December 2008 Carnival of Trust

I am honored that Charles Green asked me to host December's Carnival of Trust. And I am grateful to have had this opportunity to review many excellent blog posts. Because of the placement of this Carnival on the calendar—first Carnival after the US elections, last one of the year, the only one of the holiday season—I was glad to focus intensely on trust as I did the review. We do not know what the coming year will bring; I am sure the person writing this Carnival next year will look back and see some unexpected events. In these uncertain times, trust is necessary for our health, prosperity, and sense of community. Below are my picks for the best posts to help us all think deeply about the gift of trust.

Trust in Sales and Marketing

Perhaps it strikes you as a bit odd that I start the Carnival of Trust with How to Run a Con (Psychology Today Blogs). I include it because the blogger Paul J Zak tells a good story about how he was conned and that story leads into his discussion of the role of reciprocity in trust. He also looks at the brain's role in trust.

Trust in Leadership and Management

In The edifice complex (Seth Godin's Blog), Godin tells us what he thinks is the most important move management can make to establish trust in customers and clients.

I'd replace the expensive sponsorships and buildings with something more valuable, quicker to market and far more efficient: people. Real people, trustworthy people, honest people... people who take their time, look you in the eye, answer the phone and keep their promises. Not as easy to implement as writing a big check for the Super Bowl, but a lot more effective.

How do companies facilitate the very best in customer service, a critical component in the trust level of customers? Michael Ray Hopkin explains in his post Five Leadership Practices for Improving Customer Service that the answer to that question must come from top management. He presents a list of five management practices that will instill in employees the desire to provide excellent customer service. (Bonus: These practices will also create employee trust in management.)

This next post provides a valuable of list of what not to do. George Ambler in Is your behaviour damaging trust? (The Practice of Leadership) lists 25 behaviors guaranteed to diminish trust between team members. Turn each behavior around to its opposite and you have a guideline for creating trust. Doing the turning around creates a good exercise in remembering what to do. For example, turning around the first item on this list gives you "keep your promises, agreements and commitments."

Trust in Strategy, Economics and Politics

If you like concepts explained through images or graphics as I do (research shows the brain does, too), you will appreciate Trust me, I’m a start-up (TechCrunch). David Cruickshank blogs about recommended strategies for start-ups to engender trust in business alliances, investors, and customers. Be sure to take a look at the diagram he includes.

The second featured post that looks at the brain's part in trust is Social connections and social intelligence (The New Social Business Blog). Jon Ingham writes about social neuroscience and what that body of research tells us about making strong connections with others. Today, with all the advances in research, paying attention to brain science is a good strategy for anyone wanting to better understand trust.

Talula Cartwright tells the sorry of her new kitten's strategy in Developing Trust: Leadership and a New Kitten (Leading Effectively Blog). This little guy has some lessons for us as you will see in the concluding words of the post.

So we need to give one another fresh chances too.  We need to let go of cynicism and find ways to serve one another.  We need to make an effort to understand one another as individuals.  We need to figure out ways to fit in and be useful instead of throwing our weight around and making unreasonable demands.  Trust is a bit elusive, but I think if we are trustworthy ourselves, that is the first step.

Social capital is defined in How Much Social Capital Do You Have? (Brain Blogger) as

the quantity and quality of social relationships such as formal and informal social connections as well as norms of reciprocity and trust that exist in a place of community.

In this post Melissa Malka blogs about the value of social capital for our individual and collective health.

Trust in Advising and Influencing

That first impression can be important in the development of trust. I did not want you to miss The Importance of the Handshake  (Fortify Your Oasis). Rowan Manahan gives you a close look at that ritual, including the eight factors by which a handshake is evaluated.

The content and process of an apology can severely impact trust. Liz Strauss tells us in her post Which Social Media Apologies Rebuild Trust (Successful Blog) that "not all apologies are equal" and gives us the how-to of "apologies that rebuild trust, relationships, and reputations."

Thanks for joining me at this month's tribute to trust. Have a joyful holiday season with at least a few minutes of thinking quietly about what trust means to you.