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Posts Tagged ‘barbara kimmel’
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What is it about lasting friendships that are so easy?
Yesterday was a special day. I had breakfast with one of my best friends from high school. I won’t tell you how many years have passed since those days, but suffice it to say, her children are grown and living on their own, and mine are 95% of the way there!
For many years we didn’t see each other or even speak. She took a different life path after college by marrying a friend from high school and quickly starting a family. I took the grad school and “career” route, living in New York City, traveling and remaining single until my 30’s.
About 5 years ago we got back together at a high school reunion and picked right up where we had left off. Sure, there were lots of life events in between, but at the end of the day, two old friends just found each other again. Nothing had gotten in the way of the relationship in all the years we had been apart.
What is it about lasting friendships that are so easy?
Is it the innocence of childhood or the complexities of being an adult that complicate relationships?
Maybe it’s simply that trust grows by sharing similar childhood experiences and teenage trials and tribulations. The foundation is laid, and building upon it becomes very easy. Maybe trust can’t be established quickly, and maybe that’s why it gets broken just as easily. Maybe trust simply takes time.
Thank you Judy!
Barbara Kimmel is the Executive Director of Trust Across America-Trust Around the World and editor of the award winning TRUST INC. book series. Visit Trust Across America’s website for tools and resources on building trust.
Barbara Brooks Kimmel, barbara kimmel, trust, trust across america
![TAA_R2_EDIT-CS3](http://www.trustacrossamerica.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/TAATAW_LOGO_H_color-tagline-e1389534413622.jpg)
Which sounds better? High stress, meaningless relationships, frequent job loss and suspicion OR well-being, great friendships and frequent promotions?
We’ve all heard the expression “Happy Wife, Happy Life” but how about “High Trust, It’s a Must” or “Low Trust Go Bust!.” I contend that being trustworthy will not only make you happy, but wealthier in many ways than you are today.
What do we mean by being trustworthy? Let’s use this very simple definition.
Act with integrity and always keep your word.
First, let’s talk about the inherent risks of being untrustworthy:
It takes more time and psychological energy than it’s trustworthy counterpart and results in:
- High stress
- Low energy
- Frequent job loss
- Meaningless relationships
- Low levels of creativity
- High levels of suspicion among friends, family and coworkers
- High barriers to communication due to lack of honesty and broken promises
- Poor and slow decision making
- High transaction costs
- Win/lose situations
On the flip side, here are ten great reasons to be trustworthy:
- Psychological well-being
- Meaningful friendships and business relationships
- Faster, more efficient decision making
- Greater personal effectiveness in groups
- Greater support for your decisions
- Career promotions
- Win/win opportunities
- Role modeling trustworthy behavior
- More time for creativity and relaxation
- More money in your pocket (people want to do business with those they trust)
Be trustworthy. The benefits are far greater than the alternative. What do you think? Leave a comment.
Barbara Kimmel is the Executive Director of Trust Across America-Trust Around the World and the “Tribal Chief” of the growing Alliance of Trustworthy Business Experts. She is also the editor of the award-winning crowd sourced book series TRUST INC. In 2012, Barbara was named “One of 25 Women Who Are Changing the World.”
Alliance of Trustworthy Business Experts, Barbara Brooks Kimmel, barbara kimmel, integrity, leadership, trust, trust across america, trust in business, Trust Inc. Strategies for Building Your Company's Most Valuable Asset, trustworthy behavior
Trust Rocks!™ Summer ’14
Let’s raise our glasses to trust this summer!
A great way to start the “trust talk” at your next event.
![TrustCocktail](http://www.trustacrossamerica.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/TrustCocktail.jpg)
Ingredients:
Tangerine Juice (orange juice works fine)
Red Pomegranate or Red Cranberry Juice
Umbrella
Seltzer splash
Twist
(add a few ice cubes and kick it up a notch with a shot of vodka)
Copyright © 2014 Next Decade, Inc.
Barbara Brooks Kimmel, barbara kimmel, trust, trust across america, Trust Rocks!
![TAA_R2_EDIT-CS3](http://www.trustacrossamerica.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/TAATAW_LOGO_H_color-tagline-e1389534413622.jpg)
We hear lots of “talk” about trust but see very little action in building it. Trust is not as confusing a term as many make it out to be.
