Hi Friend
This week I went on a road trip. My daughter, Lainey, moved into her new apartment, off campus, the previous week, so I wanted to see it, and her. I love being around that girl. She is so full of life and fun. We ate a bunch and did some grocery shopping. From there, I headed south to Tulsa.
Our Hawks Agency team met Wednesday night at Sarah’s house and had #ShishKabobWednesday. It was a fantastic time of brainstorming, shooting videos and having fun. It went by way too fast! The next morning I had two meetings, one with Case & Associates and the other with HoganTaylor. They both were incredibly enjoyable! Then I drove home.
Both of those companies let me play with them every year at their annual event. They are creative, fun, impactful and generous. I love long-term partnerships that create friendships, memories and loads of trust. From ideation to implementation, the freedom that exists within such an environment is priceless.
I’ve been doing my Trust message a lot this year. When our hA team was together the conversation we recorded was about trust. In an upcoming event, they want me to expand on the trust message I did for them last year. Our next Culture Shot will focus on trust.
#TRUSTISAMUST
That’s the hashtag I use with my message now. In a world of filters, deep fakes, AI-everything and news cycles filled with people telling partial truths our out-right lies, being able to fully trust someone is hard. Is that an understatement? On top of that, our family, friends, leaders, and colleagues have difficulty being forthright.
Within our circles of influence, the other great detriment to trust is follow-through. When someone says they are going to do something AND DON’T our willingness to believe them deteriorates overtime. Unfortunately, it’s not uncommon for supervisors to say they are going to address somebody, check into our complaint or get back to us, and never do.
MICRO TRUST INDICATORS
Why is being forthright and having follow through so difficult? Not for others, but for you? It’s easy for us to look at so many people with a critical eye, yet we rarely turn that piercing gaze on ourselves. One of the questions I love to ask is “Why wouldn’t someone trust you?” We are all so confident in our own trustworthiness, yet others think differently.
In one of John’s messages, he talks about “micro-resilience” which I love. Throughout our day, you and I are offering “micro-trust-indicators” to those around us, revealing why someone should or shouldn’t trust us. What signals are you offering (and picking up) about trustworthiness?
I have a long list for teams and inter-personally that message to others our trust willingness and trust worthiness.
Instigating Ideas…
1. Take a long drive with the radio off.
2. What can you do to thicken up trust with someone?
3. Write five reasons why someone might not trust you.
4. Praise someone who consistently follows through.
I can go on and on about this topic, content and strategies. It’s so big in my heart and mind this week because each of the groups I was with have enormously thick trust. The ease of conversation, disagreement, transparency and openness enables the most satisfying security. There also was a lot of laughter!
LAUGHING HAPPENING?
We know trust is foundational in every kind of relationship. Yet it rarely enters conversations unless it’s been broken. What if there was some way to weekly measure the thickness of trust amongst our colleagues? We track and measure everything else. I’ll see if I can create something useful. Let me know if you have any ideas for it, please.
I know I just said it, but I’m going to repeat myself – there is a lot of laughter when trust is thick. Pay attention to how much laughing transpires with your team this week. It’s a micro-indicator.
I hope this week you recognize the depth of trust you’ve nurtured with those who matter most to you, personally and professionally. I dare you to jot down micro-indicators that you notice and offer, then attempt a conversation about your observations. #TrustIsAMust