Trust is important for Economic Growth

Please go through the following link, you will come to know the importance of building trust so that there is economic growth.

http://www.huffingtonpost.in/2015/10/31/narayana-murthy_0_n_8440210.html

 Infosys Founder Narayan Murthy in his penetrating analysis of the current socio-economic clearly underscores the importance of building trust so that there is economic development.He also points out that we have to build up an atmosphere so that there is no fear among the minorities of the country. He strongly advocates for peace so that economic growth is ushered.

Can Seeking Apology Reduce Trust-deficit in Indian Politics?

Political analysts ascribe one of the prime factors for the victory of Arvind Kejriwal in recent assembly elections in Delhi to his act of seeking apology from the people of Delhi while compaigning for Delhi elections. The apology which he sought was for his past act when when last time he quit as Chief Minister against the huge expectations of the people. This may be true to a great extent as this certainly struck an emotional chord in the people's minds as people appeared to be swayed by his sincerity due to his act of apology. I don't know whether thee is any precedence of politicians asking apology from the people, or the electorate..  

May be based on Arvind Kejriwal's style, Nitish Kumar, who  has become Chief Minister of Bihar again, also  recently asked apology from the people of Bihar for not understanding their feelings as he had quit as Chief Minister and made Manjhi the Chief Minister. It now appears that 'apology' word will now be used as an emotional weapon to woo the electorate. At a time when trust-deficit in politics is becoming wider, this is a desperate act to connect with the people psychologically. A feeling of sincerity may be implicit in this, but I fear that this may start a trend when we  may see increasing uses of the word 'apology' by the politicians when their action backfires. It will be hard to distinguish between the real and fake. Instead of restoring trust, the germs of distrust will spread more.

Cases of seeking apologies by the leaders/chief executives of organizations in in any field may be very less as this requires great effort in shedding arrogance. It requires a great degree of magnanimity too. But, if we see a rising trend of politicians seeking apologies, then we may feel that why politics is only a field where seeking apology is required? The trust-deficit in politics is so huge that the strategy of 'apology' may not work. Politicians will have to devise other strategies..

To What Extent Trust Is Important for the Success of Organisations?

We all analyse the factor of success in organizations. We have our own approaches for analysis of the success factor. But, we seldom use the trust perspective to analyse the success of organizations. This is strange considering the fact that some organizations thrive on trust, while others fall due to distrust. A big organisation falls because of lack of trust, a small team in an organisation succeeds because of trust.

   Analysing the psychological factors for trust, and distrust in organizations with linkages to targets/goals of organisation is very important. This will help in knowing whether an organisation is on the path of success, or failure. The community-based, or membership-based organizations evoke more trsut.The chances of success here is more than than centralized, or hierarchal organizations, which are built on the company principles. The nature, or structure of an organisation, with linkages to the factor of trust needs to be explored in depth.

Can we have a measurement index which can show how much trust is important for success of an organisation? Can we evaluate our performance, based on this? Can we organize trust-based workshops/seminars, keeping into account this measurement index? Organisational dynamics must address these issues.

Trust-Building Skills Most Important for an Entrepreneur

   Go through the link http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/234453,and you will find good tips to build up trust,if you are an entrepreneur.I find the tip related to creating good content very useful.If you are creative,then you can create good content,which catches eye,It can boost your sales,as people today want good content from all angles,related to a product.I find this art of creating good content lacking.People in pursuit of mechanical business goals,forget the need to have strong on-line content.

   I find the tip related to nurturing relationships with customers is equally important,besides the business logic.I will prefer a salesman who is more eager to know about me,is honest and doesn't put forth his agenda with a sole motive of profit.Now,this requires a more humane approach.A fine balance of human and business skills can help you build up bonds of trust.

   As we move towards a new era of entrepreneurship,this  demands trust-building skills for success.So,besides innovative business idea,you need to be  well trained up in building up trust.If you have this mindset,then you can well succeed in your venture.

See Guest Column;Trust Is Gold And To be Trusted is Greater than Being Loved.

                           

,Mr Seshadri Satyanarayan has a long distinguished career in Journalism,and Public Relations.He has worked at senior levels in PTI,Tribune and other important national dailies. Currently,he is the Consulting Editor of Afro-Asian Business Chronicle.In his Guest Column,Mr Satyanarayanan highlights the importance of trust, equating it with 'Gold'.He further says that trust deficiency often leads to collapse of relationship,be it friendship or organisation.He can be contacted at satyan02@gmail.com

                        

Trust is one of the most important components in life. Trust deficiency often leads to collapse of relationship, be it friendship or organization.  Lack of trust and sudden trust deficit among board of directors have seen several companies, founded on strong friendship of the promoters, crumbling or the directors parting ways.  Therefore, it is no secret that mutual trust is of paramount importance.  Sometimes trust you enjoy among your fellow members play a big role in bringing out the best in you.