- Trust cannot be legislated
- Without trust at the top, trust in the middle is hard to maintain
- Ethics and compliance are related to trust but not the same
- Hanging a corporate credo on the wall doesn’t build trust
- Growing quarterly earnings does not make a company trustworthy
- Trust cannot be owned by one corporate silo
- Corporate responsibility or sustainability are not substitutes for trust
- Trust CAN be measured
- Trust is a hard currency, not a soft skill
- The business case for trust has been made
More information on building trust in your organization can be found in our award-winning TRUST INC. series of books and on our website at www.trustacrossamerica.com
![Print](http://www.trustacrossamerica.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/TrustInccover313-e1402235843856.jpg)
![ND Trust CEO cvr 140602-ft](http://www.trustacrossamerica.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/ND-Trust-CEO-cvr-140602-ft-e1401989324478.jpg)
- Trust Inc.
Barbara Brooks Kimmel, barbara kimmel, FACTS(R), leadership, organizational trust, trust, trust across america, Trust Inc. A Guide for Boards & C-Suites, Trust Inc. Strategies for Building Your Company's Most Valuable Asset, trustworthy behavior
Press ReleaseJune 5th, 2014
![TAA_R2_EDIT-CS3](http://www.trustacrossamerica.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/TAATAW_LOGO_H_color-tagline-e1389534413622.jpg)
How can organizations expect to be trusted without the buy-in of senior leadership? Trust is not a soft skill. It’s the hard currency behind the most profitable institutions.
TRUST INC.: A Guide for Boards & C-Suites, edited by Barbara Brooks Kimmel, Executive Director of Trust Across America – Trust Around the World, is the second book in the award-winning TRUST INC. series. It convenes over 60 experts from around the world including CEOs, academics, consultants, military leaders, and many others to share 100 strategies on building organizational trust at the Board & C-Suite levels.
Trust is not merely a soft skill or a social nicety. Research shows that trust is as important to successful and sustainable organizations as customer service or teamwork. One study by Watson Wyatt found that the rate of return to shareholders was almost three times higher at companies with high levels of trust than at those with low levels.
TRUST INC.: A Guide for Boards & C-Suites is organized into seven sections addressing various challenges of boards and executive leadership:
- Trust and Corporate Culture
- Trust and the Role of the Board
- The CEO Who Leads with Trust
- Trustworthy Communications
- Trust and Engagement
- Trust Builders and Best Practices
- Trust Busters and Risk
A major theme running through the book is that trust is the bedrock of great leadership, with significant implications for how the organization interacts with its stakeholders — customers, employees, vendors, shareholders, and the community.
“Any Board members or C-Suite executives who don’t evidence an unmistakable sensitivity to this societal drumbeat, do so at their own peril” writes Doug Conant, former CEO of Campbell Soup Company and currently CEO of ConantLeadership, in his contribution. “Help build a better world. Earn the trust and respect of all stakeholders…”on the other hand, there is no other hand.”
While each contributor has written in his or her own voice and style, they all arrive at the same conclusion — trust works. Regardless of whether the reader is the owner or Board Member of a small startup or the CEO of a Fortune 500 company, TRUST INC. provides lessons on how to reap the rewards of “trust at the top.”
# # #
About the Editor
Barbara Brooks Kimmel is Co-founder and Executive Director of Trust Across America –Trust Around the World and editor of the 2014 Nautilus and Eric Hoffer award-winning book Trust Inc. Strategies for Building Your Company’s Most Valuable Asset. In 2012 Barbara was named one of “25 Women who are Changing the World” by Good Business International. A former consultant to McKinsey & Company, Barbara has owned the award-winning communications firm, Next Decade, Inc. for over 20 years. She majored in International Affairs at Lafayette College and has an MBA from Baruch at the City University of New York.
Trust Across America’s mission is helping organizations build trust. For more information visit www.trustacrossamerica.com
Click here for ordering information.
![ND Trust CEO cvr 140602-ft](http://www.trustacrossamerica.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/ND-Trust-CEO-cvr-140602-ft-e1401989324478.jpg)
A Guide for Boards & C-Suites, Barbara Brooks Kimmel, barbara kimmel, integrity, leadership, organizational trust, trust, trust across america, Trust Inc., trustworthy behavior
![TAA_R2_EDIT-CS3](http://www.trustacrossamerica.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/TAATAW_LOGO_H_color-tagline-e1389534413622.jpg)
June is “Talk” Month
according to Trust Across America’s
Your stakeholders need to know what steps you are taking to build a trustworthy organization. Quarterly numbers are no longer the “be all and end all.” In fact, evidence is mounting that a trustworthy culture and profitability go hand in hand.
