You can not neglect trust in organisations

Blog posts/articles on trust-building in organisations always attract me for fresh insights.I consider organisational trust so important.I recommend this link http://www.codewit.com/business-news/15079-when-workplace-trust-becomes-inevitable for good reading.

Organisations can not neglect trust-building today.If they do ,then their organisations will decay,and a time will come when fear will cripple the growth of the organisations.

Community Trust is Important for Business Success

  When I went through this link http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/business/article/2000101023/trust-the-driving-force-behind-many-somali-traders-success,I felt that community trust is so important for any business to succeed.Today,growing greed is a big hurdle for any business.The greed knows no boundaries.We tend to take community for granted.Our business ties with the community are based on our arrogance .We take them for granted.

   Small businesses based on trust of the community can turn out to be thriving economic models in this era of economic uncertainty.I feel that any potential businessman should understand the psyche of the community before venturing into any business.The community should not be considered a passive customer,instead its dynamic role should be understood in proper perspective. 

Can your business succeed without trust?

  Trust is very important fora business to succeed. An interesting link on the subject,and my comment below.I feel that without building up trust,a business can not succeed
http://www.businessmanagementdaily.com/37176/building-trust-in-your-business-relationships#comment-4024204

Will UK MPs act as trend-setters in Trust-Building?

When I recently went through the news link http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-12-16/uk/45254802_1_courses-public-life-standards , I came to know that Britain’s new MPs will be gitoven compulsory ‘honesty’ training. This will teach them how to behave in a public office after a series of scandals have disillusioned people with politics. It is hoped that ethical courses to be started for Mps would increase their sensitivity to behave in a responsible manner. The practical based training would help them to distinguish between right and wrong.

The above development has a strong trust perspective, more from the public angle. Public trust is determined by the behavior of politicians .If politicians lose sense of ethics then they can not generate trust. I sometimes feel that honesty is a thing which comes from within, why there should be need for training? The logic  here, is that people perceive that politicians are a different breed. People have high expectations that power must not corrupt politicians. So, the ethical expectations of people from the politicians is more. Viewed from this angle, professional ethical training for politicians is important for cultivating new skills in dealing with unexpected situations which demand sound judgment based on high ethical considerations.

In India, there is a huge disconnect between the politicians and the common people. Scandals of corruption, rape, sexual offence involving politicians and other big-wigs are on rise. The Lok Pal Bill which has been passed recently will definitely check the greed of politicians, who will not be able to escape from the clutches of law, However, I feel that training lessons on honesty based on the UK pattern are more needed here. The professional training on honesty will make the Indian MPs more people-centric, and create right awareness for good conduct. These training courses can bridge the disparities in education level of the MPs, and act a big  unifying force  for strengthening the public trust. If the public trust   for  a politician is built through  inner transformation of the politician through this training, then it can have more impact than the regulatory framework.

I hope that developments on UK in this field can act as a trend-setter for cleaning political culture through trust-building.The ethical courses must have strong components on trust-building, more particularly public t

AAP Victory in Delhi Elections and Public Trust

Public trust is a big issue for any political party today. With rising levels of awareness, the barometer of public trust has become very complex. Amidst fluctuating ups and downs, it is very difficult to sustain public trust for any political party for a long time. With AAP’s spectacular victory in Delhi elections, public trust has never been so significant than ever before. Has AAP been able to win public trust? What about other parties? Has AAP’s decision to form the government in Delhi based on public opinion has strengthened public trust?

Public today can not be made fools by any political party today. While a political party may be sure of the trust of the trust level of people who will vote for them, the public have other notions. They are in look out for those who are different from the rest in their claims for good governance. AAP has been vociferously advocating for transparency, honesty and rooting out corruption from the top to the bottom. AAP’s trust-enforcing mechanisms got a boost due to lack of innovative political ideas by other parties, who kept on toeing the old line. A smart social media strategy tilted the scales of public trust in AAP’s favour. At a time when leadership crisis is well evident in the political arena, Arvind Kejriwal’s clean image and inspiring leadership   were the other crucial factors in building up favourable public trust for AAP. AAP’s ability to win the hearts of the youth was also an effective public trust winning ploy.

