Trust

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Trust Tagged Articles

My thesis is that cliques at work have some helpful components, but they often do more harm than good by being exclusive elements in the culture. Top performance in any organization requires the best effort of the entire team, and when parts of the group are fragmented into insular cells, all kinds or gremlins creep into the structure. In the extreme, cliques can be hurtful to the mission of an orgnaization. But cliques are as natural as pancakes for breakfast. They form spontaneously and have their own unwritten bylaws that serve the members very well. How can leaders reduce the negative impact of cliques? Here are 9 ideas that can help reduce the problem.

Productive Conflict in Leadership Teams
Productive conflict in leadership teams is essential if they want to be high performing. This has to come from a basis of trust, understanding and honesty. The Leader needs to role model the right behaviours for this to happen.

5 Caveats to the "Open Door" Policy
Most organizations have an "Open Door" policy to protect employees from bully supervisors. The idea is to make it safe to bring a problem to a higher level of management. The method can be helpful, but I have found it to be fraught with problems. This paper describes five of the most significant problems with the "Open Door" Policy and suggests a simple antidote.

Bonehead Advertising Ploys
If you really listen to the advertisements on TV, you can either get a lot of entertainment or get pretty sick. The material is full of claims that actually lower the trust in the product or service being sold. Sometimes I wonder who thinks up this garbage. If the objective is to get us to buy more, then why do the moguls of advertising put out this material?

4 Common Denominators of High Performing Teams
There are four common denominators of high performing teams. When these elements are present, teams are almost guaranteed to be efficient and rewarding for the members. The elements are: Common goals, Trust, Good Leadership, and a Good Charter. If your team has these four elements, chances are you are enjoying the benefits of working on a high performance team.

Reinforce Candor to Build Trust: Transparency

Trust is the key ingredient missing in most organizations, particularly in these draconian times. The ability to build trust is most impacted by a leader’s habit of reinforcing candor – which means making people glad when they bring up inconsistencies in the leader’s actions. Most leaders punish people for surfacing difficult issues. In the process they extinguish trust and transparency, which further cripples worker motivation. Learn how to change your behaviors to allow consistent trust building interfaces with people.

12 Do's and Don't for Effective Online Communication
We communicate more online now than verbally. In many situations, people send signals that are not consistent with their intentions. Unfortunately, while the rules of excellent e-mail communication are common sense, they are not common practice. These simple 12 rules will allow you to prevent most problems when communicating online.

Ubiquitous Reinforcement
Great leaders know that reinforcement is the most powerful way to improve motivation. This article highlights four frequent errors in trying to reinforce people along with the antidotes. It also covers the need for reinforcement to be for the entire culture, not just for leaders to use.

Avoiding Playing Favorites

We all know the issue of playing favorites is one of the most deadly trust busters in an organization. The conundrum is that every leader really does have favorites and uses these people more than the not-so-favored people for certain tasks. If you are a leader and deny this, check your reality meter – you may be out of gas. Given this problem, how can a leader go about running the most efficient organization and still beat the debilitating stigma of playing favorites? The answer lies in doing 4 things that are outlined in this article.

Anti-Hubris Pixie Dust

We have all run into a narcissist leader somewhere along the way. This “Bull in a china shop” leader goes around all day creating damage – often with no congnition of it. There are two issues here. If you are a leader, how can you tell the extent to which your hubris is taking you in a direction at cross purposes to your intent? If you work in an environment where there is one or more narcissistic leaders, how can you improve conditions for yourself and your co-workers? These questions are so common that most people deal with some form of the dilemma every single day at work, yet despite years of effort and suffering, no relief is in sight. I believe there is a shaping process that can actually serve as a tranquilizer in the melee, but the application must be done with great skill to be effective.

Leadership Myth #1 - Great Leaders Are More Intelligent

Many people believe great leaders are more intelligent than poor leaders. There are so many examples that debunk this theory that it is hard to pick just a few. Raw intelligence is not correlated with outstanding leadership characteristics. In fact, if you drew a correlation line showing IQ on one axis and success as a leader on the other, it would not be a straight line. There is a maximum point beyond which higher IQ is actually a predictor of lower success as a leader.

Leadership Myth #2 - Great Leaders Work Harder
Many people believe great leadership requires a person to be the hardest working person in the organization. That is simply not the case. In fact, Great leaders are often less work-a-holic type people than is commonly thought.

Leadership Myth #3 - Great Leaders have a College Education
To be a great leader, does one need a college education? No, that is not a prerequisite for leadership, but the weight of evidence is that better educated people do make better leaders. This article explains the apparent paradox.

Leadership Myth #4 - Great Leaders are Expert at Playing Politics
The issue of when and how to play politics makes an interesting study. While we all want to avoid the Machiavellian type of behavior associated with manipulative politics, like it or not we are in a sea of political thought every day. We better get used to it and learn how to navigate well in it.

Leadership Myth #5 - Great Leaders Have Large Egos
We all know egotistical leaders. We run into them all the time. But is having a large ego a requirement for leadership. I think not. Here are some reasons.

Leadership Truth #1 - Great Leaders Operate from a Set of Values
Values are the underpinning of everything we do. Great leaders have a concrete set of values that they operate from on a daily basis. Where do these values come from?

Leadership Truth #2 - Great Leaders Live Their Vision
Great leaders are congruent. They live their vision all the time. Consistency is a trait most great leaders have in abundance. Why is this trait so important?

Leadership Truth #3 - Great Leaders are Passionate
Not only are great leaders passionate people, but they have an uncanny ability to infect others with their passion. That is how the gusto in their soul gets translated to the rank and file. Let's explore how this is done.

Leadership Truth #4 - Great Leaders Value Transparency
Transparency in an organization means not holding things back from people.In so many organizations people know there is information being denied them that they really ought to know. This is devastating to morale.

Leadership Truth #5 - Great Leaders Have High Emotional Intelligence
Simply stated, Emotional Intelligence is the ability to work with people at all levels. The degree of success of an individual in this world is much more closely aligned with the level of Emotional Intelligence than IQ.

Leadership Truth #6 - Great Leaders Never Stop Learning
When we stop learning, it is time to call the undertaker. At birth, we are given one body and roughly 80 years - that is what we have. All of life is a series of learning opportunities. Great leaders are like sponges trying to absorb lessons in life, even in the most difficult of times.

Leadership Truth #7 - Great Leaders Believe Work is Play
Have you ever noticed that the best leaders actually have fun at work? It really is allowed to create an environment where the good times outnumber the bad times. There are some gifted leaders who have discovered this concept.

Leadership Truth #9 - Great Leaders Foster Great Followership
For centuries, most of the focus has been on leaders and leadership. There is a new trend over the past decade to also focus on great followership. We are all leaders and followers for some portion of the time. This article compares and contrasts these two roles.

Leadership Truth #10 - Great Leaders Make Large Trust Deposits
The level of trust between any two individuals is like a bank account. There is a balance, and we make continual deposits and withdrawals. Great leaders look for the opportunities to make large deposits in the trust account with people.

Leadership Truth #11 - Great Leaders Do Better in a Crisis
A hallmark of great leadership is that these people do better when there is a crisis. They are more prepared going in and have a way of navigating during a crisis that instinctively finds the best path through chaos. How do they accomplish this?

Ten Hallmarks of a High Trust Organization

We tend to think of trust in one dimension, but there are several different ways trust plays out in organizations. My favorite definition of trust is that when I trust someone, it means I believe he or she will always do what is thought to be in my best interest (even if I do not particularly appreciate it at the time). We can contrast some dimensions of trust by considering what it is like to work in an organization with high trust versus one with low trust on several dimensions

Downsizing Dynamics
When companies are forced to downsize, it is an unpleasant time for everyone. Unfortunately many organizations make the process much worse than necessary. This article explores the problems and gives an antidote.

Improve Your E-Mail Openings
The very first 3-4 words set the tone for how the reader will feel as he or she wades into your e-mail note. How do you control your phrases at the start of a note to foster the kind of reaction you want in the reader?

Reinforce Candor or Speak Truth to Power?
My Trust model highlights Reinforcing Candor as the most powerful tool to build trust in organizations. Some people might think this is the same as Speaking Truth to Power, but it is really very different.

Deming on Leadership
Here is an interesting personal story of a run-in I had with Deming several years ago that had a profound impact on my understanding of leadership.

12 Rules for Success
Several years ago I generated a list of my own personal rules for success. It was originally 10 items which I called “Whipple’s 10 Commandments for success.” I later added a couple more to make it an even dozen.

Little Known Leadership Tip
When leaders transition to a new position, they often make a critical error of being too outspoken about possible improvements based on the environment in their presious position. This can undermine relationships dramaticlly at the very time when it is critical to be building good will with the new team.

Using Time Wisely
We all have the same amount of time each day. Some leaders seem to get a lot more done with less stress on themselves and everyone else. Others, seem to always be running around at Mach 7 with their hair on fire but getting less true work accomplished. What is the trick to getting more done?

12 Dimensions of Culture Rarely Seen in MBA Books

Most business textbooks define the culture of a company in terms of things like: 1.Physical structure 2.Language and symbols 3.Rituals, ceremonies, gossip, and jokes 4.Stories, legends, and heroes 5.Beliefs 6.Values and norms 7.Assumptions I believe all these things are important parts of the culture, but I believe there are several even more important things that are not on this list. What is your opinion? My view would include things like whether there is an environment of trust and several other key ingredients.

Writing Challenging E-mails

We have all been there at some point. We need to communicate on a delicate issue, and e-mail is the only method possible because the other person is unavailable for any other type of communication. The situation can be a CTO (Career Threatening Opportunity). First of all you will be putting snesitive material in writing in a medium where there is no chance to fully erase it. Second, time is usually short in these circumstances, so there is not a lot of opportunity for detailed analysis. Finally, the subject matter gives you the feeling that you are walking on eggs.

2 Ways to Avoid Being Micromanaged

Most of us have complained about this well-known situation at some point. What steps do you take to avoid the problem? My personal view is that if you can accomplish the following two things, the chances of being excessively micromanaged are significantly reduced. 1) Be credible. Do excellent work and anticipate questions that might come up. Do your homework well and take preventive actions before being asked. 2) Over Communicate. If you get to the boss before he or she gets to you, then the potential to be micromanaged goes down.

Managing Your Style

Many of us have taken the Myers Briggs Type Indicator and also the DiSC Profile. We have sat in seminars or corporate training sessions designed to help us understand our "style" and how our "type" relates to the rest of the world. These insights are helpful at understanding ourselves and how we can improve relations with other people. I believe style needs to be considered more as a dynamic process - not static. For that we should think about the possibility of actively managing our style.

