Number One Trait
Some years back UCLA did a survey of 1300 executives around the country and they asked for five traits that were keys to advancement for employees. All 1300 of them included INTEGRITY somewhere in the list.
Here’s the real kicker.
71% of them rated INTEGRITY NUMBER ONE!
Being TRUSTWORTHY is an integral part of integrity. So, obviously, being trustworthy is a critical character trait if you want to move up the corporate ladder, keep your employees, or build your customer base.
Bob Burg will tell you that
All things being equal people will do business with people they know, like, and TRUST.
The first law of the Boy Scout Law, which defines how a Boy Scout is supposed to live their life, is A Scout is Trustworthy. Here’s the explanation:
“A Scout always tells the truth. He is honest and keeps his promises. People can depend on him.”
Our trustworthiness is also quite obviously a key to our relationships with others. If your spouse or significant other can’t trust you, the relationship is destroyed. If your friends can’t trust you and count on you, then they will simply no longer expect anything from you and eventually will simply stop being around you or having your around.
If your co-workers can’t trust you, then you will not be able to function as part of a team. If you employees can’t trust you, they will become disengaged and productivity suffers; not to mention the bottom line.
We know this, yet somehow the focus on trust seems to be lost somewhere in the desire to “close the deal” or secure what we want.
When we focus on trust, however, we find that acquiring those things and closing that deal becomes easier because of who we are and what we stand for.
When we are trustworthy, we are the go to person that everyone counts on to make it happen. That has value in so many ways, including financially.
Being trustworthy is the deal-maker…or the deal breaker.
Here are some ways you can build trust on a daily basis:
- PRODUCE RESULTS – when you have a proven track record of accomplishing things people will trust you to do the things you say you are going to do. To meet the deadline or to accomplish the task no matter how challenging it is.
- GIVE YOUR WORD ONLY WHEN YOU MEAN IT – Don’t make promises you can’t keep.
- KEEP YOUR WORD AT ALL COSTS – This is critical. When people know that no matter what you are going to do what you say you are going to do, then your trustworthiness grows and builds over time.
- BE CONSISTENT – Consistency is a key to both trustworthiness and integrity. People need to know what they can count on.
- RESPECT YOURSELF AND OTHERS – When you show respect for other people and respect yourself, then people will believe and trust that you are who you say you are and you will do what you say you are going to do.