This reminds me of a wrestling bout in the just-concluded Commonwealth Games, where in one of the contest for Gold medal, there was a local wrestler belonging to Scotland and his rival was from Sri Lanka. In this high-scoring bout, the Scotland wrestler suffered a ligament injury during the bout. At that point in time he was way ahead of the Sri Lankan. The injury was quite severe and the athlete wanted to quit.


Even as the medical staff was attending to the athlete, the wrestler writhing in pain repeatedly waved towards his coach to call off the match.  But the trust the coach had in the abilities of the wrestler was so strong that he kept on encouraging him and did not allow him to quit. The coach made him to hit the ring once again with a bandage wrapped around his thigh and knee area.  As the Scotland wrestler was limping during the bout, the Sri Lankan wrestler took advantage of the situation by attacking and grabbing his injured leg.  The Scotland wrestler was repeatedly encouraged by his coach, who shouted “you can do it” and ‘You have it in you”.  Thanks to the repeated prodding from he overcame his pain to win the closely fought match to take the Gold Medal.

To cut short the moral of this anecdote is that the trust the Coach had in the abilities of the wrestler resulted in bringing out the best out of him even as the latter wanted to give up. So, the Scotland wrestler would have definitely realized after the bout that “to be trusted is a greater compliment than winning the Gold medal in front of the

To be trusted is a greater compliment than being loved

Are We Trusting Technology More Than Ourself ?

                           

It appears that we are slowly trusting technology more as an effective tool to trust human beings. We are driven by our passion for technology, which makes us believe that we can form good bonds with people. In this pursuit, we don’t trust ourself to act as a bridge in forming human bonds. As a result, technology is becoming dominant over our lives, and we are becoming its slave. We feel restless when we don’t see mobile phone in our hand. That restlessness is not so much evident when our near and dear ones are not with us. We tend to trust that electronic communication will help us maintain strong contacts with them. We don’t feel the necessary urge to see them in front of us. We also don’t make efforts to visit them. We feel that it will be merely a wastage of time. We think that why not utilize the limited time by surfing  on the social networking sites?

The first thing we search for religiously in the morning, is our mobile phone, prayers come after that, forget the people who are with us. Social networking sites, and other applications are becoming our obsession.  When we travel, we don’t make efforts to talk to the people, and develop   bonds. Instead, we depend on technology to build up contacts with others. We are oblivious of our immediate environment, where we see other people themselves busy with their mobile phone. So, why should we take any initiative in making efforts to engage in conversations? The same thing is visible in parties, conferences, events, etc where many people tend to withdraw from making conversations on the pretext that they are busy with their phones. This lazy approach in depending on technology does not help in building up strong heart-to-heart bonds. We tend to believe that why make unnecessary efforts in intermingling with people of different temperaments, so we take  recourse to technology to hide our inabilities to accept different kinds of people. As a result, we  are not able to nurture our relationships. A layer of superficiality is clearly visible, which makes others also realise that through electronic communication, we are just maintaining formality in our relationship.

At work-place, even for internal communication, we depend on electronic form, instead of making efforts to visit our colleagues. In conflicting situations, this approach  doesn’t resolve the issues, as our egos destroy the chance of conflict resolution as  we avoid making face-to-face conversation with a strong desire for genuine dialogue. For an  organisation’s  external communication, we have a strong feeling that electronic communication will  be sufficient to achieve our purpose. But, we are mistaken. I feel personal visits are important in many of the cases to enhance an organisations’s profile, or achieve the project targets. Electronic communication can be successful here only if the self-motivated human efforts are made in taking pains to visit people.

The politicians are making these days frenetic efforts to utilise electronic communication to build up their popularity amongst the people. They don’t make efforts to personally visit the people in their constitutency, and form one-to-one contact. As a result, I feel, the trust level of the people in the politicians does not nurture. Electronic communication can only be a momentary way to win over the hearts of the people. The long-term benefits can be maintained only if the politicians show their sincerity in making visits, and follow up with the people. The people today are smart to understand the limits of electronic communication, as it can be used  to create a situation, which at the ground-level does not exist.

I think the tendency to trust on technology, and not in us is limiting the growth of our personalities. I feel   our full potentialities can emerge only if  we speak, express and maintain face-to-face contacts through our inner urge to indulge in sincere heart-to –heart dialogue. Our presence itself can create an  effective aura which can attract people around us, so that ever-lasting relationships are built upon which can give a real joy in life. Technology can hide our inabilities, biases in personality etc, which can only hamper our personal growth, as a result of which we are not able to learn, and evolve. If we continue to be dictated by technology, then we will merely become  mechanical robots. So, let us develop the right  wisdom to use technology judiciously.

  

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Evaluate Trustworthiness of Candidates Before Recruiting

Do you want the most trusted candidates in your company? Do you want people who can be trusted in your organisation for a longer period? Do you want people who have strong ethical values in your company? I think when trust-deficit is increasing in organizations, it is a big challenge for companies and organizations to find trust-worthy people. The success of modern organizations is built upon people whom you can trust to deliver the goods.