10 Commandments to Reduce Gossip
Gossip and rumors about people are hurtful to relationships and organizational effectiveness. Here are 10 commandments that can reduce this problem in your environment.

Who is Your Worst Critic?

Most of us do not have to look far to find our own worst critic. We just need to look in the mirror. Even though it is not good for our physical or spiritual health, we all tend to dwell on what we need to do better. There is an antidote to the malaise, and it is easier that we think. All we need to do is re-train our minds to avoid dwelling on our deficiencies. Easier said than done? Not really. There are three simple steps you can take that will alter your self perception if you have the will to do them.

5 Management Mistakes in Using Data
Deming taught us that many managers make things worse rather than better by the way they react to data. I would like to hear your opinions on whether you see this in your organization. Here are just 5 reasons why managers use data inappropriately.

4 Tips To Improve the Morning Meeting
Many organizations have a short morning meeting every day to accomplish multiple objectives. In some cases these meetings are highly successful: in others they actually make things worse.

Three Little Words
There are three little words that have a lot to do with building trust in an organization. At first you will think these three words actually lead to the destruction of trust, but in the hands of a great leader, these words can become the most compelling force for growing trust. The words are: I am right.

Culture and Motivation

You have probably asked yourself, ¡§How do people become motivated to perform at peak levels over a sustained period of time?¡¨ Perhaps you found yourself coming up with incentive programs that reward based on money, vacations, or perhaps merchandise in an effort to motivate your employees. The reality is, motivation comes from within each of us is not generated by picnics or T-shirts. As a leader, do not seek to motivate your employees; rather, focus on building a culture of trust where individuals make the choice to become motivated.

Ideas for Political Survival
There is an old saying “Too soon old – too late smart.” During my long career in a large organization, I somehow managed to do some pretty bonehead things politically. I will never be someone who is politically brilliant because I am far too outspoken. But I have learned some things and want to pass on an idea to others.

Leading With Trust is Like Sailing Downwind
This leadership metaphor about the nature of trust comes from the sport of sailing. I am not a sailor myself, but it is easy to observe the difference between sailing into the wind and sailing downwind. In fact, you can do either, but the techniques, effort, and results are dramatically different. Here is a list of some distinctions.

Merger Downsizing

The following example shows how downsizing after a merger can become a huge morale problem for the surviving organization as well as the organization being taken over. Most mergers are done to improve economies of scale and reduce costs by combining similar functions in the two previously independent organizations. This is a tempting ploy when looking at how an organization can survive the increasingly competitive world market. Beware!

Punished by Rewards
The following review is taken from a pivotal article by Alfie Kohn in 1993. The paper can be ordered from Harvard Business Review (Sept. 1993). I will also provide my own comments on each point and offer some additional materials that amplify Mr. Kohn’s point of view.

The Power of Admitting Mistakes

One of the most powerful opportunities for any leader to build trust is to publicly admit mistakes. The source of that power is that it is so rare for leaders to stand up in front of a group and say something like this: “I called you here today to admit that I made a serious blunder yesterday. It was not intentional, as I will explain. Nevertheless, I failed to do the best thing for our group. I sincerely apologize for this and call on all of us to help mend the damage quickly. Without being defensive, let me just explain what happened…”

Tips for Improving Motivation

The concept of motivation is one of the most misunderstood terms in the leadership lexicon. Reason: Most leaders either never learned or have forgotten the nature of motivation, so they try to achieve it using ineffective tools. This white paper focuses on the learning from Herzberg’s Two Factor theory and why those concepts can be translated into helpful guidelines that create the opportunity for higher levels of motivation.

Tips to Improve Team Culture

The culture of a team governs its effectiveness. Most teams have a culture that allows adequate performance despite many unfortunate outbreaks of tension and sometimes childish behavior. It is unfortunate that more teams do not experience the exhilaration of working in a supportive culture that produces excellent results. The methods of building teams into high performing units are well documented, but most teams do not go through the rigor required to get to that level. This paper blends well known processes with horse sense born of experience that will allow any team to perform better.

Write Colorful E-Mails
We can all improve the quality of our e-mails if we take a little time to think about how we word them. Painting "word pictures" can be a great way to improve this mode of communication, and it is not as hard as we might think.

Leadership Assessment #1 – In vs. Out Ratio

There are hundreds of leadership assessments. The content and quality of these assessments vary greatly. You can spend a lot of time and money taking surveys to tell you the quality of your leadership. There are a few leading indicators that can be used to give a pretty good picture of the overall quality of your leadership. These are not good for diagnosing problems or specifying corrective action, but they can tell you where you stand quickly. Here is one of my favorite measures. I call it the "In Versus Out" Ratio.

Leadership Assessment #2 – Level of Trust

There are hundreds of assessments for leaders. The content and quality of these assessments vary greatly. You can spend a lot of time and money taking surveys to tell you the quality of your leadership. There are a few leading indicators that can be used to give a pretty good picture of the overall quality of your leadership. These are not good for diagnosing problems or specifying corrective action, but they can tell you where you stand quickly. Here is one of my favorite measures. It is the level of trust within the organization.

Leadership Assessment #3 – Growth & Development

Leadership Assessment #4 – Lack of Fear

Leadership Assessment #5 – How People Treat Each Other

Leadership Assessment #6 – Builds an Inclusive Culture

Leadership Assessment #7 – Connects Well with People

Leadership Assessment #8 – Firm but Fair

Leadership Assessment #9 – Admits Mistakes

Leadership Assessment #10 – Lead by Example

Leadership Assessment #11 – Demonstrate Integrity

Leadership Assessment #12 – Listen Deeply

Leadership Assessment #13 – Negotiate Well

Leadership Assessment #14 – Emulate Level 5 Leaders

Leadership Assessment #15 – Make Good Decisions

Leadership Assessment #16 – Build a Reinforcing Culture

Leadership Assessment #17 – Optimize Communication

Leadership Assessment #18 – Handle Crises Well

Leadership Assessment #19 – Generates Passion

Leadership Assessment #20 – Lowers Credibility Gap

Leadership Assessment #21 – Build a SAFE Environment

Leadership Assessment #22 – Leaders are Enablers

Leadership Assessment #23 – Leaders Create Winners

Maximize Discretionary Effort
Each of us has a vast storehouse of “discretionary” effort that we either give or withhold on a daily basis. Let’s examine the factors that govern why some people freely choose to give a lot more of their discretionary effort to their organization while others, equally qualified, habitually hold back most of their potential.

Incredible Speed
Here are a couple true stories that illustrate how an organization can shrink months of effort into hours if the motivation is there. The interesting thing is that the people involved really loved the challenge and rose to the occasion.

The Power of Good Measures
Most organizations have a TQM (Total Quality Management) Program. It is the quality of the measures in this effort that will determine the success or failure of it. Here is a short paper I wrote on some interesting aspects of measures.

Organization Structure
Here is a lecture I wrote for a graduate class on Management. It discusses some interesting points about organization structure and how it can impact performance.

Padding Estimates
We all know there is a game of padding estimates in most parts of our society. It certainly exists in business. Here are a few helpful thoughts on how you can get more accurate numbers.

Some Dangers of PERT Charts

Many companies use PERT charts to track the progress of projects. These charts show the major milestones in complex projects and develop a “critical path” through the ones that must not slip or the entire project suffers. Depending on your job, you may be exposed to these. They are used extensively in military projects and large construction projects. The more sweeping and complex a project is, the more useful a network representation can be. There are some precautions that I will describe here.

Concepts of TQM and Lean

I have lived and worked through many of the phases of the Quality Revolution and have personally studied with many of the legendary Quality Gurus, like Deming, Juran, and Joiner. Often the articles and books on TQM (Total Quality Management) portray the world as an ideal place and describe theories in ways that are neat and tidy. The real world is a messier place, and the theories need to be integrated in that environment so they will actually work.

E-mail Tip #2 - E-mail is Not a Conversation

Most leaders communicate more through e-mail than face to face with their people. It is a common practice to view e-mail as just a natural progression of communication not much different from conversation. This is a huge mistake. There are many ways e-mail communication needs to be handled differently to get the intended message across. Even though writing or reading an e-mail feels very much like having a conversation, it really is not. Many people fail to understand the ramifications of this observation.

E-mail Tip #4 - Make the Subject Line Work for You
The subject line of an e-mail is a lot more important than most people realize. This article picks apart the topic and shows many examples of both good and bad subject lines. Given the subject line is one of two things a person considers (author is the other) when deciding when and if to open a note, we need to be very careful with wording.

E-mail Tip #5 - First Sentence Sets the Tone of a Note
The first few words of a note have more impact than meets the eye. It is important to start off a note on the right foot because otherwise your reader may have an incorrect frame of mind when reading the entire note.

E-Mail Tip #7 - Accomplish your Objective
It is amazing how many e-mails miss the mark and cause reactions in the reader that the writer did not intend. How can you prevent this from happening to you. Te secret lies in clarifying your objective before you compose your notes. It takes very little time and will improve the quality of your communication immensely.

E-Mail Tip #8 - Write Notes Only When You Are Yourself
We all know it is unwise to write an e-mail when we are angry, yet all of us are guilty of doing exactly that from time to time. This article contains a case study on what can happen and three different methods you can use to protect yourself.

E-Mail Tip #9 - Don't Hide Behind the Screen
Some people communicate things in e-mails that they would be reluctant to do in person. In effect, they hide behind the screen for protection. This strategy usually backfires for some percentage of notes written with this problem. This article contains an analysis of this problem and suggestions to prevent it.

E-mail Tip #10 - Visualize the Person
You can really improve your online communication by visualizing the recipient of a note as you type. It will help you relate to the individual better in the words you choose. This article describes some techniques that can help the process of visualization.

Being Connected or Disconnected: Coming from LOVE or "???"

We've all had that feeling of "being connected". This could be described as "coming from a place of love" or "being in your power". Perhaps it's when we're with a significant other, playing with a child, performing at work, or doing something you're confident at. This isn't necessarily "romantic in-love"...it's just open, warm and giving to others. You're confident and centered in yourself. Unconditional love and acceptance. Isn't this the energy we'd like to live from all the time??

The Transactional Nature of Trust
I have studied Trust for several decades, and I have come to believe that trust is transactional in nature. That is, trust is like a bank account where we have a balance and make deposits and withdrawals constantly. This article highlights some ideas about the transactional nature of trust.

