(This blog is a continuation from “27 Ways to Build Trust and Credibility” posted on October 12, 2010.)
Whether you’re a teacher earning the respect of your students, a politician persuading constituents on the issue of the day, a salesperson pursuing the trust of a customer, or an employee building credibility among peers . . . trust and credibility matter. Here are a couple of thoughts to keep in mind:
- Always tell the truth or the truth will tell on you.
- Surround yourself with people who have a high degree of integrity.
- Your actions “off-stage“ (i.e., at an office party or on Facebook) impact your trust and credibility.
- Typos and grammatical errors loom larger than life.
- Remain transparent. (You’ll never be faulted for communicating too much.)
- Never ask someone to do something that you’re not willing to do yourself.
- Reliable and consistent behavior on your part allows people to anticipate what you’ll do in the future.
- Do what’s right, even if nobody is looking.
- You are judged by the company that you keep.
- Your actions must match your words.
- Being an expert in one area doesn’t make you an expert in everything.
- Admit when you’re wrong.
- Don’t submit unfinished work as complete.
- Never confuse quantity with quality.
- Think before you open your mouth.
- People who “hard sell” don’t always have the facts on their side.
- You gain more by making others look good than by singing your own praises.
- Trying to be excellent in everything leads to mediocrity.
- “Everybody does it” is a poor excuse for doing it yourself.
- Words spoken in confidence are words spoken in trust.
- Learn how to disagree without being disagreeable.
- Repeating a rumor is as vicious as starting one.
- People will test you in small ways before trusting you outright.
- The only thing worse than talking about others is talking about yourself.
- Great talent means nothing if you’re not dependable.
- Few people will fault you for being tough, if you’re fair.
- It’s not only what you bring to the table but how you serve it.
- REMEMBER, trust and credibility take years to develop but can be lost in seconds.
For a poster version, please click here.
Additional Reading:
Creating Trust: A Step-By-Step Guide
How to Build Trust: Creating the Foundation
The Values on Which Trust Rests
Trust: How to Earn Someone’s Faith
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Frank,
I am going to post this up on my desk. These are guidelines for building character. Honesty, personal integrity, humility… (among many others) are all things that lead to authentic and influential personal power.
You never cease to inspire me!
you are just not a mad man – much too much integrity. btw this is still the most difficult for me – Learn how to disagree without being disagreeable.
There are so many terrific points here, but my favorite is #27: “It’s not only what you bring to the table, but how you serve it.” I just love that. Sometimes seniority, expertise and experience get the best of anyone’s ego, and their hubris becomes more apparent than the talent itself. Another terrific entry, Frank!
love this
so true, so real
how i lead my life
my true teaching ethic
thanks!!!
Thanks for the comments : ) Leyane, let me know if you’d like us to design a small poster around the principles. No charge of course. (If you want it others might as well) Laurie, #4 is difficult for me (Spelling has always been my achilles heel–Did I spell that right?) Roberta, your students are very, very lucky!
“Remain transparent. (You’ll never be faulted for communicating too much.)”
Actually, I have (been faulted for this)!….but then I realized it was by a person who disobeyed edicts # 1, 6 and 10 regularly so I didn’t dwell too much on it.
I think a poster is a GREAT idea, Frank and I’d post it prominently (heck, I may wear one or two of these as t-shirts).
I think a lot of these fall under the same philosophy you preached in principle in “Managing with a Conscience”, that being: “What goes around, comes around”. If you lead your life and conduct your business with honesty and integrity, preach and teach the truth and abstain from ‘rumor/hearsay’, tactics of illusion, ego-indulgence, deception and redirection…than your rewards are coming, if not already apparent. If the WORST thing that comes out of following this advice is you built a little character for yourself – is that really a bad thing?
Marc, there’s NOTHING more important to a writer than watching someone, like yourself, embrace and apply their written words. It’s very clear that YOU get it.
Frank, I love the poster idea! Maybe a .pdf as well so that I can pass it around via email!
As I fumble my way through life, I realize that it’s not so much about being perfect or being right, or being better for that matter- it’s just about being true. My “mistakes” are actually valuable character building opportunities- when there is a foundation of humility.
Now, I don’t think you can claim humility, or even practice it. Because once it’s claimed it’s not so humble =) But you can live by the principles you so gracefully outline! Which is why I have them on my desk!
Now on to the difficult part.. practicing them.
Leyane / Marc We’re going to create a poster for you guys when things slow down a bit. If anyone else wants to receive a PDF, e-mail me at Frank@franksonnenbergonline.com No charge of course.
#8 is what I like to remind my kids all the time!
A corollary to #23 is that life tests you too. Keep doing the right thing! If you remember this and combine it with #8 it takes you further down the road. If you remember it is the weakest link that breaks a chain, reinforces #28.
I think these 28, along with the first 27 would make a great poster. I’d love the PDF in the meantime- thanks!
Jordan, if more parents like you reinforced these values with their kids what kind of a world would we have? BTW, we’ll design a poster as soon as it slows down a bit. We’ve received several requests : )
#21 gets my vote for this list. Learning to disagree without being disagreeable! One thing we are rarely taught is how to express anger in a way that leads toward understanding rather than confrontation. Anger is a lot more contentious than disagreement but both need to be addressed with honesty. Perhaps the cliche about walking in another’s moccasins before coming to judgement would be one step in that direction. We need to think twice (and more deeply) before offering an opinion.
Several people have requested a poster of the 55 Ways to Build Trust and Credibility. We added a link at the end of this posting. Enjoy!