During the 52 weeks of 2014 you can build trust in your organization by thinking about, discussing and following the advice of the experts. Below are weekly reflections on trust for the 5 weeks in June 2014.
Week 1: It’s going to take a substantial collaborative effort to bring trust back to the heart of how we live and work. Barbara Brooks Kimmel, Trust Across America – Trust Around the World @BarbaraKimmel
Week 2: There’s nothing more destructive to trust than deceit, and nothing more constructive than candor, Jim Kouzes & Barry Posner, The Leadership Challenge @KouzesPosner
Week 3: Doctor-patient relationships that don’t foster trust don’t work because the doctor or the patient has not sought a way to share or relinquish control. Shirie Leng, MD
Week 4: When people trust an organization, they are more likely to exhibit supportive behavior. Linda Locke @Reputationista
Week 5: Corporate trust and reputation matter, and they are the most valuable asset of every enterprise. Michael Lowenstein, Ph.D., CMC, Beyond Philosophy @Lowen42
Please share your comments and suggestions! Email: barbara@trustacrossamerica.com
Barbara Brooks Kimmel, Executive Director, Trust Across America – Trust Around the World
Editor Trust Inc. Strategies for Building Your Company’s Most Valuable Asset (a 2014 Nautilus & Eric Hoffer Book Award winner)
Barbara Brooks Kimmel, barbara kimmel, corporate reputation, ethics, integrity, leadership, organizational trust, trust, trust across america, trust in business, Trust Inc. Strategies for Building Your Company's Most Valuable Asset, trustworthy behavior
![TAA_R2_EDIT-CS3](http://www.trustacrossamerica.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/TAATAW_LOGO_H_color-tagline-e1389534413622.jpg)
Are we moving into a new age of “transparency” in corporate America?
Let’s review a bit of history.
The term “corporate responsibility” has enjoyed a shelf-life of over 50 years, since the 1960s to be exact. Some argue that CSR is merely window-dressing, or an attempt to pre-empt the role of governments as a watchdog over powerful multinational corporations (Wikipedia) and it’s hard to believe that almost thirty years have passed since “greenwashing” came into vogue in a big way.
The term greenwashing was coined by New York environmentalist Jay Westervelt in a 1986 essay regarding the hotel industry‘s practice of placing placards in each room promoting reuse of towels ostensibly to “save the environment.” Westervelt noted that, in most cases, little or no effort toward reducing energy waste was being made by these institutions—as evidenced by the lack of cost reduction this practice effected. (Wikipedia)
Now we’re staring to not only hear but also see a new “trend” in corporate communications. It sort of sounds like transparency via the social networks but it’s disingenuous. It lacks the right “feel.” Here’s a few recent Tweets that caught my attention.
Here are a few basic tips for storing and prepping vegetables & melons monsantoblog.com/2014/05/27/keeping-your-salad-safe-and-tasty-proper-care-of-your-salad-ingredients/ … #nationalsaladmonth
#Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. A #healthybreakfast can help you stay focused all day! #Good4U bit.ly/1csnKRk
Last year, GM saved $162 million in combined energy costs at an industry-leading total of 63 facilities worldwide. #sustainability #CSR
Are you seeing the same pattern that I see?
Let’s talk about vegetables, breakfast and energy costs instead of Roundup, escalating insurance premiums and culture change.
Are companies genuinely interested in being more transparent, or have they found a new “short-term thinking” PR loophole via social media? My guess is the stumbling block lies with the legal and compliance folks, whose focus on what’s legal always seems to trump what’s right. But in reality, consumers don’t want to hear about washing vegetables as much as they do about culture, values and authenticity.
That’s the stuff that trust is made of. The rest is just more noise in an increasingly noisy world.
Barbara Kimmel, Executive Director, Trust Across America-Trust Around the World
What do you think? Do you have examples of companies that are using social media in the ways that really matter, the ways that will bring trust back from the sidelines? Email me at barbara@trustacrossamerica.com
Amerihealth, Barbara Brooks Kimmel, barbara kimmel, corporate reputation, CSR, GM, Monsanto, organizational trust, trust, trust across america, trust in business, Trust Inc. Strategies for Building Your Company's Most Valuable Asset, trustworthy behavior
![TAA_R2_EDIT-CS3](http://www.trustacrossamerica.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/TAATAW_LOGO_H_color-tagline-e1389534413622.jpg)
As I write this, your identity may be at risk.