Two Organizational States
In this article I contrast two extreme organizational states: one with very low trust, and one with very high trust. The contrast is stark. Most organizations operate somewhere between these two extremes.

Identifying a Better State for Your Organization
In this article I identify the start of the strategic process. The first element is to realize there is a better existence for your organization. Ultimately this leads to a vision of the future, but I will save that process for another article.

Clarifying Your Values

Every enterprise should be guided by a concrete set of values. These ahould be very visible and tangible. Unfortunately, mny organizations have not clarified their values. This leads to numerous problms in running the organization because there is no moral or ethical compass. Clarifying values takes time and energy, but it is time well spent. In this article I outline a specific process to do this critical work.

Creating a Brilliant Vision
If your organization does not have a compelling Vision, it is going nowhere. A solid vision of the future is the most important ingredient in any strategic process, yet often organizations just throw out a vision statement as a kind of placeholder to guide action. That is a crime. This article contains a solid process for creating an organizational vision that is brilliant.

Do We Really Need a Mission Statement?

Many organizations confuse the concept of a vision statement with a mission statement. They might say, "Our mission is to become the world leader in windows." Well, that is reallly a vision statement, not a mission statement. A vision statement is always about the future, while a mission statement is all about what we are trying to do today. It is very important to know that. This article will clarify a process to obtain a good mission statement.

Documenting Expected Behaviors
In creating a Strategic Framework, many organizations forget to include a documented set of expected behaviors. This is actually a critical step to do well. This article walks through a porcess of documenting behaviors. It is not rocket science, but it must be done.

Developing a Strategic Plan
Developing a specific Strategic Plan is fundamental to organizational progress. Once an organization has a concrete set of values, a vision, a mission, and a set of behaviors, it is time to document the strategic plan with tactics. This article gives a brief outline of the process.

Drawbacks of Leadership Evaluations
Leadership assessmants are ubiquitous, but there are several issues that need to be considered or the process will be flawed. This article highlights some of the problems with leadership assessments and offers antidotes and a refreshing new perspective on the qualities of leadership that are really important.

Don't Put People Off
Most meetings are intense affairs where it is important to stay on the topic at hand. When an individual comes up with an idea or concern that is not spot on the agend, often leaders will dismiss the input as a distraction. That can be a big mistake. This article looks at how to deal with distractions in a way that actually builds rather than destroys trust.

Reinforce People Who Challenge
A key leadership skill is to be able to reinforce people who challenge you. This is prticularly hard to do if the challenge is made in public. This article will provide some interesting dimensions on this issue and offer some advice.

Follow Up on Commitments
When I ask people how they define Trust, usually the first definition that comes forward is whether the person does as he says. It is the old "Walk the Talk" expression that is so overused, but so vital just the same. This article offers some thoughts and tips on effective follow up.

Bilateral Trust
Many leaders tend to forget that trust needs to be bilateral to really work. They need to trust people if people are going to trust them. This article puts some perspective on this idea and offers some concrete suggestions.

Trust vs Walking on Eggs
The contrast between a high trust organization and a more typical group is so stark. I wanted to write an additional article on the topic. I call this one Trust vs Walking on Eggs because the comparison really works for me. See what you think.

Help! My Team is Broken... You are not alone
What does communication, or lack there-of, cost your company each year? How many people on your team, at the moment you are reading this email, are doing a task that in some way will have to be reworked or redone? Funny, we always seem to have time to do things "right" the second time around.

Trust, Belief and Faith
Trust, Belief and Faith are the inevitable part of life and essential characters to be followed to make a meaningful life. These three precious values help humanity to sustain even in the worst conditions and make humankind to survive.

Acting Like Adults
It is not uncommon to hear someone say, "People at work act like children most of the time." This is because in the pressure cooker of the working world, the behaviors of people get on each other's nerves, and they tend to regress back to the kind of playground rules that kept society in order when they were children. this does not wear well in an adult atmosphere, so what can we do about it?

Assume Best Intent
We can reduce conflict between individuals by establishing ground rules for behavior and holding people accountable for living up to their intended actions. One interesting and helpful rule is to always give the other person the benefit of the doubt when something does not seem right. I call it "assuming best intent." This paper describes how important this little rule can be in an organization.

What Puts Success in Succession?
Succession planning is vital to the long term survival of any organization. Unfortunately many companies do a poor job of succession at various levels. This paper outlines some of the key issues and gives several checklists that can help make these processes work better.

Communication Skill Areas
Effective communication is critical for building trust. This paper is about the skills required to interpret incoming communication without ambiguity. I address this from the point of view of the leader, but the concepts are applicable to all people in the organization.

Communicating on the Shop Floor
This paper is about some tips to enhance communication with people on the shop floor. These interfaces are critical for leaders as they define how the workers react to the leader.

Communicating with Large Groups of Employees
Some leaders have a knack for communicting with large groups of employees well and others stink at it. In this paper I outline some of the variables in this equation and offer many tips for improving your skills in this area.

Manage the Rumors
Rumors are a daunting challenge for any organization. Wherever there are people, there is an issue of reality. One of the largest schisms between management and workers is the issue of accurate information. Rumors deflect energy from the vision and values. This paper discusses the origin of rumors and some antidotes to this common problem.

Put On Your Listening Hat
We have always had problems with people hearing but not listening. I believe with the electronic world, we are getting worse rather than better. This article focuses on a way to make sure the other party is focused on understanding your message.

How Much Eye Contact
Eye Contact is a fascinating thing. We know it is important for good communication, but too much of it can be very distracting. What are the techniques for establishing the right level of eye contact? This article focuses on this fascinating subject (no pun intended).

Leadership Strength and Courage
Everyone knows that leaders need to be strong and courageous. But what do those buzz words mean for the real world? What are the dimensions of strength, and how does a leader develop them? This article discusses these questions.

Keeping a Positive Outlook
The best leaders are able to weather most storms and keep a positive outlook. This is a challenge as some of the pressures can be staggering. This article deals with the subject of outlook and how leaders can hone this trait.

Developing a Passion for Performance
In his book, Good to Great, Jim Collins characterized two common denominators of Level 5 leaders. One was humility and the second was a passion for performance. This article deals with the passion aspect of leadership and gives some tips for how to generate more of it.

The four Stages of Change
Change is inevitable, and many people fear change. Not too many leaders view change as a specific process that can be managed. This article gives a four step model for making change in organizations.

Essential Steps to Making Successful Change
Since change is actually a process, it is important to break down the process into logical steps. This article considers several of the more important steps to successful change.

Thinking Like an Owner
Many people fail to keep the mindset of an owner of the business. In doing so, they suffer political damage. This article gives some tips on how to improve your performance by thinking like an owner of the business.

Empowerment and Other "Programs"
Be careful when management wants to do another "program." Short term bursts of energy may be well intended, but they actually sap the energy of an organization. This paper describes the pitfalls and gives some antidotes.

Designing the Organization
Often how an organization is set up determines its effectiveness. When leaders do a reorganization, sometimes they are not thoughtful enough about what they are trying to accomplish. The result is a mess. This article discusses some aspects of organizational design.

Job Redesign
There are huge books devoted to the subject of job redesign. This short article deals with some aspects of redesigning jobs for a more empowered team structure.

Reorganization People Placement
If you are going through a reorganization soon, pay special attention to the placement of people in the new order. It is critical for your success. This article gives some tips to remember when selecting people to fill slots in a reorganized entity.

Leadership Transitions
There are some interesting dynamics when leaders transition to new positions. These times are awkward, and often the organization suffers for a while until the new leader is fully up to speed. This article contains some things to think about when moving leaders to new slots.

Adjusting to a New Leader
When a new leader takes over an organization, all kinds of things chaange immediately. There is a process going on, but sometimes it is hard to see it. This article discusses some of the dynamics going on in most leadership transitions.

Organizational Flexibility
Static organizations are not healthy ones. The flip side is that too much turmoil is hard on people. In deciding how much change to introduce, leaders must consider several factors. This article outlines some important ideas on flexibility.

Removing Ineffective Leaders
One area where leaders struggle is removing ineffective underlings. This is a highly unpleasant aspect of the job, but it is vital to the health of the organiztion. This article shares some tips on how to accomplish the removal and reposition of leaders.

Creating Winners
A key leadership function is to create an organization where people feel like winners. This is not really that difficult to do even in the most oppressive environments. This article outlines some techniques you might find helpful at creating a winning organization.

Valuing Diversity
Much has been written about the topic of diversity. This article deals with my views on the topic in terms of why and how to achieve a culture that values diversity.

Helping Supervisors
The first line manager, or so-called "Supervisor" has a particularly tough job. This level gets the brunt of worker unrest but also takes heavy flack from upper management. This article deals with some ideas to lighten their load and provide some more recognition for what they are doing.

Solving Problems
Learning how to resolve problems efficiently is a skill some organizations need to study. We are surrounded by problems that wear different masks. How we react to these not only governs the quality of our working lives, but also determines how effective and profitable our organizations are. This paper deals with some tips on problem solving in the real world.

Having Fun at Work
Where is it written that to be productive a work environment must be oppressive? Nowhere! In fact, the best organizations are ones where there is a lot of enjoyment and just plain fun. The top 100 companies to work for in the US have all figured it out. This article discusses some of the dynamics of fun in the workplace.

Training People in an Empowered Organization
As organizations move to engage more employees in the business and empower them to take on more responsibility, there is a need for good training. This article outlines some key points to consider when training employees in an empowered organization.

Growing Other Leaders
The best leaders understand and accept their mandate to grow other leaders. The reason there are not more excellent leaders in this world is that there are not enough good mentors. This article discusses growing leaders and the concept of mentorship.

Working Between Layers
I view an organization as a stack of overlapping layers. Good leaders instinctively know how to work effectively in between the layers so they are credible in both directions. That takes a special skill. This article outlines some of the leadership dynamics between organizational layers.

Annual Trust Barometer -- the lessons for Australian business.

Every year the world's largest PR firm conducts a significant study of trust and credibility. The 2009 Edelman Trust Barometer for the first time includes Australia. 74% of Australians surveyed trust companies less than a year ago -- 4th highest of 20 countries and above the global response of 62%. Only 39% of Australians trust companies to do what is right; much less than in all of our trading partners. Global response was 49%. 53% of Australians trust government to do what is right, well above their trust of Australian business, and the global figure of 44%. "This year's Trust Barometer leaves no doubt there are tangible consequences for businesses that gain -- or lack -- the trust of their stakeholders. Trust influences consumer spending, corporate reputation, and a company's ability to navigate regulatory environment."