BJP and  Congress having lost public trust in Delhi elections,  decided to give unconditional support to AAP to form government in Delhi. At one time before the elections, they had dismissed AAP, and ridiculed AAP’s claims for an outright victory. The public trust  could not be enforced due to the fluctuating stance of both the parties, as people could see definite ulterior moves in both these parties..  They took the plea that people of Delhi want government formation, and AAP should not shirk from its responsibility. Feeling cornered, AAP presented 18 points demands to Congress and BJP to make their stand clear on various issues, which both the parties condemned. The public trust appeared to have got a big jolt amidst compulsive politicking by the parties on the issue of government formation.

Recently, when AAP decided to go for public referendum by conducting  public opinion polls on whether they should form government in Delhi, it appeared that this was a timely step in winning public trust. The aam aadmi connection has been well utilised by AAP to win public trust. The move to go for public opinion polls has been a democratic step taken by the party to clear the scene of political uncertainty in Delhi, and put an end to dirty political alliances sprouting up. The majority of the public opinions appears to indicate that the people want AAP government formation in Delhi. In all likelihood, it appears that AAP will form government in Delhi with unconditional support of Congress. Now, performance of AAP in the government will be a key factor in reposing the trust imposed by the people in them. The Congress and BJP will have to deeply introspect about their weaknesses due to which they could not win public trust. Connecting deeply with the people      so   as to win their public trust instead of taking them for granted, seems to be a big lesson for both these parties from the Delhi elections.  

Video on School Education and Trust

An interesting video on the importance of trust in school education.I feel trust is very important in school education,at a time when value education is given importance in the school cirrucula.Trust-building component should be an important component of value education in the schools so that the schools  give more emphasis more on behavioural aspects of child development.  

Trust Is Built Upon Empathy

When  I went through the  following link,I appreciated the writer's understanding of the aspects of empathy,in building up leadership,and trust.My comment is below the post.

http://womenssuccesscoaching.com/2013/12/empathy-the-basis-for-building-relationships-of-trust-and-influence/comment-page-1/#comment-3897

What is ailing the organisations today?I think lack of empathy is a big factor.A caring attitude to try to know the feelings of others,sends positive vibes in an organisation.Those organisations succeed who have have empathy in abundance.I am convinced that trust is built upon empathy.Those organisations which want to develop through empathy keep their channels of communication open and transparent.When transparency is not there,then it appears that empathy is lacking in a big way.

I think for building up trust through empathy,developing right wisdom is very important.This wisdom comes when we are in a high life-condition,energetic and fully alert,alive tot eh feelings,and emotions of others.Wisdom allows you to understand other person's plight at a deeper level.When that undersatnding is built upon heart-t0-heart bonds,then trust gets a real boost.

These leaders Can Really Be Trusted; But ,Can We Find Them?

When I went through the following link[please see my comment], I got fresh insights on leaders,and the factor of trust-building.Trust in leadership develops only when leaders take pains to understand the hard work and toil of workers in the action-area by actually making contribution there. But,can we find  such leaders?Or,can we ask the present leadership to undertake a deeper introspection on this issue?

http://collegeparkstrategy.wordpress.com/2013/12/14/trust-as-a-priority/comment-page-1/#comment-120

Consumer Trust and Social Media

An interesting link on  the factor of trust related to influence of social media in product  brand-building.My comment appears at the end.

http://www.mediabistro.com/alltwitter/social-recommendations_b52652#disqus_thread

        In the world dominated by social media,traditional media,or advertising is facing many limitations in product-brand building.The consumers' trust in social media,for buying products based on people's recommendations,is definitely a pardigm shift as far as media strategy is concerned.But,the results have to be analysed in the context of regional variations.In India,the social media is gaining popularity,but whether it can play a powerful role in product brand-building,has yet to be analysed 

Can We Find More Leaders Who Can Trust Themselves?

 Recently, when I read through insightful piece on the trust aspects of leadership from Erika Anderson,I could not stop myself commenting on it.See my comment below,and Erika's response.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/erikaandersen/2013/12/06/great-leaders-trust-themselves-and-you/?utm_source=alertscalledoutcomment&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20131208

        Today,we need great leaders who show us a way by building up a strong model of trust.The problem in most of the cases is that the most of the leaders don't have trust in themselves,as a result they fail to rally people around them.Can such type of leaders emerge in large numbers?The success of our systems will depend on this.

