Trust Across America-Trust Around the World™

“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.

                                                                                                  Coming Soon!

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.

                                                                                                  Coming Soon!

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.

This week as I was preparing our upcoming calendar of events, I took some time to reflect on the progress we have made at Trust Across America-Trust Around the World.

What began as a conversation at the breakfast table in 2009 has since grown into a global, cross-functional social movement, whose mission is to help organizations build trust. Our website has become the leading “go to” global source of information on trust.

What do we have planned for the remainder of the year?

October 1: Top Thought Leaders in Trustworthy Business nomination period opens to the public: Recognizing global leaders who are inspiring others to place trust in the center of how organizations do business. This is our fifth year administering this program which has grown in both prestige and global awareness.

Late October: Publication of the inaugural edition of TRUST! The Magazine with a theme of:

Values to Value: Financial Institutions That Are Changing the Way Business is Done 

November 17-24: Join us as we celebrate TrustGiving ™, the first week long celebration of trust.

November 24: The publication of the 3rd book in our award-winning series:

TRUST INC., 52 Weeks of Activities and Inspirations for Building Workplace Trust.

December 2014: Our Alliance of Trustworthy Business Experts celebrates its second anniversary. We have grown from 25 founding members to a thriving organization with top thought leadership from around the world.

I want to extend a huge “thank you” and virtual “hug” to all who have freely given their time, advice, support and good wishes over the past five years, and who have encouraged me (in the words of Eddie Kendricks) to  “keep on truckin’.” 

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.

Last week, I had the pleasure of speaking with Michelle Clarke in the UK. Michelle is the organizer of the Global Trust Conference, which completed its second annual event just yesterday. I was lucky enough to virtually attend the conference, and to catch Stephen M.R. Covey delivering a great speech, packed with insight and advice. Stephen wrote the cover quote for our award-winning book TRUST Inc. and also contributed an essay.

I took notes and am happy to provide some highlights in today’s blog post.

What are the three most important facts about trust?

• Trust is an economic driver
• Trust is the #1 competency of leadership
• Trust is a learnable competency.

Think about a person you work with who you trust and consider the positive outcomes of that relationship.

Now think about a person you work with who you don’t trust and the lost opportunities as a result.

Trust=Confidence while Distrust=Suspicion

Confidence requires both character and competence.

Trust is Reciprocal

When you give trust, you receive it in return.

Trust is Not about Coordination

Trust is about collaboration, partnering and teamwork.

Energy and Joy

When trust goes down, energy and joy do too.

Four Cornerstones of Credibility

• Integrity (character)
• Intent (motive/agenda)
• Capability (are you relevant?)
• Results (your past and current performance)

Talk Straight

Candor is the language of trust. Never use spin.

Leaders Extend Trust

• The first job of a leader is to INSPIRE TRUST
• The second job of a leader is to EXTEND TRUST

And finally…. the starting place for trust is self-trust.

Thank you Michelle and Stephen. As I like to say, “It will take a tribe to push the trust boulder up the hill, but together we can.”

Would you like to help Stephen, Michelle and me in pushing that BIG boulder? Join our Alliance of Trustworthy Business Experts today.

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.

Is your Board stuck in the SAC Rut- Show Up, Agree, Collect Check? 

A female acquaintance who has held C-Suite level corporate positions in the past, was recently talking to me about the multiple Board of Director seats she holds. I asked her about her degree of input at Board meetings. Her answer went something like this, “I show up, agree, collect my check and leave.” I pressed her a bit further. “What if you don’t agree? What if you have something to add to the discussion based on your own experiences? What if you want to challenge another board member?  Her answer was simply, “The more I just smile and agree, the better my chances are of getting on more Boards. It’s very lucrative and requires almost no work.” She then reminded me that she is a “hot commodity” as a former female senior executive.

Our August blog series, 31 Trust Tips For Boards & C-Suites provides guidance to boards on how to get out of the SAC Rut. There are another 69 essays in the book itself, Trust Inc., A Guide for Boards & C-Suites.

High-trust organizations with high-trust Boards are rewarded with faster decision making, flourishing innovation, and accelerating growth and profitability.  And trust is built through:

• collaboration
• common goals
• cooperation
• competence
• candor
• connection
• challenging the status quo
• character
• caring
• compromise
• choices

And these are just the “C’s”!

Boards stuck in the SAC Rut get back exactly what they put in. They get back nothing and ALL the stakeholders suffer as a result. And unfortunately, the story told above is all too common.

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.