Trust-Paced Marketing and Sales.

The pace of progress for marketing and sales activities cannot exceed the pace of establishing an acceptable level of mutual Trust. In converting prospects to customers, a consistent contributor to the erosion of Trust is the lack of congruence between marketing and sales activities and perceived attitudes. The role of Trust-Paced Marketing is to build a reputation or a brand that inspires Trust within your target marketplace. Trust-Paced Selling is not intended to replace the activities or steps nominated within the organisation's current Sales Process, but to pervade and penetrate the existing Sales Process and to act as a set of guiding principles and a measuring stick for all future evaluation and proposed amendments. Trust-Paced Selling is not a sales tactic, it demands authentic commitment to its principles

Open the Floodgates!
Are people in your organization just biding their time until they can jump ship? Do you believe it? Do you care? You should... These statistics are pretty alarming.

Building Trust between Management and Employees
Employees are the ones that can in fact have a positive or negative effect not only on your company’s reputation but the success of your company as well. Those managers that are able to maintain and develop trust among their employees are the ones that have longer employee retention.

Why Are Meetings One Hour Long?

The vast majority of meetings in the business world are scheduled for one hour. I think this is a paradigm we should challenge for several reasons. 1. Like an old habit, we just fall into the pattern without even thinking about it. 2. We lose track of those extremely valuable minutes within the hour format. We can do better than that. 3. The meeting itself is often inefficient as there is time to schmooze for the first 20 minutes or so, and most of the decisions occur in the final 10 minutes of a meeting. There are many techniques for squeezing more usable time from our daily schedule – and we really need them. Next time you schedule a meeting, try making it 50 minutes rather than an hour. It will emphasize the importance of the minutes and save time in the bargain.

E-Mail Tip #12 - Avoid Posturing Preambles
Many e-mail writers start off with a phrase which is intended to protect them, but only really serves to annoy the reader. Be careful not to be guilty of this offense. This article offers some tips.

E-mail Tip #13 - Don't Take Cheap Shots
Because people exchanging e-mails are usually not in the same room (we cannot say this about texting!) often it seems safer to take a "cheap shot" that we would not take if the person was facing us. This is usually a big mistake. Recoginze this and avoid it in your e-mail communications.

E-Mail Tip #14 - Handling Over the Top People
Some e-mail exchanges go way overboard and spiral out of control. This paper contains a juicy example and the antidote to the problem.

E-Mail Tip #15 - Avoiding E-Grenade Battles
Childish online fights are common in most organizations. There is a simple cure for these battles. This paper describes some of the psychology between people having e-grenade battles and how to stop them from different perspectives.

E-Mail Tip #16 - The Online Power Struggle
We need to get good at reading between the lines in e-mail to extract the maximum information. This article is a case example where a power struggle is going on between two individuals.

E-Mail Tip #17 - Matching Words with Body Language
E-mail has a kind of Body Language, and if the words do not match the body language there is going to be confusion at best and open warfare at worst. This article shares an example of a mismatch between Body Language and words and gives an antidote.

E-Mail Tip #18 - Stress in Remote Teams
In a global environment, many people work in remote teams. E-mail exchanges between team members can cause great stress if we are not careful. This article gives a classic example of the problem and suggests a remedy.

E-Mail Tip #19 - Tone within Questions
The use of questions in e-mail is a good way to get information or lobby for your cause. There are many different types of questions and their use gets very specific. This article goes into the issue of questions in e-mail and how to make them work well for you.

E-Mail Tip #20 - Use Socratic Questions
The technique known as The Socratic Method is a powerful way to convince others of your point of view. It must be applied with skill to be effective. In e-mail, the socratic Method is often very helpful. This paper describes some examples and gives some rules for using this technique well.

E-Mail Tip #21 - Write from a Positive Point of View
It is amazing how much negativity there is in the world. This paper will give you some great techniques to make sure you are coming across with a positive way of phrasing things. This will enhance your career by making you more attractive to people.

8 Ways to Help Others Succeed
The highest calling for any leader is to grow other leaders. Great leaders seek to help other people regardless of their position. When you think about it, helping other people succeed is the shortest route to your personal success. This article gives eight tips to think about if you are really interested in helping others succeed.

E-Mail Tip #22 Use the Vernacular with Caution
E-mail is considered by some to be an informal form of communication where we can relax and use the same street language we use face to face. This is dangerous. This aricle shines some light on reasons to avoid this behavior.

E-Mail Tip #23 - Avoid Using Off Color Remarks
Similar to using the vernacular, dirty jokes in e-mail can easily get out of control and peg you in a light that you would not appreciate. This article discusses the issue in depth and gives some antidotes.

E-Mail Tip #24 - Using Proper Etiquitte
Proper etiquitte in e-mails has been called "netiquette." This article contains a list of precautions that will be helpful to you. It was compiled by a friend of mine and used with her permission in one of my books.

E-mail Tip #25 - Watch for Changes in E-Body Language
There is a weath of information in between the lines in e-mails. This is a kind of body language. However, just as in physical body language, to be valid, one must look for changes in body language. This article explains why and how to interpret the changes.

E-mail Tip #26 - Keeping Things in Context
One of the real dangers of e-mail is how people can extract short snippits of information that, taken out of context, can distort your meaning. Here is an article that focuses on this aspect of e-mail and offers some suggestions.

E-Mail Tip #27 - Keep an Open Mind
If we prejudge the notes we read, it will reduce the effectiveness of communication. We need to approach all communication from a posture as neutral as possible. This is especially true with e-mail communication. This article gives some examples why this is the case.

10 Tips for your Stop Doing List
A frequently overlooked opportunity is to create a "Stop Doing" list. Leaders should be especially mindful of this method of shaping priorities. This article shares some technology on how to create and manage a "stop doing" list.

Pay Attention to Retention
It is imperative to pay attention to retention because when there is turnover, it saps the organization in numerous ways. This article offers some ideas on how to improve employee retention.

E-Mail Tip #29 - Manage a Complainer's Need to Cavil
Some people just need to vent in e-mails. If you understand this and know how to manage it, you can avoid many of the battles that are so common in e-mail exchanges. This article offers some information on this aspect of online communication.

E-Mail Tip #30 - Avoiding Inappropriate Counterpoints
Online exchanges can become traps for rancor if we are not careful. It is easy to take something written the wrong way and fire back a snippy reply. Then, we are off to the races. If you watch the tone of your counterpoints, you can avoid many problems online. This article provides examples of the problem and suggests some antidotes.

E-Mail Tip #31 Make Your Point Clearly
A lot of the e-mail traffic cluttering up people's inboxes is a result of prior notes that gave the reader an incorrect understanding on what was meant. To avoid this, heed the ideas in this article.

E-Mail Tip #32 - Peer Pressure in E-Mail
Peer pressure and domination are evident in all forms of communication. In e-mail exchanges there are some particularly nasty things to avoid and some specific tips to prevent this type of thing. This article addresses this aspect of online communication.

E-Mail Tip #33 - Creating an Online Persona
There are all kinds of wierd things that go on in the cyber world. Many people create a kind of persona that is not really them. The game Second Life has this aspect as a central idea. Here is an article about what goes on when there is a second identitiy behind the actual person writing a note.

The MBTI Aspects of Communicating Online
We all have a personality style. Most of us know our MBTI Type. In communicating online it is helpful to remember the differences in Style as documented by the MBTI. This article gives specific information that will help.

E-mail Tip #35 - Don't Communicate Through a Third Party
Some people try to get messages to other people through a third party. This practice is dangerous at best. You need to be direct in online communications to avoid all kinds of problems. This article explains the dynamics.

Trust me, everything will be all right.
Trust is a cornerstone of human comfort, satisfaction and success. Human resources are the most important asset that any business has. A workplace without trust is a recipe for disaster; what us standing in your way?

Using Relationship Building to Uncover Hidden Employee Talents
You have great people around you in your team. However you view them, you will be surprised at the capabilities they have inside. If only you could find a key to unlock the door...

Online Scams and Tricks:How to not get Fooled
Learn how to avoid the most popular scams- you will run into on the internet without damaging the joy of surfing the internet.Whatever you do online,Remember that the internet is not a safe place.Use it like you would use any business venture and keep up your guard.

A Framework for Making Tough Calls
All leaders have to make difficult judgment calls routinely. The best leaders operate from a specific framework, so their calls are fair and balanced. This article describes a typical framework for making those difficult calls.

Trust & Transparency The New Corporate Currency

Just last week, we received a startling display of how much the issue of trust and transparency in corporations has gained in terms of a company's reputation. The Edelman Trust Barometer for 2010 was just published, and it shows a remarkable leap such that trust and transparency are now mentioned twice as much as financial performance in terms of reputation. In 2010 Trust and Transparency each received 83% of responses versus only 45% for Financial Returns. Further adding to the shock of these data is that in 2006, trust and transparency did not even show up on the map of the top 10 ways to demonstrate reputation. Now, four short years later, they are number one and number two. This article gives some of the details and the ramifications for business in the USA.

5 Huge Management Benefits Of Over-Delivering To Employees
Many employees have limited expectations of those that manage and lead them. Their life and work experiences tell them to be cautious about what might be realistic. So when you come along...

Measures that Drive Wrong Behavior
It is a common problem that measures intended to halp an organization reach goals actually work to the disadvantage of the organization. That sounds illogical, but it happens all the time. This article describes three typical examples of this phenomenon.

Joke or No Joke

I was having an online conversation in a class I am teaching about teams at work. The discussion was relative to having online messages misinterpreted. Clearly we have all experienced this uncomfortable situation more than once. I got so fascinated about this topic that I wrote a book on it a few years ago. One student brought up a situation that is common in person as well as online, but the damage done online is usually much larger. This is when a person tries to rib another person with a joke, but the meaning on the part of the receiver is taken literally. The writer is astonished when the reader takes umbrage at the barb. The writer says, “but I was only joking.” This article deals with this common situation

Why Building Trust is Necessary for a Successful Network Marketing Business

The most successful network marketing business owners will tell you that the key to their success was their ability to create a relationship of trust with the people they sponsored into their organization. You need to sell your prospect on yourself first, and then built a relationship with that customer until they have a reason to remain loyal to you. In order to sell yourself and build a successful network marketing business, you need to focus entirely on the prospect. Don’t focus on yourself, your business, and your products. Instead, you need to learn about your prospects wants and needs by asking the right questions.

