Have you noticed that the further from face-to-face we get the more challenging it is to build trust? Here’s a favorite from 2014 that illustrates.
Author: dhorsager
Being Clear With Expectations | Trust in Business
Few things are as frustrating as working for a manager who gives you an annual review and tells you all the things she thinks you should have been doing during the past year. How is this information helpful now? The year is over. Why weren’t these expectations expressed earlier? If you are a parent, you know how important it is to communicate expectations with your child. So often, a clear communication of expectations will prevent both misbehavior and failure.
Commitment to Quality and Trust | Trust in Business
Is your organization trusted for its commitment to quality? If there’s room for improvement, you might consider reading Philip Crosby’s 1979 classic Quality is Free. In this book, Crosby outlines how you can improve quality and how to build an environment where commitment in quality is essential.
Why Commitment to Quality Matters
- Crosby sees quality not just as a set of procedures but a way of doing things – a management philosophy that starts with leadership.
- Many organizations value quality, but they have little-to-no agreed upon measurement system.
- Most know the cost of quality in their particular group, but not for their organization. Crosby’s research found that organization’s unaware of their quality costs had actual costs of 20% of sales.
- He offers this 14-Step Quality Improvement Program, which he expands on in his book.
14-Step Quality Improvement Program
- Management Commitment
- Quality Improvement Team
- Quality Measurement
- Cost of Quality Evaluation
- Quality Awareness
- Corrective Action
- Establish an Ad Hoc Committee for the Zero Defects Program
- Supervisor Training
- Zero Defects Day
- Goal Setting
- Error Cause Removal
- Recognition – Awards Program
- Quality Councils
- Do It Over Again
Interaction with the 8 Pillars of Trust – Quality
- Implementing a commitment to quality begins with the clarity pillar. Leaders must become clear on what they see as quality. Then, the leadership teams must agree on what commitment to quality means, how to measure it, and the plan to develop it. It also ends with clarity, as the entire organization becomes clear on a mindset for quality.
- Quality is often perceived by users as a measure or indicator of an organizations character. If they consistently show high quality, we assume they have high integrity. If we see lapses or discrepancies through an organization’s services or function, they can be seen as having low character. And, if their standards for quality have negative impact on people, we question the other side of character – their morality.
- Low quality or inconsistent quality steers employees and customers away in many circumstances, because of a perception of competence. Who wants to buy hire a lawyer that wins few cases?
- Organizations that consistently deliver high quality are known for it. We see them as having a commitment to quality. Think of Ritz-Carlton. Their brand speaks of excellence of quality because it’s experienced throughout the world at their hotels. We know the people that work there have a mindset that’s committed to the maximum quality of your stay.
- The more commitment to quality, the more growth through the quality stages, and the further on in the stages, the more money saved. Those who are committed to preventing errors in customer and product requirements save on money, time, and brain damage. You can imagine the mad scramble of fire fighters when wind spreads fire to another direction in a forest. This reactionary style which young and old companies have, can be prevented with a clear quality program. If your company lacks one, it could be something to consider.
Click Here to view David’s National Best Seller The Trust Edge
Insincere Apologies are Trust Killers | Trust in Leadership
I had a chance to sit down with the CEO of Compass Strategic Investments. For six months, he lived and worked in the Netherlands, so he had some cultural observations to share. One of the distinctions that he noticed was that Americans often make insincere apologies. When it comes to building trust, being able to say we’re sorry and doing it sincerely is an important skill. However insincere apologies, those made out of habit or indifference, are trust killers.
Godin & Sackner-Bernstein on Contribution | Trust in Leadership
What does age have to do with being a big contributor?
Einstein said if you don’t make a major impact in your industry before 30, you probably won’t.
Sackner-Bernstein shows research that disproves this, showing how previous similar explanations were based on a lesser understanding of the brain. In a nutshell, age is an advantage and we must not use anything to let ourselves off the hook for making a difference in society.
Leaders are Readers | Trust in Leadership
My grandmother was known for reading a book a day. I’m not exaggerating! As a matter of fact, she is famous in our family for reading all of the books in two libraries! She had the habit of waking at 4:00 in the morning to have quiet time to read. Grandma Esther loved to learn. Imagine what you could learn just by intentionally reserving time each day to read. I hope to instill this love of reading in my children as well.
The Impact of Compassion | Trust in Business
Who do you trust more, firefighters or mortgage brokers? Librarians or lawyers? Nurses or salespeople? One of the biggest reasons for trust is the perception that someone is concerned beyond themselves for the good of the whole. Firefighters and nurses care for others by nature of their jobs. But we wonder if the salesperson really has our best interest in mind. Don’t worry if you are in a less trusted line of work. Resolve to be among the trusted in your field. Show that you think beyond yourself; you will be unique and successful in your industry.
The Bottom Line Effect of Caring for Your Customers | Trust in Business
Top sales people don’t just get to where they are because they make a lot of calls, or because they know the best closing techniques. In most cases, their clients have come to see them less as commission earners and more as trusted partners. In those relationships, when the customer recognizes they’re truly cared for, they show their satisfaction by buying again and again—and referring you to others.
Great Leaders Take Responsibility | Trust in Leadership
I have seen time and again how the committed take responsibility for their actions. In our high-litigation culture, there’s always someone else to blame. It can be easy to point the finger at suppliers, underlings, partners, and managers that just can’t seem to get things right. I have yet to meet this mass of completely incompetent workers, which leads me to think we might be trying to steer some of the fault away from where it belongs–on ourselves.
How to Build Trust Across Cultures and Diversities | Trust in Leadership
In the 21st century, there’s no doubt that each of us will spend considerable time interacting with those of a different culture (or other diversities). Trust-building isn’t easy, and it can be especially daunting the more differences that are present. Here’re some top tips and discussion questions from chapter 14 of The Trust Edge that can help. Consider printing this post to work on with your team this week.