The World is Driven by Innovation Built Upon Trust

Recently, when I went through the link http://thedx.druckerinstitute.com/2013/12/how-trust-leads-to-innovation/, I felt reflecting upon this well-crafted piece, through my comment[See the comment below the article].It was a good learning experience going through this piece.

       I think the world is driven by innovation, which is built upon trust. Every nation, every sector, and every organization is craving for innovation. Innovations are a growth indicator, driven by the impulse to see change all around. However, the foundation of innovation is trust. The group dynamics helps in problem-solving, based on innovative solutions.

 The organizations which innovate are successful, and here the level of trust is noteworthy. Can we motivate every one in the organisations to innovate by building up their self-trust, and helping them to trust the people around. This may be one of the major issues in organizational dynamics.

Delhi Assembly Elections and the Trust Level of Youth

At a time when the trust level of people in the politicians has diminished, Delhi assembly elections have come as a fresh change. And who have been the harbingers of change? They are youth, who have reposed their trust in the electoral system as never before. The large voter-turn out in the elections has been mainly due to their increasing level of participation. Delhi’s 65.13% voter turn-out has been a landmark, in which around 2% of the total turn-out can be attributed to youth alone.

So, has a paradigm shift come? It is too early to say, but the level of trust shown by the youth started with a social cause-the movement against corruption started by Anna Hazare. A committed leadership united for a big cause attracted the youth, who started trusting the leaders who appeared to them the agents of change in a decadent political culture. But, when the movement fizzled out, and Arvind Kejriwal parted out to form a political party, the trust level appeared to be broken. Kejriwal’s call to youth to enter the political fray to bring in systematic change strengthened the trust.

Much will now depend on the results of Delhi elections. The trust of youth in AAP will show a real test when the results are out. However,  it appears that AAP is bound to emerge as a major political force in future, and youth will be its prime target group. To what extent AAP is able to keep the trust level of youth intact based on its performance, has to be seen. The promise of systematic change has to be translated into reality. Today, the country faces a big challenge to ensure that the youth increase their level of trust in politics. At a deeper level, the trust level of youth in politics, will increase only if more such alternatives promising change like AAP emerge. The rising   awareness level of youth towards political issues can be utilised in a constructive way only if trust-worthy political equations emerge which strike a popular chord in the minds of dominant youth population.  

Doing Activity Together Helps Build Up Trust

Recently. when I went through this link http://solutiondesign.com/food-and-trust/, I got new insights on how  to build up trust through eating together. The author comes up with refreshing insights on what needs to be done to build-up team spirit through eating together.  In organisational growth, this is a factor which is grossly neglected. When people in organisations don't trust each other, they try their best to avoid each other. They just do their job, without caring to find an opportunity to intermingle with others, or do some activity in leisure time together.

     Some of the people in the organisations show a lonely approach when they don't feel the inner urge to share lunch  with their team-mates. As a result, they feel stress. which affects their work productivity. Eating together provides a wonderful opportunity to build up informal relationships, which go beyond the work domain. All this helps in building up trust, which helps in the work performance too. The organisations which encourage people going out for meals together, or picnics, etc are bound to create a culture which is open, and which allows people working in the organisations bond together. I find that encouraging workers to indulge in some sports /cultural activity in a group manner can also be a good way to bust out their stress. Many of the organisations are doing this, but the fact remains that many of them neglect this vital factor,is  a worrisome trend.

Organisations can build up trust when employees are given opportunities to trust each other through creating non-official channels of communication which are not based on professional relationship. I think this can be a difficult process, and may lead to people comparing with each other on personal front too. But, the benefits are more in this approach, simply because this provides an opportunity for each employee to know the personal side of each other. A compassionate outlook thus can be created, which helps remove the ill-will amongst the employees.

A futuristic vision for robust organisational growth rests on formulating effective trust devices which are based on encouraging group activity amongst the employees. At a time when team-building is given much emphasis in organisations for  achieving the targets, informal group activities can help in building up an open and transparent work culture, which  can uplift the morale of an organisation.