Fear, Defensiveness, Relationships and Success

Successful people are interpersonally competent. Interpersonally competent people build strong relationships and resolve conflict in a positive manner. Defensive behavior hinders the development of strong relationships and tends to make conflict worse. Often we get defensive when our fear buttons get pressed -- especially our fear of rejection. So, the next time you find yourself feeling or acting defensively, ask yourself "what am I afraid of here?" The answer will help you respond in an interpersonally competent manner and to build and maintain strong relationships.

Where Has All the Trust Gone?
Americans, we the people, have become a distrustful lot of late, hardly surprising news given our Recessionary new world order that is rammed home daily in headlines detailing the failures, cover-ups, and worse, of corporate America and its leaders.

Building Trust: The Ratchet Effect

I believe that building Trust works like winding up a ratchet. Trust is built by a series of actions or ratchet “clicks” that occur over time. But, like the ratchet used to pull in the sail on a large sailboat, when the pawl holding the ratchet from rotating backward becomes dislodged, the spool can spin back to zero quickly. If a leader has made a thousand deposits in the “Trust Account” with people, they can be wiped out by a single mega withdrawal that happens in a heartbeat. This article gives some more information on this analogy and suggests a method for inserting the pawl back in the teeth once a withdrawal has happened so the bulk of historical trust assets are retained.

Stupid Advertisements
We all have been subjected to ridiculous advertising on Television over the years. It is amazing how gullible we must be as a population if these ploys actually work to sell products. There is one associated with the legal profession that simply astounds me as being the most stupid of them all.

Unions Complify Business
This article highlights some of the inefficiencies and costs that result from having a union operating between line workers and management. It represents a cost that we can no longer afford to bear.

Polysyllabic Fog
If your organization has problems with people not following instructions, you need to read this article. It points out a habitual problem that can be costly to organizations in terms of lost productivity, waste, and even employee accidents.

Please Please Listen to Us
Leaders need to tap into the ideas of the people closest to the work. Unfortunately, due to hubris and a number of other factors, the ideas of shop floor people are given less attention than the ideas of higher level managers. This is a crime, as is discussed in this article.

Develop a Tolerance for Risk
When trying to manage change, leaders often make a huge mistake by not telegraphing a tolerance for risk. This article digs into the issue of risk in making changes and suggests an antidote to this common problem.

Build Trust Fast
Being trustworthy is not enough. Sales people must first overcome the stereotype.

Trust and Respect
Trust and respect appear to be so colsely linked that when you have one, the other is naturally always present. I do not think this is true. This article discusses these two concepts in enough depth to separate out the concepts into a hierarchy.

Overuse of the Pronoun I
Have you noticed that the over use of the pronoun "I" can lead to all kinds of difficulties. Many people who have this habit do not even realize they are doing it, nor do they comprehend the damage that is done to relationships. This article shines a spotlight on this fascinating area and offers some guidelines to prevent problems.

Leaders Born or Made (One More Time)
The question of whether leaders are made or born is one of the more common issues in the literature on leadership. So much has been written on this one topic, it seems like there should be no need for a new article. However, I come at the subject from a different perspective and reach a conclusion about leaders and leadership that may surprise you.

Keeping People in the Loop
On the surface, it seems like a simple matter to keep people in an organization informed of things they need to know. Unfortunately it is a conundrum that is rarely mastered, even by the most talented leaders. This article explores the issue of keeping people informed.

What to Do When Your Team Gets “Stuck”: 7 Ways to Get It Moving Again
When a team becomes "stuck" it saps energy, costs money, and hurts results. How do you know when your team is, in fact, stuck? And what can you do to turn it around? Here are seven most common pitfalls teams and working groups encounter and a practical strategy to overcome each one.

Life is a Mirror

Philosophers through the ages have taught us that individuals attract the same energy they put out to the universe. If you think negative thoughts, then negativity will come back to you. If your outlook is positive and upbeat, that is how the world will approach you. I am not a philosopher myself, but I subscribe to the simple wisdom that energy begets energy. I see applications for the theory especially helpful in the working environment. I have been having some discussions with students recently and would be interested in your comments in this forum. Some people are constantly feeling besieged with problems coming at them from other people, who they say have bad attitudes. My take is that if what you see coming at you is other people that are sour, it is really a good time to take a long hard look in the mirror.

I'm Every Woman!

This week, we celebrated International Woman's Day - not something I take lightly. I honor, respect and celebrate the women who have 'walked before me' - without whom I would not be living this life of freedom and opportunity. This past weekend, I spoke at the Amazing Woman's Day event in Toronto - the Canadian launch of this international initiative. Wow! Words cannot describe the experience. There's something very powerful when a room is filled with women, from all walks of life, each with their own story - mothers - sisters - entrepreneurs - career women - retirees - stepmoms - daughters - entertainers - authors - visionaries and so on.

Leaders and Managers

My HRD students often get into discussions with me about the differences between leaders and managers. How do you like to describe the difference between these two entities?. Usually in books and articles, I see lists of side-by-side comparisons with things like: "Managers do things right" while "Leaders do the right things." There are a dozen or so comparisons like this on these typical lists. Personally, I like to describe the difference from a mind-set point of view. This article describes my thesis on this topic.

Blind Spots

In my classes and consulting work on leadership, I often discuss the concept of a blind spot where the worst leaders are often blissfully unaware of their problems. My own observation in numerous organizations is that this is abundantly true. Hr Managers and subordinates are often frustrated at not being able to communicate how leaders undermine the very cause they wish to pursue due to this blindness. Daniel Goleman, who invented Emotional Intelligence, observed that leaders who are most deficient in EI are the ones who have the biggest blind spot. They simply cannot see themselves as others do, so they are deceived into thinking incorrect thoughts about how they are coming across. How can you remove the blind spot of a leader who has low Emotional Intelligence? My own ideas on this topic are contained in this article.

Affirming Others Builds Trust and Motivation

As a leader, what do you feel and think when you receive a sincere affirmation from another person? Doesn't it build you up emotionally and increase your motivation? Here are ten points you can use as a leader to enhance your ability to more consistently and regularly affirm others, including your staff members, colleagues at work and customers. Doing it will build good will, trust and rapport between yourself and others and help them feel strong emotionally and more motivated to help you achieve your company's goals.

Where Did The Trust Go?
Have you lost clients because of bad customer service or because you broke promises to them? Are you trying to reinvent yourself as a business who offers excellence?

Sales Coaching Tips
If you have not been achieving your sales target, what could be the reason(s)? What can you do to avoid a "Shape Up" or "Ship Out" ultimatum?

Accountability and Trust

Managers need to hold employees accountable for meeting commitments. This sounds simple, but in the messy world it can be a conundrum. Reason: People have a tendency to justify their actions based on their personal rationalization. To the manager it may seem a lame excuse, but to the employee, there was no way the commitment could have been made. The technology for holding people accountable begins with the notion that it is expected behavior. Still, the manager needs to do this in a way that follows the Golden Rule. There is a fine art to holding people accountable and still maintaining trust with not only the employees in question but also their peers. What techniques do you use to manage accountability without trashing trust? My opinions on this subject are contained in the attached article.

Socratic Struggles

Using the Socratic Method to guide discussions is a well known tool. The method is frequently used in educational situations, but it can be a powerful tool at work if used well. The caveat is that it can be dangerous if used poorly. What has been your experience with using the Socratic Method? Are you alert to when other people are using the method with you? The attached article has some of my thoughts on this subject and gives a list and examples of the six types of socratic questions. 1. Questions of Clarification. 2. Questions that probe assumptions. 3. Questions that probe reasons and evidence. 4. Questions that probe perspective. 5. Questions that probe consequences. 6. Questioning the question

Effective Ways in Building Trust
Whether you are a group leader, or a storeowner, or even an ordinary man walking down the street, one thing is for certain: people don't trust you. Why should they? They don't even know who you are. Life experience (not to mention ghastly news coverage) has warned them not to be naïve about life or about strangers that they meet.

The First Law of Building Trust

All leaders want to build higher trust in their organization, but few are able to accomplish it consistently. I believe the ability to reinforce candor is a powerful skill that can help leaders improve trust, even in these draconian times. Reinforcing candor is the ability to make people feel glad when they bring up an inconsistency or error. Most leaders cannot do this. For some additional thoughts on this topic, you can call up the attached article.

Prayer:The Transformative Principle of Life
This article is explaining how the art of prayer and silence contribute to the oneness(balance)that we all must find within ourselves. The divine has a plan for all of us, and if we are listening we can learn to trust the spirit and live life to the fullest with no worries. These and other topics are discussed in my blog entitled: Are You Ready for a Spiritual and Personal Transformation.

Leadership Is Influence
Discover how you can become a leader of influence, its a sign of excellence. Exponentially increase your bottom line by influencing the people who work for and with you, enjoy the journey.

Leading Up by Example

In my work with leaders across the country, I frequently run into a perplexing question. When working with management layers in the middle, I will frequently hear, “Bob this is great stuff on building trust. I am anxious to build the kind of environment you describe. I have only one problem, my ogre boss does not go for the soft stuff, so I am stuck.” My advice is twofold. First, there is nothing soft about building trust. It is a hard-edged measure that has more power than any other business variable to impact performance. The skills needed to build trust are not “touchy feely,” they are pragmatic, concrete behavioral actions that can be taught and learned. Second, you are not “stuck” even if your boss is a dyed-in-the-wool curmudgeon with negative Emotional Intelligence; it does not prevent you from leading by example.

Degrees of Giving: Leading by Generosity

When we think of generosity, our thoughts automatically drift to gifts of money or charity. In the context of leadership, there are other gifts that don’t have a monetary value, but whose value is beyond price. These include giving someone a chance; giving someone the benefit of the doubt; and giving others a reason to want to work for you. It entails giving others latitude, permission to make mistakes, and all the information that they need to do the job. It’s giving them the authority that goes with responsibility – it’s giving them due credit for their ideas. In a nutshell, all of this translates to generosity of spirit, a quality we admire in leaders.

An Iron String: The Power of Trust

Trust pervades nearly every aspect of our daily lives. It is fundamental in the healthy functioning of all of our relationships with others. In today’s uncertain climate, it is not surprising that study after study shows a decline in the trust level individuals have of business and political leaders and institutions. If lack of trust is an issue which causes you concern in your leadership, what can you do to manage perceptions of trust in an unstable and slippery environment? This article provides 12 actionable steps.

