2010: Begin Again - Speed of Trust

“If you want somebody you can trust, trust yourself.” – Bob Dylan, Trust Yourself

I think that any success in life has its roots in trust. Trust in others, trust in organizations, and trust in yourself. Trust in yourself is the most important as far as I’m concerned, so right on Mr. Dylan.

In the last couple of days, my life has seen a convergence of elements that all seem to speak to trust. The first, and most publicly obvious, was the Wednesday morning presentation by Stephen M. R. Covey to the employees and students of Lethbridge College.

Covey popped by the college for part of what had to be a very busy 48 hours for him; a presentation Tuesday night to college supporters, one at a Wednesday morning breakfast seminar for local business people, then a wrap up session at the college. Kudos to Mr. Covey for energy! And kudos for a great message, too.

He was sharing concepts from his book, The Speed of Trust – The One Thing that Changes Everything. If you don’t have the book, you might want to get a copy. Well, I guess only if you have contact in some fashion with other human beings. If you don’t, I wouldn’t worry about it.

There was a ton of information in Covey’s presentation and even more in the book. Essentially, he makes the case for trust being about much more than just a social virtue. It’s not just a warm, fuzzy feeling we can have for each other. Covey talks about three big ideas:

1. Trust is an economic driver, not merely a social virtue.
2. Trust is the #1 competency of leadership needed today.
3. Trust is a learnable skill.

Trust has an enormous impact on society. Right now, trust in business is at an all-time low. Gee, I wonder why? Just take a look at the last couple of years and what’s been happening in big business. (Sidenote: That’s one reason why you should be considering a small business of your own in this economy!)

Organizations, businesses and government are all lacking a trust factor. And the costs can be huge. Investing in building honest trust, not something manipulative as demonstrated by those who talk it, but don’t really walk it, is vital for economic recovery.

As a quick example, Covey talks about a Trust Tax and a Trust Dividend. The tax shows when trust is down in a company. Speed or production follows it down while resulting costs can spiral up. The dividend shows when the opposite happens. An increase in trust sees a rise in speed and a decrease in cost. Companies that fail to invest in their people and in building trust in them ultimately pay a cost. A lack of trust can be a prime motivator for your top people to bail on your company and go elsewhere.

Character and Competence

The two sides of trust are character and competence. If both aren’t present in some balance, there will be a lack to trust. Think of people you know or work situations you have experienced. Almost all of us can think of people who’ve had good character, but lacked competence. They can be likable, fun to be around, great people to know. But if they lack competence, trust in them will falter.

Something I’ve seen more of over the years is the opposite – people with competence, but no character. Oh, they know what they’re doing, but they don’t show any real empathy for others. People don’t matter to them. Perhaps they see people as pawns to be used to reach a goal. Sometimes they’ll say or do the right things, but even then it’s more manipulative than sincere. They actually think only of themselves and what they want. Try to have trust in that scenario.

The Five Waves of Trust

The last thing I’ll share from Covey’s presentation is the flow of trust. Covey talked about the Five Waves of Trust. The visual is a drop of water falling into pool and causing ripples to flow out. Each ripple represents another level in the flow of trust. The Five Waves are:

1. Self trust. (See, Bob Dylan and I are on the save wave-length!)
2. Relationship trust. Your trust in others grows. You begin to form ‘trust accounts.’
3. Organizational trust. This starts to examine how leadership can create trust in different organizations.
4. Market trust. Earlier ripples start to build and reputation becomes strong. It’s your organization’s brand . . . and your own personal brand. People are now trusting it.
5. Societal trust. By this point, we are giving our earned trust back to others and, in a way, coming full circle as our growing trust of others inspires greater self trust and begins the wave all over again.

I have not done Stephen Covey justice with this brief review. If you are in business, whether a traditional retail or self-employed in a home business, or if you are employed by someone else, building an open and honest trust in your relationships among those with whom you interact is a vital key to success. Get the book and see how you can improve your trust factor.

Photo: Stephen M. R. Covey

Next in 2010: Begin Again

I’ll take a look at the second of the converging elements affecting my thoughts right now – The Quest: A Journey of Spiritual Rediscovery, Chapter 19 – Law of Mind Action and how I believe what we think impacts the very first step in the Five Waves of Trust.

2010: Begin Again - Scams, risks and the Book of Jobs

"Have the courage to follow your heart and intuition." - Steve Jobs (below)


Well, roll me in marinara sauce and slap me with a wet noodle! I cannot believe how much time has passed since I last blogged. And regular blogging is one of my goals for the 2010: Begin Again project. So let’s get back to it . . . and begin again.

First - Happy birthday!
John Charles Bly – JC to his friends and family – turned three this weekend. Yup. My grandson is three years old. It was a simple get together with grandparents, great grandma and his Aunt Kelsea. Some fun gifts and some tasty potluck. It was a good Sunday afternoon.

