Dear Construction Nation,
You likely know that I have been studying TRUST for the past 35+ years. One of my dearest friends, Marilynn Mobley, was the SVP for a company called Edelman, until she passed away. But Marilynn introduced me to the Edelman Trust Barometer.
Each year Edelman does extensive research on the level of trust in business, government, media, etc. in the U.S. and the world. For around 20 years now, I’ve watched the trends in trust as they have shifted. In 2021 I saw the big decline in trust as the Barometer said that the “trust bubble burst”!
With the decline in TRUST people are looking for leadership. In 2022, the Barometer now says we are in a “Cycle of Distrust”! They go on to say that “distrust is now society’s default emotion! Of course, FEAR is always behind distrust.
Leaders have failed to step up and deal with the problems and create solutions, so now DISTRUST is the norm!! What this means is that there is NO ability to have a dialogue or collaborate! It means protecting one’s interests, and the polarization of everyone! This can only lead to the destabilization of our businesses, governments, and lives!
You might be wondering what you can do if you are just a small business or agency leader. But I am here to say that you can do much more than you think. And, that you and your organization will be impacted much more than you think if we can’t shift this cultural norm! Society is always built on trust! So, it makes sense to do all you can, where you have influence, to counteract this DISTRUST norm!
Here are four ways you can help stop this cycle of distrust and start a Trust Movement!!!!
There is a hierarchy to trust, and it starts with you. You, your team, your business, your city/county/country will always only be as good as YOU think you are or can be!
#1. Increase Trust in Yourself
The first place to start is with yourself. Where do you feel like you can’t do something, or feel like you aren’t good enough, smart enough, wise enough, or experienced enough? You need to know that you are ENOUGH to be able to make a difference.
At the “self” level, use the two step Partnering Approach to create a strong high trust mindset so you know you are capable of doing extraordinary things! This includes making sure that your interpersonal relationships are strong and highly trusting.
#2. Increase Trust in Your Team
Step two, start working to increase trust within your team. You can use Team Partnering to help you. It is about being in alignment toward a common purpose, where your team co-creates what you are going to do so they take ownership on implementation and the results.
#3. Increase Trust in Your Organization
Step three moves to creating trust as your way of doing business throughout your entire organization. You can use a Trust (strategy) Workshop to help you develop a 12-month plan. You will want to identify where you have barriers to trust, and this is likely in your policies, practices, and processes.
#4. Increase Your Trust and Influence Between Organizations
As your business becomes a star in your market, with a reputation for being high trust and high performing, you can use the Strategic Partnering process to create strategic alliances with key organizations, especially influencers. You can use this in your trade associations as well to impact political policies.
If you want to know more about the various Trusted Leader Models:
Partnering Approach, Team Partnering, Trust Workshop, Strategic Partnering just respond to this email, and I am happy to help guide you. I’ve written a book and journalfor how to implement the Partnering Approach.
The Edelman report went on to say that it will be Business Leaders who will need to address the societal issues! So you, your team, your business, and your associations are all needed desperately!
With great belief in YOU!
P.S. Curious how you can improve your project’s chance at success?
- If you liked this topic today and would like more information, listen to Episode 40 of the Lead with Trust Podcast.
- Check out this site to learn more about the Edelman Trust Barometer.
- Trust is the new Currency for construction, as we move toward collaborative delivery. ARE YOU READY? Click here to take the Trusted Leader Assessment and find out your personal results.
