jim Kouzes & Barry Posner
2. Build cultures of commitment vs. compliance where choices are guided by values not policies. Mark Fernandes
3. Work tirelessly to dispel the illusion that trust is a “soft” skill. Doug Conant
4. Agree on a set of core values, practice and reinforce them daily. Barbara Brooks Kimmel
5. Be very good at what you do. Competence is a litmus test for believability. Nan Russell
6. The first job of a leader is to inspire trust; the second job is to extend trust. Stephen M.R. Covey
7. Encourage risk-taking and celebrate “good failures” as opportunities to learn and move forward. Bill George
8. In earning the trust of others, being clear on what you want for others, is more important than what you want from David Penglase
9. Be a role model. Charlie Green
10. Set intentional promises and expectations on what you will deliver to all stakeholders. David Reiling
11. Go public when expressing gratitude; go private when expressing disappointment. Holly Latty-Mann
12. Listen with the intent to be influenced. Randy Conley
13. Kindness amid conflict; Respect across diversity. Davia Temin

Our poster not only makes a great “gift of trust” for the holidays but provides many of the keys to reversing the cycle of organizational mistrust. Do your part by joining our movement today!

Read more about the 2016 poster at this link.

Barbara Brooks Kimmel is the CEO & Cofounder of Trust Across America-Trust Around the World whose mission is to help responsible organizations build trust. She facilitates the world’s largest membership program for those interested in the subject. Barbara also servers as 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.

 

A spate of corporate crises in 2015 have only served to fuel the long-term fire of low organizational trust. Under the theory that trust starts at the top and trickles down, we asked our Alliance Members and Top Thought Leaders how Boards of Directors can be the catalyst to drive organizational trust in the right direction in 2016.

Our readers will find twelve suggestions below:

 

Boards must replace fear with trust:

A trust-based culture increases morale, productivity, innovation, speed, agility, pride in the workplace, value to the customer and sustained high performance.

Edward Marshall, The Marshall Group

 

Boards must widen the scope of their membership:

Diverse boards bring different and new types of expertise and perspectives, increasing the range of topics discussed, and most important, encouraging open, candid and provocative discussions.

Nadine Hack, beCause Global Consulting

 

Boards and CEOs must be proactive:

Boards can and should lead certain functions for the firm from defining the desired culture to involvement in strategy development. They should not be passive monitors.

Bob Vanourek, Triple Crown Leadership

 

Board members must have authentic conversations:

They must be provided with sufficient information; a safe space that protects privacy and rejects behaviors to intimidate, ridicule or insult; and enough time to explore systemic issues without jumping to conclusions.

Alain Bolea, Business Advisors Network

 

Boards must avoid entrenching polarized attitudes:

Boards must have synergy. Look for warning signs in communications including “we versus they” or “if only we can get them to do this.”

Bob Whipple, Leadergrow

 

Board members must ask the tough (ethical) questions…and act on the answers:

Tie compensation and bonuses to ethical leadership metrics as well as financial performance.

Donna C. Boehme, Compliance Strategists

 

Boards must demand management accountability:

Mission, purpose, values, culture, strategy, business model and brand must be thoughtfully defined, activated and aligned to create a coherent whole.

Roger Bolton, Arthur Page Society

 

Boards must align their business agenda with societal expectations:

Board members must have an unmistakable sensitivity to the societal issues of the day. Capabilities must be aligned to build a better world AND a better company.

Doug Conant, Conant Leadership

 

Boards must speak with candor:

The canned, compliance-approved double-talk and corporate window dressing must be replaced. It is, at best, a short-term unsustainable business strategy, and hiding behind philanthropic efforts simply doesn’t work. Boards must build cultures of authentic long-term trust, practice it holistically, and regularly communicate it to all stakeholders.

Barbara Brooks Kimmel, Trust Across America

 

Boards must kill the evening before dinner:

Instead take a small group of front-line or mid-level employees to dinner in an informal setting without the presence of other corporate executives.

Robert Galford, Center for Leading Organizations

 

Board must understand their organization’s relationship with their stakeholders:

Take surveys, monitor social and legacy media, and share information across the organization; track the emotions of issues, events and topics, follow changes in the environment; engage and address concerns.

Linda Locke, Standing Partnership

 

Boards must develop their own crisis plan:

Enumerate what kinds of actions will be taken for different issues, their crisis strategy and who will be designated to play “first string.”

Davia Temin, Temin and Company

 

What would you add to these recommendations? Drop me a note at barbara@trustacrossamerica.com

Dozens more suggestions like this can be found in Trust, Inc: A Guide for Boards and C-Suites and in our brand new 2016 annual poster Weekly Ideas That You Can Implement to Build Trust