Sometimes you need to take a chance

A few days ago I received an e-mail from a friend who was interested in an offer included in a newsletter she receives on a regular basis. She asked my opinion, for which I am flattered, as she’s seen some claims that the offer is a scam. Part of my 2010: Begin Again project involves developing a home-based business for many reasons. (I should write about those some time.) As a result, I’ve looked at a lot of things and done a more-than-average amount of research.

Here is my reply to my friend.

This is similar to many things I've looked at. Part of my challenge is I receive so many newsletters and info pieces now that I'm suffering from 'analysis paralysis'. At some point, I need to focus on something and move with it.

As to this offer, do I think it's a scam? That might depend on a person's expectations. I do not believe it's an out-and-out scam to separate people from their money without offering something of value. Without actually seeing the information, I'm guessing it does what it says it will do, but I suspect some people may read into the offer more than what is actually there.

Perhaps it generates higher expectations than it can deliver for those who see it as offering more than it does. In such a case, the person receiving it may perceive it as a scam. But as long as it actually does what it says, even if not to the level some would hope, I would not classify it as a scam.

While it's true there are a million and one scams out there, I think it is also true that there are as many cynics. Some of them will try something half-heartedly, expect great outcomes for little effort, and then be ticked off when they fail and feel a need to blame someone. So they'll claim they were scammed.

Others have claimed something is a scam because the creator of the offer is providing information you could get for free if you did your own research. I don't consider that a scam, though. Sure, maybe you can find it elsewhere if you take the time to do the investigating. But what is your time worth to you?

Suppose you're salary equals $26/hour. What if it takes you 20 hours to gather, research and understand something that can increase your income? If your time is worth $26/hour, that would have been worth $520 to you. If you can pay $175 for that same info, would it be worth it? Is it a scam if someone is selling that info for $175? To me, no.

So what is a scam to one person may not be to another.

During the past couple of weeks I've been reading and watching things that are driving home the point that maybe it's time to leave the comfort zone, step out and take bold action. Here are a couple of things that have been inspiring me.

Highlights from You Were Born Rich, by Bob Proctor. Chap. 7, The Risk Takers.

... just consider the monumental risks which all of our great religious leaders have undertaken during the course of their heroic lives. Then stop and reflect upon the enormous risks which all of our great business leaders have also undertaken, during the span of their illustrious careers. Finally, as you seriously meditate upon these stupendous accomplishments, you will become increasingly aware of the fact that you too must become a risk-taker for you to develop the greatness you were worn with.

For the life of anyone who chooses to live with extreme caution will never amount to anything more than a succession of dull, soporific days, continuing on, without interruption.

You should be aware that as you start engaging in more risk-taking behaviour, the majority of people will be trying to avoid it 'at all costs.'

If we only cast our minds back to the formative years of our own lives, we will soon recognize where this reluctance to engage in risk-taking behaviour has its source.

You too can become a bona fide risk-taker . . . simply by doing the things you have dreamed about - off and on - for months, or possibly even years.

If the truth were to be known, you would dearly love to execute the dream

The simple truth is you can. But in all likelihood, it is going to require a considerable amount of courage on your part.

Begin to visualize yourself as a risk-taker and then start telling yourself you are one.

So even if you should lose everything you own, you still retain the capacity to bounce back, to try once again.

Check out the book to see the entire chapter.

Highlights from Steve Jobs’ 2005 Stanford commencement speech.
When he was 17, Steve Jobs heard a verse, something like: "If you live each day as it if were your last, someday you'll most certainly be right."

Look in the mirror each morning and ask yourself: "If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?" If the answer is 'no' too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.

Remembering I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Almost everything, all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure – these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important.

Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked, there is no reason not to follow your heart. (Note: This address came a year after Jobs was diagnosed with a form of pancreatic cancer that could be treated. So he's faced the real thing.)

No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don’t want to die to get there. And yet, death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it and that’s how it should be because death is very likely the single best invention of life. It is life’s change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new.

• Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life.
• Don't be trapped by dogma, which is living with the results of other people's thinking.
• Don't let the noise of other's opinions drown out your own inner voice.
• And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.

Check out Steve Jobs for the actual speech. It is great content and will be the best 15 minutes of your day.

Conclusion
2010: Begin Again is really about recognizing the boundaries of our personal comfort zones. Real change can only come when we push at those boundaries and expand beyond our self-imposed limitations. Bob Proctor offers insights into personal greatness. In his speech, Steve Jobs touches on the importance of not letting others necessarily influence you and keep you from following your heart. J.C. is a three-year-old who still finds delight and wonder in the world. What causes you delight and wonder in your life? Perhaps you need to pursue it.