Trust Across America-Trust Around the World™

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.

Happy (post) Labor Day, a long weekend traditionally filled with barbecues and burgers.

Having spent many years living in the same community it’s been interesting to observe the polar opposite leadership “styles” of two competing businesses, the local butcher shops.

These are the “rules” established by Shopkeeper #1:

• No we will not skin your chicken
• No we will not cut steaks to order
• No we will not provide extra marinade
• No we will not break up that package of bratwurst

The list of “no’s is never ending and the butchers are usually (except for one) rude, pretending they have never seen you before.

And these are the “rules” established by Shopkeeper #2:

The customer is always greeted by a warm smile and usually by their first name, followed by a sincere interest in the family.  And ordering is a breeze.

• You want the chicken skinned, of course!
• You want the steak sliced thin, no problem!
• Take a jar of marinade on us.
• How many bratwurst do you want?

Is it any surprise that people line up to do business with Shopkeeper #2? What are his secrets? I know a few of them:

• The customer always comes first.
• Employees are paid well.
• Working hard and showing commitment will earn you a piece of his business.

Regardless of the kind of organization, the leader sets the tone. Core values are either established or they aren’t. Which kind of butcher are you? Will you skin the chicken?

In your opinion what is the bigger issue in your organization?

That’s the question we are asking in this month’s Trust Quest. Your response is important and it won’t take more than 30 seconds. Here’s the link:

bit.ly/1NBCp2W

Thank you so much for weighing in.

Barbara Brooks Kimmel, Executive Director, Trust Across America-Trust Around the World

Do trustworthy CEOs share similar profiles?

What about their untrustworthy counterparts?

Since 2010, Trust Across America™ (TAA) has been conducting an annual review to identify The Most Trustworthy Public Companies in America. Over 2000 companies are independently screened through our custom FIDES™ software using our proprietary Framework called FACTS®, ranking the trustworthiness of companies on five primary indicators of trustworthiness: Financial stability, Accounting conservativeness, Corporate governance, Transparency and Sustainability. No internal assessments or surveys are completed and companies do not know they are being analyzed.

This past April we released our fifth year of findings and named our Top Ten Most Trustworthy Public Companies (over 5 years.)

What do the CEOs of these “Top 10” companies have in common and how do their profiles compare to the “least trustworthy” in our model?

Most Trustworthy Profile:

• All are men
• All were born between 1950 and 1960
• All were promoted from within to CEO
• Seven of the ten have been the CEO for at least five years (well above the national average CEO tenure)
• Undergraduate education is diverse and less than half have MBAs

We then took one additional step, reviewing the profiles of the CEOs from the ten LEAST trustworthy companies (with market capitalization over $10 billion) and here’s what we found:

Least Trustworthy Profiles:

• All are men
• Born between 1934 and 1967
• Five of the ten were promoted from within (three of the five became CEO through mergers)
• Six of the ten have been CEO for over five years
• Undergraduate education is diverse and one has no college degree

What conclusions, if any, should be drawn from this small study?

Barbara Brooks Kimmel has been the Executive Director of Trust Across America-Trust Around the World  since its founding in 2008. The program’s mission is simply to provide tools and assistance to organizations interested in building trust. Barbara runs the world’s largest organizational trust membership program. She is also the 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.

Barbara is also an award-winning communications executive and former consultant to McKinsey who has run her own firm, Next Decade, Inc., that has been unraveling and simplifying complex subjects for over twenty years. She holds a BA in International Affairs from Lafayette College and an MBA in Marketing from Baruch (City University of NY).

Who is less trustworthy? Politicians or big business?

Welcome!

Our monthly roundup is another collaborative undertaking of our Trust Alliance, selected blog posts on a variety of organizational trust topics. The subjects are as diverse as the expertise of our members!

By reviewing these posts, you will have a better appreciation for the importance of embracing trust as an organizational imperative.

Let’s get started!

Edward Marshall discusses the link between trust and the thriving workplace

Donna Boehme weighs in on the role of Boards in compliance

Randy Conley describes how trust is not a destination, but rather a journey.

Nadine Hack explains how the truth can set you free.

My most popular post this month was a Mother’s Day Special containing 20 quotes on building trust from the very lovable Dr. Seuss.

