Trust creates joy
“Trust is like blood pressure. It’s silent, vital to good health, and if abused it can be deadly.” –Frank Sonnenberg
Are you surrounded by trustworthy people? Can you trust the people at home or at work? How long could you be away and still have operations run smoothly?
This past month I left it up to my team to completely put together and finish our July issue. I took my family back to the state of Florida where I originally landed in America. Florida was nice and relaxing with no restrictions. Our publisher traveled abroad to Italy for the month.
Both of our extended vacations were made possible because we have something very powerful at TheHomeMag SoCal office ‑ TNT (Trust ‘n Team). We have an awesome team made up of experienced and new team members. For the reliable experienced members on my team, my absence was a time for them to validate why I have trust in them. For the newer team members, my absence was a chance for them to earn my trust.
What kind of TNT are you dealing with? How do you foster trust? Do you groom your team or family to build integrity with them? Start the process of trust building with the following four easy steps:
1. Do what you say. One of the most important steps in building a foundation of trust is to do what you say you will do. Even if it’s a small thing, canceling or not following through will create tiny fractures in your credibility.
- Honor your promises. Trust requires that people believe you will be dependable especially over the long term. So, when you make someone a promise, you must keep it.
- Be consistent. An important part of the definition of reliability is keeping your word many times over an extended period. Someone reliable is someone you can almost always count on.
- Express your feelings. People who only convey hard facts come across as cold and distant. This does not encourage trust.
The summer is almost gone – August is already here. I hope you will focus on developing trust with all the significant people in your life for the rest of this month, for the rest of the year, and for as long as they are in your life. As Shakespeare wrote, “Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none.”
All the best,
Ralph