Even in other fields too, doing an activity together has good results. Researchers from University of Buffalo recently studies 634 couples through their first nine years of marriage, finding that divorce rate was higher only when one person was a heavy drinker. Surprisingly, if both partners drank equally heavy then their choice of splitting  up were no longer high. When I read this interesting statistics through a news-item, I got convinced that the power of doing an activity together is immense.

With our society becoming individualistic, community ties are becoming weaker. Group activities, whether informal, or formal are needed to build up community ties. Bonding of couples through mutual involvement of partners is much needed to strengthen families which tend to break due to the inflated egos of the partners.

Do We Have Trust In Our Capabilities?

Often, we like comparing ourselves with others. We  lament that we are inferior to those, whom, we consider are success in their lives. Money, power and influence are generally  our common yard-sticks to judge others’ success.  While comparing  ourselves with others, we tend to have more trust in the capabilities of others. Our admiration of  our role-models is generally built on our inferiority complex, with which we are often gripped with. We are not able to break the shackles of our complex, because we don’t have trust in our capabilities.

Having not  trust  in our capabilities hampers our ability to triumph in our daily life. We develop stress, fear, and we are not able to surge ahead. At family level, we fail to become a role model for other family members, as we are ourself  not sure of our capabilities. Our ability to generate happiness for our family is crippled due to lack of trust in ourself to transcend our weaknesses, and think for others’ happiness. At society level, our contribution in making a better society does not come up to the surface as we don’t have trust in our potentialities to think beyond ourself.

The achievers in every walk of life have triumphed because of their trust in their capabilities. They have overcome their limitations because they have trust in their capabilities to overcome all odds. The society today needs people who have trust in their capabilities. The only change will come, and our institutions will work. The leaders will emerge only when people are given encouragement to develop their attitude to trust  their capabilities. Then only such people will develop leadership traits, and mobilize the people around for a common objective, thus setting up an example for others. At school level, the value education component  must give due emphasis on trust-building component. Children’s thinking must be developed through creative ways so that they  feel confident to develop trust in their capabilities.

How can one develop trust in  one’s capabilities at individual level? A spiritual practice can help in bringing the change in one’s thinking. Courage, confidence and high-life condition will follow naturally, which will bolster a person to trust his capabilities. If a person can trust in his capabilities, then he will usher change in the society by encouraging others to trust their capabilities. The highest potentialities of people then emerge, which can revolutionise our socio-economic system.

                          Can We Help Our Children Grow Up in Trust?

Today, my teenage daughter, declared at the top of her voice, that we as parents don’t trust her. I was shocked to hear this. Obviously ,her pent-up feelings found an outlet in her outburst. Since many days, we were trying to pose  a lot of uncomfortable  questions to her, which were making her disturbed. She didn’t like us following her friends, she didn’t like us forcing her to study, she didn’t like us to intrude in her private space which she was creating fro herself. This experience was a wake-up call for me,and I undertook a deeper introspection, which provided me new insights. I am sure many of the parents may be facing similar-like situation.

As parents, we don’t find time for our children. We don’t understand the need for spending quality time with them. In whatever time we spend, we force our fixed notions of life on them. We force our judgement on them on many occasions. We tell them what is right, and what is wrong from our own perspective. We don’t present the facts in a balanced way, which make the children develop their faculties to judge. We analyse the situation from a biased perspective, and force our children to accept our view-point. All this destroys the chances of trust-building.

Children can develop trust in parents when they see their parents as friends. This change in perspective requires much efforts from the parents. The children can trust us when we have a firm belief in their potentialities, and we stop comparing them with other children. The moment we realize that our children have unique potential, which can be nurtured by us in their field of his/her choice, the seeds of trust sprout up. We get the right wisdom to deal with our child, and the mutual trust begins to develop. Our huge expectations from our child begins to diminish, and we try to locate the treasure in our child by looking what lies within our child. We are not bothered by our child’s external behaviour, simply because we ourselves change our thinking.

Helping children to grow up in trust will be a big challenge for the parents in the times to come. Simply because trust-deficit in all walks of life is increasing. If we make efforts make children grow up in trust, then we can make immense contribution in creating of a new society. Our children can be the biggest ambassadors of trust-building when they mature as adults. Their lessons in trust-building will become an effective guide for them to become change-agents in their fields of profession.