Last week our local phone company called to notify me that my husband had requested all calls to be routed to his cell phone number (commonly known as call forwarding.) He had provided the last four digits of his social security number, all this phone company requires to verify identity.
The problem was simply that my husband did not initiate that call, nor was the cell phone number his. In fact, it was a T-Mobile number registered in another state that call forwarded to the Netherlands.
Here’s what the fraudster would have done next if I had been unable to block the call forwarding.
He would have attempted to access our bank account to request a wire transfer. When the bank called back to verify the transaction, the call would have been answered by the fraudster, and the transfer would have been completed.
Case closed.
How can you prevent this from happening to you?
Call your phone company and either cancel your call forwarding feature or place an additional security code on your account access.
Please pass this info along. Take a role in halting identity theft.
Barbara Kimmel, Executive Director
Trust Across America-Trust Around the World
barbara kimmel, identity theft, trust across america
![TAA_R2_EDIT-CS3](http://www.trustacrossamerica.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/TAATAW_LOGO_H_color-tagline-e1389534413622.jpg)
May is “Teamwork” Month
according to Trust Across America’s
Teamwork leads to better decisions and better outcomes. Teams create trust, and trust creates teams, especially when silos are broken down.
During the 52 weeks of 2014 you can build trust in your organization by thinking about, discussing and following the advice of the experts. Below are four reflections on trust for the 4 weeks in May 2014.
Week 1: People now trust one in four companies on average, making its scarcity in the marketplace an object of value. John Gerzema, BAV Consulting @JohnGerzema
Week 2: The most trust-destroying thing you can say is, “trust me.” Charles H. Green, Trusted Advisor Associates @CharlesHGreen
Week 3: Building trust creates a premium value for product brands as well as enterprise value for the corporate brand. James R. Gregory, CoreBrand @Corebrand
Week 4: Trust is the core issue impacting organizational, team and leadership effectiveness. Noreen Kelly, Noreen Kelly Communication @NoreenJKelly
Please share your comments and suggestions! Email: barbara@trustacrossamerica.com
Barbara Brooks Kimmel, Executive Director, Trust Across America – Trust Around the World
Editor Trust Inc. Strategies for Building Your Company’s Most Valuable Asset (a 2014 Nautilus Book Award winner)
Barbara Brooks Kimmel, barbara kimmel, charles green, CoreBrand, john gerzema, noreen kelly, organizational trust, trust, trust across america, trust in business, Trust Inc. Strategies for Building Your Company's Most Valuable Asset
Press ReleaseApril 20th, 2014
![Nautilus](http://www.trustacrossamerica.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/Nautilus.jpeg)
Barbara Brooks Kimmel has just learned that her book, “Trust Inc., Strategies for Building Your Company’s Most Valuable Asset” has received a 2014 Nautilus Silver award in business/leadership. Founded in 1998, the Nautilus Awards honor books promoting social or environmental justice. Former winners include Deepak Chopra, Barbara Kingsolver, Marianne Williamson, Eckhart Tolle and others.
“Trust Inc.” is the first in a series of crowd-sourced books containing dozens of essays written by experts in organizational trust and leadership including Stephen M.R. Covey, Kouzes & Posner, Patricia Aburdene and Ken Blanchard. The foreword is written by Timothy McClimon of American Express and the concluding chapter is written by Robert Easton of Accenture. Many consider the breakdown in trust to be the “issue of the decade” and this book is the definitive guide for any organization seeking to build trust with its stakeholders.
After graduating from Lafayette College with a degree in International Affairs, and receiving an MBA from Baruch in New York City, Kimmel worked as a consultant to McKinsey and then founded a communications firm in 1994, called Next Decade, Inc. whose focus has been on “simplifying complex subjects.” In 2009 she turned her attention to the subject of “trust” and launched Trust Across America, a global program that provides trust tools, interactive presentations and workshops to organizations of all sizes.
Trust, Inc., Strategies for Building Your Company’s Most Valuable Asset is available from Amazon.com and the Barnes & Noble website. The next book, Trust Inc., A Guide for Boards and C-Suites will be published in May.
Barbara Brooks Kimmel, barbara kimmel, organizational trust, trust across america, Trust Inc. Strategies for Building Your Company's Most Valuable Asset
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