Your Reputation: A Dozen Ways to Protect It

Preserving our reputation ought to be a top priority for all professionals. We unwittingly do things on occasion that damage our precious reputation. The rules for enhancing reputation are all common sense, unfortunately they are not always common practice. I have developed a dozen things to remember about preserving your reputation, and I would be delighted to have suggestions of things to add to the list. What would you add? 1. Follow the Golden Rule 2. Be positive 3. Do more than your fair share 4. Admit mistakes 5. Be kind 6. Listen more than you talk 7. Be humble 8. Be reliable 9. Read Body language 10. Offer and ask for assistance 11. Operate from a sense of values 12. Keep your ear to the ground.

How Much is Too Much When It Comes to Careers?
An Article of 631 words describing how to get what we want in our careers by building trust, being reasonable and allowing time and space for decision making

You’re Not An Employee – You’re a Guest
Viewing your employment as a guest to your employer

Honesty Speaks Loudly in Many Languages
Honesty being a component of integrity is a leadership characteristic with a universal value...leaders looking to lead effectively will not overlook its significance.

Im OK Youre Not OK

When you vent about what other people do that drives you crazy, does it help you cope with them better? I am sure you know people who are world class at griping about what other people are doing that drives them crazy. In reality we all do this to some degree; it is human nature. This paper highlights a dozen tips for reducing the tendency to gripe about the shortcomings of other people at work or at home.

When Trust is Lost
This article is about the bertayal of trust using Obama's decision to fire General McCrystal as an example. It gives some counterpoints on how the alternate path might have been wiser.

Corporate consequence, trust and thought leadership

We live in an era of corporate consequence. Companies are being held to account and the consumer is becoming more responsible in who they choose to buy from and what they choose to buy. The consumer are wields a lot of power in terms of brand influence courtesy of social media channels online. Given this and the aftermath of the global economic crisis, many companies are struggling to imprint that most valued brand attribute on their publics - trust. This article outlines one way companies can overcome this.

Favoritism is a Huge Problem

John Wooden, the late famous basketball coach at UCLA once made the following statement: "Treating everyone the same is the most sure way to show favoritism." I puzzled over this statement for a while because I was taught it was important to treat everyone the same way in order to avoid playing favorites. John was indicating exactly the opposite is true. I believe his point is that individuals are all different, and each person has unique needs. If a leader treats everyone the same way, then he or she is really not being fair. Would you agree with that interpretation or is there something else I am missing in John's point. I believe there are seven antidotes to playing favorites in the workplace. They are listed in this article.

A Dozen Ways Leaders Create Meaning
The reason that most workers are not engaged in the business is that they see no real meaning in their work. This article addresses how leaders can change all that.

Trust Insights
This article provides some in-depth insights about the nature of trust. The subject came up in a graduate level course on Transformational Leadership. In this article I answer four student questions.

You Don't Need An Expert

You don't need an employee engagement expert to confirm what you already know and Gallup polling substantiates: the majority of employees are disengaged at work. You don't need an employee survey to tell you why discretionary efforts are tamed, passions for work are fleeting, and ideas are tethered. And you don't need a consultant to explain why cynicism is up, enthusiasm is down, and trust is the new workplace currency.

The Humility Advantage
Discover how less ego create more sales

Prove It
Just prove it, show me it’s true, take away my fears, and give me a guarantee so I can trust you. With so many scams and get rich quick schemes today most people are afraid to trust anyone.

Three Powerful Stories
Each of us have impact on other people we might not be aware of. This article contains a story in a story in a story showing how I was surprised to find myself impacting others without realizing it. The moral of all three stories is the same; You cannot fully know the impact you will have on other people.

Leaders: Get Off Your Butts

My favorite saying is "The highest calling for any leader is to grow other leaders." Observation: There are too few outstanding leaders in this world because of the lack of great mentors to bring them along. Top level leaders are so consumed with trying to optimize performance in a frantic and messy world, that often they do not take the time out to nurture the next generation of leaders. I believe that is a huge mistake.

Prolonging your Fifteen Minutes of Fame
Learn the importance of building genuine rapport with reporters, being available, providing factual information, getting reporters calling you and rising above the norm with a simple thank you note.

What Else?
What else, this is the attitude that is often implied when people are afraid of the coming circumstances. Even if we don’t voice it, we probably ask ourselves when others give information they think we need or want.

Keep Values Simple
I believe less is more when establishing the values of an organization. It is a mistake to have a long shopping list of values that cannot be easily be remembered by everyone in the organization. Reason: once the list becomes more than an handful of concepts, it loses power because people cannot internalize them easily.

Change the Trust Equation
Some people are inherently reluctant to change. Others embrace it. To accelerate the pace of change, you may need to change â€œthe trust equation.â€

Building Relationship Capital - Sustainable Sales Success

The most recent global recession has reminded businesses all over the world of some simple truths: - Customers have more choice than ever. - Customers will not continue to work with people they do not trust. - Customers can not be easily won back when they are lost (if at all). And yet, many sales organizations are still hiring people with the wrong skillset, and even worse, the wrong mindset! So, what factors are the most important in winning and retaining new business in the 21st Century?

Showing Appreciation - Learning From Watching Your Team
One of the simplest management tactics you can use to build trust and positive morale is where you find a small amount of time in your day to appreciate your people.

Trust Keeps Leaders off the Slippery Slope

There are numerous advantages when leaders can build an environment of high trust. One important one is that the employees in the organization become helpful watchdogs to help prevent ethical dilemmas, but that is only one advantage. Here are 10 key benefits of building a high trust organization: 1. Lower risk of ethical debacles 2. Higher productivity 3. Lower costs 4. Less conflict 5. Focus on the vision 6. Trust is evident to customers 7. Focus on development 8. Improved communications 9. Better reinforcement 10. More efficient problem solving

Merger Miseries One

Most companies I work with are going through or have recently gone through some sort of restructuring, merger, acquisition, or other major discontinuity. Also, units within organizations are frequently merging and changing structure. I observe incredible stress and anxiety when groups are trying to accomplish these changes. It is common knowledge that the process of assimilating a merger is much longer and more painful than most CEOs recognize going in. I have several observations and theories about why that is and ways to approach the merging of two cultures that might prevent some pain for many organizations. This article is the first in a series.

Why Make Investments in Culture
Most CEOs are so busy solving critical problems they have no time to invest in improving the culture of their organization. This is a big mistake. The attached article explains the paradox and offers three key benefits to inventing in culture improvement activities.

Why Supervisors Suffer
I always considered the job of the Shift Supervisor to be the most challenging position in my organization. This article describes why being a supervisor is no picnic and gives some advice on how upper management can lighten the load.

Merger Miseries Two - Zombies in the Office
This second episode of Merger Miseries focuses on the people side of a merger. If the proper planning and advance work is not adequate, it creates havoc that shows in every segment of the business.

Use Meetings to Communicate Your Values
It is important to have a list of personal values, and it is just as important to share your values with others. This article focuses on the process of generating personal values and sharing them in a meeting format.

How To Use Social Networking to Build Trust
The use of Social Networking sites can increase one's circle of friends and increate the level of trust with existing friends if it is used properly. This article highlights my personal experience with Social Networking thus far.

Team Excellence Third Ingredient - Trust
Teams need to develop high trust in order to be effective. This is a challenge for any group. There are all kinds of agendas going on with any group when it first gets started. This article takes you through the classic steps.

Team Excellence Fourth Ingredient - A Great Leader
Every team needs to have a good leader in order to be effective. Sometimes the true leader is an informal one rather than the formal leader. Having a leader that is too strong can lead to problems. This article deals with the function of a leader in creating great teamwork.

Team Excellence Fifth Ingredient - A Charter
A good team Charter is the best way to guarantee outstanding performance by all team members. The key to a good Charter is to identify the consequences for social loafing up front. This article explains why this is so powerful.

Effective Managers Understand Psychology
Novice managers often struggle to get the best out of their people because they labor under a one-dimensional view of what motivates their employees. In this article, Leslie Allan illustrates how a little psychology can return huge dividends.

Merger Miseries Three - Clone Yourself
Part three of the Merger Miseries has to do with what happens to employees when they are asked to assume two jobs after one person is let go following a merger. It is not a pretty sight.

Merger Miseries Four Do Do Diligence

Due diligence is a process used in mergers and acquisitions to reduce the potential for surprises or miscalculations in purchase price. The process is more of an art than a science. One observation I have made is that there is heavy emphasis on the tangible assets like buildings and inventory. Less emphasis is typically placed on the critical human resources assets. I believe that is a mistake. This article explains why and suggests an alternative.

Should I Keep an Employee I Don't Trust?
My first response would be, "What don't you trust?" And is it possible that you as the leader are feeding the distrust.

Merger Miseries 5 Mini Mergers
Every day we read and hear about the mergers or acquisitions going on between the behemoth companies. They show up on the international radar due to their size and impact. Less visible, but equally impactful in the aggregate, are the hundreds of thousands of small restructurings that go on within organizations every day. This article discusses the smaller mergers and their impact.

Building Trust When Your Boss Sucks At It
Building an environment of high trust is a lot of work. It can be even more difficult if the bosses above you in the organization have no clue as to how to build trust. This article deals with the common phenomenon of a clueless boss.

Merger Miseries 6 Bean Counters and Bubbleheads
This article focuses on the lead people who work early in the merger process. They are usually the financial types. I believe this is a mistake. In this article I describe why.

Initial Trust is Based on a Handfull of Cs
When we first meet someone, we decide rather quickly whether we are going to trust the person from the outset or wait for a lot of evidence before trusting him or her. The decision is based on five concepts that all begin with the letter C. This article gives tips on how to build trust rather quickly.

Merger Miseries 7 What a Rip Off
This article addresses the timing issue of mergers and acquisitions. Many mergers are handled at a pace that would make glaciers melt. A better plan is to figure out what needs to be done and get it over with rather quickly. This article describes why that works better.

Stop Enabling Problem Employees

Supervisors often lose control of the situation by trying to be understanding and kind about following the rules. They make small exceptions that end up becoming habits, and soon the rules are not enforced at all. It is important to be sensitive to emergency or exception situations, but it is equally important to enforce the rules with an even hand. It is an area where many supervisors struggle. This article suggests an antidote.

Timeless Wisdom for Modern Leaders - Lead by Example
Universally acknowledged as one of the world's wisest leaders, King Solomon, applied leadership principles that are as relevant and powerful today as they were in his own time. This article explores the importance of leading not only by words, but by deeds.

