Frustration - a clear sign that trust is breaking down!

I have been having a real experience with my own model for trust (as I do every day, actually), but in this instance it has been around technology.

Let me explain - As I travel a lot more now, I decided to take the plunge and join the techno cool group with my new iPhone. Unfortunately, my Outlook Calendar and email can't sync with my iPhone due to some way I have my emails set up. My email service provider was unable to correct it, so at the advice of a friend, we eventually decided to set up a Gmail account, which works nicely with the iPhone.

Simple? Nooooooo. I have had every problem under the sun, including now, because I email a lot, and attach documents, articles, proposals, and cc others, Google have now decided that I must be spamming people and have booted me off my email for 24 hours til I 'settle down my activities!!' Prior to that, it was allowing some emails and failing to deliver others. I've had deadlines to get proposals out, get my article to Readers Digest on this year's most Trusted Brands from their survey, and so on. I think I've turned a little grey these last few days, but trying very hard to keep my cool and act with decorum.

So, here's what has happened from a trust perspective:

1. My expectations - as with most things, I always assume everything will be easy. I get caught out on this one a lot! My mantra for many years has been 'It can't be that hard!' I assumed in this case that getting the whole phone thing working would be relatively easy and I'd scoot off to the US shortly with the technology down pat.

2. My needs - I'm driven by Esteem and Self Actualisation for most things. I don't like looking stupid, or incompetent, and I just want to get on with getting my message out there, and living my purpose

3. The promise - the guy in the Vodaphone store assured me that the iPhone would easily sync with Outlook, and I'd be up and running in no time. My friend also assured me that this would be the best thing I've ever done in my life.

The outcome? A lot of unmet expectations, needs and unkept promises = broken trust = frustration

What now? Unfortunately for me, I can't go and sit on a mountaintop and refuse to use technology, so I'm forced to trust it to some extent, but I do it reluctantly and with much fear and trepidation. Thankfully, I'm also the eternal optimist and am convinced that it will all work out for me and technology, and my friend, will be redeemed!

The Global Trust Crisis

The media is calling it a Global Economic Crisis, but when I look around I see a Global TRUST Crisis.

We have simply forgotten how to trust. We have forgotten just how powerful trust is, how quickly it can break down, and the pain and destruction caused by a breakdown of trust.

What we are seeing right now is the consequences of greed, lack of accountability and selfishness of too many business leaders - all stemming from a lack of understanding of just how intricate and finely balanced the trust of all their stakeholders really is. They have broken the trust of the very people they were trusted to serve and lead.

It's time to take a stand. It's time to get a handle on what is really going on here.

If you are a business leader, or you run your own business, become a true leader and learn how to trust and be trusted. It is the true secret to securing your future.

The time to trust is NOW.

Survival of the trustworthy

Leo D'Angelo Fisher wrote for Australia's Business Review Weekly (BRW) February 5 - 11 2009, a piece on Survival of the Trustworthy, stating that 'Trust is the cornerstone of true leadership and managers who have it can move mountains.' He goes on to say 'Managers and executives who have earned the trust and respect of staff, who are admired for their fairness, empathy and integrity, will be the key to attracting and retaining an organisation's most valuable talent. Let's hope there are enough of these managers to go around.'

I couldn't have put it better myself. I actually know there are very few managers who know how to build trust – the ultimate skill to truly survive these difficult times.

In my experience, having dedicated my business to the sole focus of teaching leaders and individuals about trust, it’s an overused word that is grossly under-practiced.

Right now, organisations are breaking down trust with employees (those being shown the door, but also those left behind), customers, shareholders and the broader community. Understandably, difficult decisions must be made right now, but how those decisions are executed will make or break trust.

What leaders and managers need to remember is that everything cycles – at some point things will turn around and they will be re-hiring. When trust is broken, people hurt, and they tell everyone about it! The reputational risk is massive. The employees who are left have lost trust and respect for the leadership, and customers and shareholders are nervous.

Breaking trust is the easy option, and unfortunately one that too many leaders are choosing as the default. Those who choose to ignore its huge long term impact, do so at their own peril.

Building trust takes courage, skill and an understanding of its duality – its power and its fragility.

It’s trust or bust!

Website to track promises

I receive a daily Google alert linking me to all published stories about trust, promises, relationships, and so on. When I got this one, I had mixed views.

Link to the full story here http://your4state.com/content/fulltext/?cid=50522

Website Tracks President Obama's Promises To The Nation
Reported by: Jackie Cutler
Wednesday, Jan 21, 2009 @07:28pm EST


FREDERICK, MD - President Barack Obama has been in office less than a week, and although his presidency is a sign of change, many are wondering how much change he'll really bring.His promises range from more jobs, to better education, to less loopholes for big corporations.In total he's made more than 500 promises, and now a website called politifact.com is helping you keep tabs on all of them.Using an Obameter, the website lists all of the promises, which ones he's kept as well as which promises he's broken.So far President Obama has only kept two: appointing a Republican to his cabinet and changing a capital gains tax law.Still, some in the four-state region say perhaps more important than keeping his promise is the energy his presidency brings.If you would like to keep track of President Obama's promises, click here.

I thought - Ok, that's great that people are actually tracking the promises made by a politician, especially one as influential and critical to the world economy as Obama.

But then I thought - Hmmm. How would I feel if there was a website tracking all MY promises??!!

How would YOU feel?

Good intentions don't build trust

You know the saying "The road to hell is paved with good intentions." What's interesting is when you really think about this. Why is this so?

With the ENP Wall® entente's trust model, I talk about making promises - both implicitly and explicitly. I also talk about expectations and needs. Good intentions, like "we'll catch up", "let's do lunch", "my new year's resolution is to stop smoking", "we should spend more quality time together" - whatever we say to make people or ourselves feel better, are actually promises we're making. They create expectations in people's minds, including our own, and they satisfy our core needs. So, we believe them. We trust them. Unless of course we know it's just talk, in which case we lose even more respect for them every time they say it, including losing respect for ourselves.

Even if the good intentions really were meant, if they don't eventuate, the wall comes crashing down or the trust is chipped away or cracked.

Good intentions don't build trust. Seeing them through, carrying them out, delivering on them - that's what builds trust!