Barbara Brooks Kimmel is the Executive Director of Trust Across America-Trust Around the World whose mission is to help organizations build trust, and runs the world’s largest membership program for those interested in the subject. She is also the 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.

Our annual poster, 52 Weeks of Activities to Increase Organizational Trust is available to those who would like to support our work by making a small donation.

Did you know we have published 3 books in our award-winning TRUST Inc. series. They are yours when you join our Alliance.

Copyright 2015, Next Decade, Inc.

Trust is the glue that binds every good relationship, or so we are told. The challenge not only lies in both definition and degree of trust, but too many people believe they are trustworthy when, in reality, they are not. In fact, both business leaders (and criminals) suffer from what is called “The Better than Average Effect,”  and we’ve all fallen victim to this psychological phenomenon at one time or another.

Think about how trust “worthy” you consider yourself and then check off how many of the following apply to you. You may not be quite as trust “worthy” as you thought.

1. Trust me, but don’t turn your back.
2. Trust me, but I come first.
3. Trust me, but I’m the boss.
4. Trust me, but I don’t walk my talk.
5. Trust me, but only in the office.
6. Trust me, but quarterly numbers trump employee well-being.
7. Trust me, but if the going gets rough…
8. Trust me, but only until there’s nothing left “in it” for me.
9. Trust me, but first impressions aren’t necessarily accurate.
10. Trust me, but only when I feel like telling the truth.

While some will argue that trust can be established quickly, I believe that trust takes time and is built in incremental steps. And like all bell curves, only a small percentage of people, even our most successful business leaders, are genuinely very trustworthy, regardless of how they perceive themselves.

As my friend Bob Vanourek at Triple Crown Leadership likes to say, “Always trust your instincts.” He’s right. They will rarely let you down.

Barbara Brooks Kimmel is the Executive Director of Trust Across America-Trust Around the World whose mission is to help organizations build trust, and runs the world’s largest membership program for those interested in the subject. She is also the 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.

Our annual poster, 52 Weeks of Activities to Increase Organizational Trust is available to those who would like to support our work by making a small donation.

Did you know we have published 3 books in our award-winning TRUST Inc. series. They are yours when you join our Alliance.

Copyright 2015, Next Decade, Inc.

Did you know that information overload has lowered our attention span to only eight seconds?

Even “Top 10” lists, a favorite of social media enthusiasts just a few years ago, have now been condensed to “Top 6’s or 5’s” or moved totally away from the written word to short and catchy “feel good” phrases, posters or video sound bytes. Bookstores certainly aren’t thriving, nor are newspapers or magazines. It’s hard to read an article in 8 seconds, let alone a book.

If you want to grab someone’s attention you better be able to do it quickly, or so the PR and marketing folks will tell you. But they just might be wrong, and those “gurus” who choose these “race to the bottom” marketing tactics fuel the chronic low- trust epidemic, instead of playing a much needed role in the solution.

Trust is built in incremental steps and high trust relationships certainly require more than 8 seconds to establish. Short “to do” lists or catchy phrases, just don’t cut it. But ironically, there ARE 6 essential steps we can all take to build the first foundational layer in the “trust construction” process and they CAN be completed in under 8 seconds.

Trash Your Ego: Leave your ego at the door when you meet someone for the first time or attend a meeting. If others think you perceive yourself as better than they are, you might as well not show up at all.

Make Eye Contact: Eye contact is a sign of honesty and reliability. There is a reason why dishonest people are said to have “shifty eyes.”

Shake Like You Mean It: A strong handshake signals confidence in yourself and your abilities, essential components of trust.

Cell Phones be Gone: How often do you check your phone during a meeting? It’s a lack of respect, and more importantly, a clear indication that you are not listening. It takes two to build trust so don’t be distracted.

Smile With Warmth: William Arthur Ward is credited with saying “A warm smile is the universal language of kindness.” And kindness and warmth build trust, as do sincere compliments.

Tell the Truth: Remember, once you lie and get caught, nothing you EVER say will be accepted as the truth.

Gotta run, I’ve gone over the 8 second limit!

Barbara Brooks Kimmel is the Executive Director of Trust Across America-Trust Around the World whose mission is to help organizations build trust, and runs the world’s largest membership program for those interested in the subject. She is also the 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.

Our annual poster, 52 Weeks of Activities to Increase Organizational Trust is available to those who would like to support our work by making a small donation.