How to achieve peak performance
5 critical steps in obtaining peak performance: 1. Don’t expect respect. 2. Don’t think you’ve got the answer 3. Don’t pretend 4. Get out of the way 5. Say “thank you”

Leading Without Bullying

How often do you observe leaders and managers acting like bullies at work? The same people who would condemn a school for allowing bullying behavior on the part of some students toward their offspring are often guilty of doing the same thing in the adult world. People in power positions do not realize how easy it is to slip into bullying behavior because they can get away with it most of the time. That is how bullying works after all. We teach our kids to stand up to a bully, yet few people have the gumption to do it at work. This article highlights ten ideas to reduce bullying on the part of managers.

Trust – The glue that holds a team together

Mistakes can be forgiven and forgotten, but what about betrayal? I think it can be forgiven but not forgotten. Why do you think that is? It is because of the key difference between the two. The former is not done intentionally (otherwise it would be called sabotage) and the latter is. It’s because of this it cannot be forgotten. And worst thing of all, you don’t get a second chance. Ask Judas if you doubt that.

Narcissist Mergers

In any merger or acquisition, the characteristics of the top leaders in both organizations heavily impact the resulting merged culture. The sad truth is that in many mergers, one or both of the top players are narcissists. What it means is that the entire process from twinkle-in-the-eye to a fully integrated steady state environment will require people to "work around" the problems created at the top. This article describes the problem and suggests some antidotes.

Leader First Impression
When you are transferred or assume command of a new unit, what happens in the first few hours, or first few minutes, will determine your success for at least the first year of your tenure. Reason: People form an opinion of you very quickly (first impression), and that vision stays with them until supplanted by ideas from events that play out over time.

Who is On The Bus After a Merger
If you have ever been through a merger, acquisition, or even just an internal restructuring, you know it is a tense time for most people. One topic that fills the airwaves is who is going to survive and who will be let go. This article gives three tips for how managers can keep the right talent in the organization.

A “Cautionary” Christmas Carol
"A Christmas Carol" for employers based on a true story. We hope that you enjoy your holidays & never lose your good will toward others.

Recovering From a Mistake
Everyone makes mistakes. It is what happens after a mistake that tends to build or destroy trust. This brief article gives a case study and advocated that admitting a mistake is better than trying to finesse it.

The Synapse of Trust
I have an interesting analogy about trust between people. I would like to read your thoughts on this way of expressing trust. Do you agree? What would you add? Please reas this article and let me know your opinion.

The Most Valuable Commodity You Can Market

From time to time, I enjoy engaging practiced salespeople and sales managers in conversation about selling on a deeper level. One such conversation that happened this week centered around the question, “what is the most valuable quality salespeople can bring to the table?” Answers ranged from “product knowledge” to “likeability” to “good communication,” and on into “expert questioning” before one of the salespeople hit the correct answer – the answer that trumps all of the above. That answer is trustworthiness.

PRECISION-Guided Leadership
How to Move Your Team With Purpose…On Purpose.

Dancing With the Stars
Why it Takes Two to Tango in Medical Sales

Oprah's Was Steamin' Mad
How One Man's Credibility Broke Into a Million Little Pieces.

Kid Business
Three Tips to Accessing Whatever and Whoever You Want.

Why Ethics
Increasingly, commnents are made about the uneithical leaders we have. Who said? "If you have integrity, nothing else matters. If you don't have integrity, nothing else matters." Read to find out.

8 Ways Leaders Build Culture
The culture of an organization is something that is highly impacted by the actions and words of leaders. This article describes what makes up the culture and 8 things leaders can do to improve it.

Avoiding Drama
Drama is all around us every day. In the workplace, there is frequently disruptive drama that distracts attention from critical work. I believe leaders have the capability to reduce the most common forms of drama in the workplace. Some people feel neglected or ignored and tend to act out their frustrations just so people will pay attention to them.

How To Remain Positive About Your Life When It Feels Like There’s Nothing Left

In many ways these are tough times we live in. I know a generation older than myself certainly believes that it’s harder for youngster today then it was for them and that there aren’t the same opportunities but at least we’re not in the trenches like many young men and male teenagers had to endure during The Great War. And this is how to try and feel positive when it’s all gone wrong and the rug has been pulled out from your feet. You’ve just got to get on with it. It’s easy to say isn’t it, get up brush yourself off and try again. But it’s true. A positive outlook can overcome many things; it’s your self and self perception that prohibits progress. There are some tips to help you achieve this through difficult times.

What If You Are a Jerk But Don't Know It?
Each of us is guilty of acting like a jerk from time to time. Some people we know have it down to a fine art! The thing I want to explore in this discussion is a kind of blind spot where people who are acting like jerks have no idea how they are coming across to others. This article discusses how you can tell if you are being a jerk too much of the time.

Adapt your style to win over the customer.
Use these six techniques to adjust to your customer’s style, build trust and rapport, and win them over.

Negativity is Like a Cancer
Negativity is evident in many workplaces, and it really saps the energy of an organization. I believe negativity is like a disease that will spread if not managed well. The analogy is developed in this article along with several antidotes to negativity.

Neon Hypocrisy
Many organizations have a value that states "employees are our most important asset." The value hangs in the lobby on a plaque, but it is not reflected in the actions of leaders, so it shines like a neon sign that lowers trust. This article suggests some things that can change the pattern.

Contrasting Management and Leadership
This article provides some insights on the differences between managing and leading. It can be helpful regardless of your role.

Three Tricky Questions On Trust
Trust is a very interesting subject. It is central to good leadership and a critical component of any good culture. Yet, trust is an enigma. This article asks three probling questions about trust that will get you thinking.

About Worrying
Simply trust, instead of being overwhelmed with worry.

Degrees of Trust
Trust is an interesting word. We tend to think of it as a singular concept, like how much do I trust my boss at the moment. I believe there are numerous different types of trust in our lives, and in any trust situation, there are infinite levels of trust. That complexity is one of the reasons why high trust is hard to find in many organizations.

Want To Build More Trust In Your Relationships?
Trust lies at the core of all our relationships. And yet, if you ask 100 people exactly what trust is, you will likely get 100 different answers. The reason is that the concept of trust is not so easy to comprehend when it comes to relationships. So can you build more trust? That depends.

5 pillars of instant Trust
All of us must interact with people. For Sales, for friendship, etc.. One common factor is trust. This article will show you the 5 building blocks of trust

WomanOwned Advice: Building Trust With Clients
Building trust with other people can be an uphill climb. But it doesn't have to be. Remembering a few basic rules of thumb will ensure your good reputation with clients, and potential clients, from the very beginning. Establishing trust is essential if your business venture is to succeed.

Hold Me Tight – Book Review
Business is all about relationships and yet many of us are novices when it comes to maintaining and deepening our relationships. Sue Johnson has written a terrific book about how healthy relationships function. Although it was written as a guide to repairing and maintaining healthy primary relationships, it can be used as a guide to many of our other relationships.

Rumors and Gossip - 7 Tips
Gossip and rumors exist in any organization. The damage done by these distractions is often underestimated. They defocus effort from the critical work and cause a need for frequent damage control. Also, morale and motivation take a hit when there are rumors lurking, so productivity suffers.

Leaders. Read Your Hat!

Some leaders profess one philosophy verbally but behave in ways inconsistent with that concept. It would be like wearing a "no nukes" baseball cap to a ground breaking ceremony for a nuclear power plant. That sounds like a stupid example because no executive would be shallow enough to do that. Well, many leaders come painfully close to that kind of hypocrisy. This article describes the problem and offers a solution.

A Little Thing Called Trust
We take matters of trust for granted, so when someone betrays our trust it shocks us. Once we've lost faith is it possible to rebuilt trust?

Networking as Your Sole Marketing Vehicle
Good networking can lead to career-long relationships. If we capitalize on networking opportunities properly, they can be quite profitable for us while making the world a better place for everyone else.

7 Reasons Bully Managers Last

A leadership student asked me why bully managers are able to remain in power. Their destructive impact is well known, yet many of them are allowed to abuse people for years. It seems logical there should be some force to either change the behaviors or remove them from power. Often this is not the case. This article describes 7 reasons why bully managers last and gives some antidotes to the problem.

TRUST YOUR PARTNER IMPLICITLY – OR don’t be in the relationship!
Simply put, intimacy, love and trust go together. In order to be intimate (physically, emotionally or spiritually), we have to let our guard down and be vulnerable. This requires a sense of emotional safety on both sides, and a belief that our partner will not betray or intentionally hurt us.

What Does a Customer Really Want?
Loyal customers trust your organization and have faith that you are fair. It is truly all about building relationship through trust and strong points of connection. Making the strategic decision to create a loyal customer base is one of the most important commitments you can make to the success of your organization.

The Role of HR in Mergers
One of the benefits of any merger is the ability to reduce headcount in redundant staff functions. I believe it is a mistake to reduce HR staff during the process. In addition to their traditional functions in the steady state organization, there are numerous critical functions that must be handled well for the merged organization to survive.

What Your Boss Tells His Dog About You
Your boss may be an excellent leader and be totally transparent about his or her moments of frustration with you. Chances are you are not getting the entire set of information at all times. I have been fascinated with how you can tell if your boss is holding back information about you for some reason. This article will provide some ideas on how you can tell.

Indirect Communication and How It Undermines Trust in Organizations
One of the most destructive communication sins when it comes to matters of trust within an organization is "indirect communication". Do you know what that is and how to deal with it?

Listen to Your Inner Melody
Each person is gifted with their own intuition. Trusting this intuition, however, is an entirely different matter. Trusting in intuition is learned. It is developed through repeated instances of success.

Don't be Opaque
I often speak on trust and transparency. One client said he knew some managers who are expert at being "opaque." That word caught my imagination, and I wanted to send along some comments on the concept of being opaque.

"My Job is to Start a Conversation"

I recently contacted a man who runs a marketing automation company, thinking there might be areas of potential partnership. And while he agreed with my ideas about helping manage the buying decision journey, his baseline business beliefs were well out of the range of mine. In fact, it was fascinating to see how the concept "helping buyers buy" - my trademark for decades - has become a battle cry for the sales industry.

What Nobody Ever Tells You About Presenting
Most likely, you’ve heard this advice: people buy from people they trust. The interesting thing is: what do they buy?

23 Tiny, Easy Tips to Use at Networking Events
People do business with people they know, like, and trust. People refer people they know, like, and trust. Think about what makes you know, like, and trust others. Then take that laser focused intent with you to every networking event you attend. You’ll have more fun, expand your influence and become more successful. What could be better?

