As we delve deeper into the ‘The Speed of Trust’ I want you to ask yourself: Do I EXUDE trust? As I mentioned last week, I used to think I had the highest level of Trust ….but then I found out what was involved in Trust and I have a long way to go.
There are ‘Four Cores of Credibility’: They are your Integrity, Intent, Capabilities, and Results. All have a vital role in the whether or not you Exude Trust. So let’s take a brief look at each of these:
INTEGRITY: I bet when you started reading these blogs over the last few weeks you felt that Trust was based entirely on Integrity, but it is much much more. It is integratedness. It is how all elements of your core values work together to make you into the person that people Trust ….or a person that people Don’t Trust. Whenever this segment of the Four Cores is broken that is when you have a massive violation of trust.
INTENT: What is your motive, your agenda in every relationship? Ours is simple, look after the customers’ best interests in all matters and the old adage: The Customer is ALWAYS Right…even when they are wrong, they are always right. I try really hard to be open and straightforward in all my dealings. I find it way to tedious to be deceitful. It is a lot easier just to be honest about what your motives are…assuming your motives are pure. When we work for what is in everyone’s best interests, and express it that way, you make major strides in developing trust. As Mr. Covey says: ‘Both integrity and intent are matters of character’. Simple, straightforward, and could not be more on target.
CAPABILITIES: I bet you are wondering about this guy. It’s simple, you can be honest, have the clients best interests at heart, but if you cannot walk and chew gum at the same time, much less have the skill set to solve the clients problems, than you will not build trust with a client. The other way to think about it is do you have the capabilities to establish, grow, extend, and restore trust?
RESULTS: Basically, do you deliver? At game time do you score or fumble? Our clients love me. They just love me a little bit more because we deliver on promises-100% of the time (well 99.5% based on last quarter). If you do not deliver on what is expected of you than obviously lose trust. One of the things that makes such an easy sell is that our Reputation Precedes Us. Both Capabilities and Results are matters of competence.
So you now see where trust comes from. There is a bit of work involved but nothing that is difficult. Be honest, be straightforward, have the skills to deliver, and when it is game time, push the ball over the goal. Do these things and you will generate trust…by the boatload.