Did you know we have published 3 books in our award-winning TRUST Inc. series. They are yours when you join our Alliance.

Copyright 2015, Next Decade, Inc.

And that is why I’m glad that I am not a Goop, are you?– Gillette Burgess

Who remembers the childhood poem about The Goops? It’s an oldie but goodie. Our family recited it in lieu of a prayer at the dinner table, and now as an adult, I have relatively good table manners. When we don’t teach our children “right from wrong” and ignore or overlook their bad behavior, they carry it into adulthood.

Certain professions are reputed for low ethics- bankers, lawyers, PR firms, marketing consultants. The world of trust and leadership is not without its goops, perhaps because there are simply no barriers to entry. One need not have a college degree, any experience or table manners. Like me, I’m sure you’ve met your fair share along the way.

Use this as a checklist to identify the next goop you meet.

• They grandstand about the importance of trust, integrity, values, ethics and leadership but are incapable of walking it in their daily lives. They never learned how to use the soup spoon, let alone the knife and fork.
• They help themselves to the work of others without proper attribution, also known as plagiarism.
• They “borrow” intellectual property-  logos, pictures, articles and anything else they choose with a sense of entitlement and no remorse.
• Their professional “claims” can’t be verified or checked.
• They are quick to blame but slow to accept responsibility.
• They say they are givers which makes them the worst kind of takers.
• They don’t keep their word.
• They speak hollow lingo- “listening” (this week), “mindfulness” (last week) and “trust” the week before.
• “Thank you” and “I’m sorry” are not part of their vocabulary.
• They lick their plates 🙂

Do any of the above sound familiar?

Why do we have “high trust” expectations of leaders in business, politics, media and sports? Why should we expect these public figures to be trustworthy when many of the people who claim to be the teachers and advisors to leaders on ethics and trust are not?

It’s lunchtime. I think I’ll go slurp some soup and join the rest of the goops. On second thought, I think I’ll pass. I’d rather go hungry. How about you?

Barbara Brooks Kimmel is the Executive Director of Trust Across America-Trust Around the World whose mission is to help organizations build trust. She runs the world’s largest membership program for those interested in learning more, and is also the 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.

Our 2015 Poster, 52 Weeks of Activities to Increase Organizational Trust is available to those who would like to support our work by making a small donation.

Copyright 2015, Next Decade, Inc.

How much are you trusted personally or professionally? It’s not that difficult to be trust “worthy” and the rewards are enormous. Instead, most people choose to take trust for granted. They simply don’t stop to consider the benefits of high trust including lower costs (both monetary and emotional) and increased speed of decision making.

Here’s YOUR daily trust “cheat sheet.” Try it for one week!

• Want your kids to trust you? Catch them doing something right and let them know.
• Want your spouse to trust you? Do ANYTHING for them without being asked. Show you appreciate them.
• Want your co-worker to trust you? Invite them to lunch and share something personal. Be a bit vulnerable.
• Want your boss to trust you? Show up on time with no excuses. Be reliable.
• Want your employees to trust you? Tell each one individually why you appreciate them. Show gratitude.

Mean what you say and say what you mean.

Character, competence, consistency and a bit of gratitude. It’s really quite easy.

Don’t forget to let me know what happens at the end of the week.

Barbara Brooks Kimmel is the Executive Director of Trust Across America-Trust Around the World whose mission is to help organizations build trust. She runs the world’s largest membership program for those interested in learning more, and is also the 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.

Our 2015 Poster, 52 Weeks of Activities to Increase Organizational Trust is available to those who would like to support our work by making a small donation.

Copyright 2015, Next Decade, Inc.

If trust is such an important element of long-term business success, why do so few executives embrace it as a business imperative?

Is it:

• What can’t be measured can’t be managed?
• Too much pressure to perform quarter to quarter?
• Trust is simply taken for granted?
• Compliance is all that matters?
• Greed is good?

Any advice?

Barbara Brooks Kimmel is the Executive Director of Trust Across America-Trust Around the World whose mission is to help organizations build trust. She runs the world’s largest membership program for those interested in learning more, and is also the 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.

Our 2015 Poster, 52 Weeks of Activities to Increase Organizational Trust is available to those who would like to support our work by making a small donation.

Copyright 2015, Next Decade, Inc.