Downsizing Mistakes
When organizations need to downsize, it is not a fun time for anyone. There are so many ways to do it poorly, and they detract from critical objectives. While there is no magic wand to make downsizing activities happy times, I believe the behavior of higher transparency is one best practice that should be used more often.

No Trust = No Leader
How to earn trust as a leader and boost your team’s performance

Monsters Under the Bed
Do you remember laying awake at night worrying about monsters under your bed? The same paranoia can exist in organizations as well. Some groups become paralyzed by fear of the unknown. It can stifle creativity and strangle progress.

Wag More, Bark Less
I confess, this title was not made up by me. My wife saw a bumper sticker with this sentiment and shared it with me. I think the basic wisdom in the phrase is great and wish there was a way to get more managers to understand the simple logic here. Why is it that some bosses feel compelled to bark when wagging is a much more expedient way to bring out the best in people?

Leadership Insight: Stump the Dummy
A game for the entire organization to play. And many do play it regularly. Stump the Dummy goes something like this: “How are you doing with that Smith file” says a senior level manager to a mid level manager. Or the company president asks a unit executive “where are we at with the remodeling of the meeting rooms?” Or the mayor asks a department head about the pothole on main street.

Are You Trustworthy?
Can I trust you to help me solve my problem?

The Dreaded Time Buffer
The ONLY reason you fall down when being deliberate with your focus is you forget the time buffer and give up on yourself. When you trust your ability to get what you want without pushing, patience will not be needed. You will be more focused on the inner work than on being a whirling dervish with your actions.

Trust Avoids Miscommunication - Especially Online
The potential for miscommunication is greatly enhanced in online communication (all forms of it) because we cannot see the body language. In person, if the words do not match the body language, the disconnect is easier to see, so it can often be corrected on the spot.

The Scar Never Really Goes Away
As a human being, you tend to let other people down from time to time. Sometimes it is an innocent misunderstanding, and sometimes the cause is more complex. Regardless, we normally try to patch things up and move on. The dilemma is that damaged relationships are like scars that never fully go away. The skin is intact, but the prior damage is always evident.

For want of a nail

Oh dear! We really are in a bit of a financial pickle aren’t we? It could even be said that we are up a creek, without the proverbial paddle. And what is so distressing (not to say depressing) is that this whole financial mess is so unnecessary. Greed, corruption, ethical and moral shortcomings (in that order) caused this whole problem. Some people are prepared to do anything to make a quick buck.

Drive Out Fear
It is hard to grow trust in an environment of fear. People need to feel a sense of safety before they will take the risk of trusting others. Unfortunately most organizations generate a toxic atmosphere of habitual fear.

Olympic Story of Trust
This brief story of product development demonstrates the power of trust. When people are trusted, they can do incredible things.

Leadership Mentors
There is no shortage of individuals who aspire to be really good leaders. There is also an abundance of leadership development programs, yet we still see a habitual shortfall in the number of really good leaders. I believe a major reason is a shortage of really great leadership mentors. This article shares the impact of this problem and gives the antidote.

Real Trust Isn’t About a Contract
Trust can't be mandated and contracts don't rely on it. No contract can contain all the elements and contingencies. Trust is the only thing that can ensure that contract terms are respected and fulfilled. Read why this is so.

Integrity-It\'s What You Do When No One\'s Looking
Integrity- it's easy to say you have it, harder to prove you do. We can have integrity when we are being evaluated and public. But it's what you do when you're alone and nobody is looking that is really the true measure of your values.

Playing Politics
When we hear about someone playing politics, it is almost always considered an evil thing, yet engaging in political thought is something each of us do every day. Whenever you are trying to influence the thinking of other people to be more aligned with your own opinions, you are engaging in politics. It is human nature.

Ambition, Resilience and Starting Over

Judy Elder was the General Manager of Microsoft's Consumer Division in 2002. Shortly after she gave this inspiring speech, she had a brain aneurysm and died at the age of 47. Judy talks about ambition and why we shy away from embracing women who have ambition. Feeling confident in yourself takes a lot of trust. Believing in yourself can carry you through some very tough times as this article will show you.

The Illusion of Authentic Leadership: Where Did the Morals and Trust Go?
This article focus on Authentic Leadership, the role values, ethics, morals, and trust play in leading others. A must read for those who are seeking a deeper understanding of what it means to "Lead with Purpose" in an authentic and trustworthy way. How to separate yourself as a leader from the pack.

Trust is a Story

Trust in your relationship with your clients and prospective clients is important. But how you earn their trust might surprise you. It is not in the way you handle your business over time, though that is definitely important. Trust is earned almost from the start. It's in the words you speak, the way you deliver the story behind your business, the reason for your product. It's the visuals on your website, the way you present yourself.

Trust Measurement: How to Measure Smarter

Trust is an attribute, a value and a character trait that is very much on every leader's mind. We are seeing more and more programs which focus on building and maintaining trust. Leaders want to be sure that they are getting value for money and therefore look at measures which can report the ROI. Sometimes, though, this focus on immediate or even medium term ROI misses the deeper meaning behind these kinds of efforts. When you are changing attitudes and behaviours, you are working at a deep level of change. You have to look at different performance metrics which don't focus on quantitative results but can look at the deeper layers of change. Dr. Dean Spitzer is my performance guru and has written a useful guide on Transformational Performance Measurement

That's Not Right
This article is a story about how a value that was planted in me at an early age ended up saving me from being taken advantage of by a pedophile later on. It is a good lesson for all parents.

Sales Recruiting Effectiveness and Trust
How effective is OMG's assessment. Is it more reliable than a sales recruiter?

9 Steps to Rebuild Trust
It takes a lot of effort to build a relationship of trust with another person. The trust can be destroyed rather quickly, depending on the circumstances. Nobody feels good when trust is lost, and I believe there is usually a good opportunity to rebuild trust to an even higher level, if the right actions are taken.

6 Tips to Avoid Being Micromanaged

Being micromanaged is something most of us have complained about at some point. We get a task to do, then the boss keeps badgering us with details of how we should do it. The result is a feeling of exasperation or even helplessness. Clearly, having a micromanager for a boss reduces our empowerment and energy to do the task well. Usually we blame the boss. This article turns the logic around and suggests that we can do things to prevent being micromanaged.

The Biggest Mistake Business Owners Make
I love to watch business owners get fired up about their projects and planning. But here is where they fall down, they think productivity is the way to make a successful business happen. Nothing could be further from the truth.

What's Under Your Tree?
The fun part of this season is exchanging gifts. We think of presents at holiday time and on birthdays or anniversaries. Why not think more about giving gifts at work and at home every day? This article explains how to do it.

BUILDING A HIGH PERFORMING TEAM
When you see a high performing team, whether in sport or business, they really stand out. So what’s their secret? Are they just a better group of individuals brought together in one team, or is there something more to it? High performing teams don’t just happen by accident and there are always a number of common ingredients that they all share.

Make your mastermind rock
In a recent blog – The Power of a Group – I talked about the questions Ben Franklin created for guiding the discussions in his Junto group. Many of you asked to see those, so here they are. See what you think – can you get a sense of why the Junto accomplished so much in Philadelphia with ripple effects for the entire country? How would you like to be a part of a group like that?

Motivation Mistakes
Listen carefully and you will hear managers at your place of work use the following phrase numerous times a week, "We have to motivate our people." This overused phrase actually shows a poor understanding of motivation on the part of the speaker. Reason: "Motivate" is not something you do to another person. Motivation is a prime benefit of a leader working to create a culture of high trust.

Don't Do A Survey
Many leaders turn to an employee satisfaction survey to identify improvement opportunities. I believe there are more accurate and direct ways to gather the needed information. This article explores the dynamin and offers a soultion.

Getting Sach'd
Recently Greg Smith submitted his resignation from Goldman Sachs in a rather public way, with an op-ed in the New York Times. His diatribe against the abuses of a culture he described as "not right" led to an outpouring of emotion that will reverberate around the financial world and social media for years.

Fight or Flight
Recently, I spent quite a bit of time with a dear friend of mine who could best be described as the quintessential Southern gentlemen. He is well into his eighth decade of life but, in many ways, his attitudes and demeanor harken back even farther to a much-earlier time.

The key to better decision making: knowing the difference between what you know is true versus what you feel is true.
In business, your success hinges on the decision-making process you use to solve problems. Sound decisions are determined by making the right choices for the right reasons from a range of potential options.

Real Motivation
All leaders seek higher motivation within the workforce because it means greater productivity. Most leaders try to create higher motivation by trying to make workers happier with bonuses, pizza parties, or numerous other extrinsic motivators. It has been known for over a century that real motivation is an inside job.

Trust Seeds
When you meet new people, it takes only a few seconds for them to size you up. In less than a minute they will decide whether or not to begin trusting you. Real trust takes a long time to build, and it is fragile and can be easily destroyed. I believe the seeds of eventual trust can be planted very early in a relationship.

Stupid or Brilliant
Sometimes when we extend trust to other people there may be a high risk that they will take advantage of us. For example, if I trust you to watch my laptop at the airport gate while I go to the bathroom, there is a chance both you and the laptop will be gone when I return. I believe when we extend trust to other people, they usually prove to be worthy of that trust.

Networking Time Doesn't Have To Mean Breakfast Time
If you're looking to gain clients, it does not have to mean getting up at the crack of dawn. Networking, to many, means meeting with people who you don't want to buy from, whilst eating a third class fried breakfast. Time to enter the world of social networking!

Networking Doesn't Have To Mean Fried Breakfasts
Networking, to many, means getting up at the crack of dawn, meeting with people who you don't want to buy from, whilst eating a third class fried breakfast. If you're looking to change your job to something you want more, it does not have to be that way. Enter the world of social networking!

The Value of a Trustworthy Executive Assistant

Being trustworthy is about how you conduct yourself. It goes without saying that you should always default to being trustworthy from the get-go. It will take diligence and personal integrity to know where the line is and to remain always on the right side of it. The line is not vastly wide as though it could accommodate any number of methods of living. Trustworthiness doesn't accommodate on again-off again vacillating activities. People who know where the line is will work hard to build trustworthiness. They will not cut corners or take rash chances with trust.

Trust: Where Is It Lacking In Your Relationships?
What does it take to be trusted? Ask 100 people and you'll get 100 answers. The reason is that the concept of trust is complex; and whilst we are often clear about whom we trust (and don't trust), we're often much less clear about why. Are you ready to learn about three very critical elements of trust? Learn how to foster trust in your own relationships.

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