Trust. How important is that idea in your organization? Do your followers trust you? How about your customers or clients?
I’ve been thinking about how vital trust is to organizations ever since I saw the findings of the 2009 Trust Barometer, which showed that trust in business is currently at a 10-year low in the US. Interestingly, 4,475 opinion leaders in 20 countries in two age groups (25-34 and 35-64) were sampled.
The survey found that only 17% (that’s one in five respondents) said they trust what they hear from business leaders. What kind of business results are you going to get with a 17% “trust rate”? So, you ask, how can we increase trust in today’s business environment? I would suggest that we heed LLI’s faculty member General Jim Anderson’s advice about being a “vivid, living personal example” to both our followers and those who lead us.
By “being the change we want to see” I’m confident that we can boost the “trust factor” in all of our organizations and that the results will show both at the bottom line and with improved engagement. In this issue, you’ll find a follow up to the article by Lincoln Leadership Institute faculty member Bob Prosperi that we ran in last month’s newsletter. His photos are featured in the local press celebrating the important November 19 Remembrance Day.
Regards to you and yours and wishes for a very Happy Thanksgiving.
Steven B. Wiley, president and founder
Lincoln Leadership Institute