While recruiting people, we need to give due focus on gauging the trustworthiness of candidates. The qualifications, experience and professional background are no doubt important. But, they are geared towards efficiency, and effectiveness, which do not work beyond a point. In the times of crisis, trustworthy people will give you hope. You will feel that there are committed folks around you, who will not let you down. Trustworthy people, may not be that efficient, as compared to those who are professionally more capable, but are driven by mere passion for money. However, these  group of people will evoke more confidence, then those who will not miss any opportunity to leave the company for greener pastures.

Trustworthy people in organizations are driven by mission in their life. not merely short-time profit-making objective. The missionary zeal of such people can take organisations to new heights. So, it will be a big challenge for you to find such people.

I think we need to develop a scientific approach to find people who can be trusted while recruiting them. A trust-based test  based on effective questionnaire should be devised, which can test the trustworthiness of candidates. Modern statistical  tools must be used to formulate such test. The measurement of this must be done through a software, which can give measurable outputs. Then, only we can evaluate  trustworthiness of the candidates. I think trust-based test, will definitely be useful in gauging the aptitude, and behaviour of the candidates when they start working.

Organisational dynamics today is built upon trust, which is so difficult to find in the volatile times today. The stark reality is that we need to think, and act differently. So, when next time you are hiring people, try your best to gauge the trustworthiness of the candidates.  

Three Reasons Why My Blog on Trust Makes Me Happy?

 Trust has its own beauty. I didn’t know about it when I started the blog. But, slowly when I started writing on it, I came to understand its real depth. There are three reasons why  my blog makes me happy;

1] I have come to understand that trust has a multi-dimensional character. There are so many aspects of life, I need to explore. They are related to individual, society,  organisation, sector, politics, economy, etc. Whenever I analyse   any development, the trust perspective comes into my mind. I feel happy that I have created something, in the form a blog which has deep relevance.

2] Now, I feel the practical impact of the blog in my own life, which makes me happy.  As my day  begins, I feel I could generate trust everywhere. When I go to work, I try my best to build up a trust-worthy relationship with all. In my family life, the effect of my blog is seen all the time. I try hard to build up an atmosphere of mutual trust so that we all feel happy in the family. The blog has been a real catalyst in my personal transformation.

3] The blog has given me a new mission in life. When we have a mission, then we feel happy. Every minute of our life makes us realize that we have been born with some purpose. Through my blog, I have understood, that my mission is to create awareness for building up trust at all levels so that trust deficit does not threaten our social fabric. I see myself as a change-agent in this regard. An attempt to find solutions through my writings makes me happy..  

Five Reasons Why 2014 Edelman Trust Survey Barometer Is Important For Indonesia

Please go through an interesting link below,on Edelman trust survey results in Indonesia.That business evokes more trust,than politics is a definite paradigm shift.A survey conducted by Edelman last year found that 82% of respondents trusted business institutions,which was higher than trust in the media[78%],NGOs [73%] and the government[53%]
http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2014/02/06/indonesians-trust-business-more-government.html
  I find five reasons why Edelman trust survey in Indonesia are important;
1]  Governance in business institutions is an important factor of trust-building.If there is good governance,then trust will follow naturally.For good governance,creating transparent systems is important
2] Political systems do not necessarily build up trust,which others can follow.Instead if business is sound,then trust will emerge,which can be a trend-setter.
3] Building up ethical business frameworks may be more convenient than strengthening ethics in political systems.Simply because there is strong realisation that businesses can flourish only if they are built on strong ethics.
4] The public trust can be built upon good business,not necessarily clean politics.So,people can have more confidence in business for country's socio-economic transformation.
5] Business leaders can be good trust-builders,than politicians,if they take right decisions,and develop a compassionate attitude towards the work-force.
       I will wait for more similar type of results in other countries,then only a definite pattern can be seen.But.the results are an eye-opener.In the times of economic melt-down,when trust disappeared from businesses,there is one country at least,which can show different results.
                

Facebook Trust and Social Media ;Looking Ahead

I went through the following link a quality article related to trust issues surrounding Facebook.

www.wallstcheatsheet.com/stocks/do-you-trust-facebook-mark-zuckerberg-wants-to-know.html/2/

   It is good to know that social media is trying to gauge the degree of trust of its users.A survey is no doubt an innovative method to get the feed-back of the users. Looking ahead,the example of Facebook may be emulated by other social media sites.Asking users with a question that 'Do You trust Facebook' is a good way to gauge public opinion Privacy of the users is a big issue to explore,through such survey.But,Facebook is becoming an addiction,so the issue of privacy is not important.

 Trust issues surrounding social media will be a burning issue in the times to come due to these reasons;

1]  Will the social media emerge as a more trust-worthy vehicle,more than print and electronic media?

2] What will be the level of competition regarding all forms of  social media,as far as trust is concerned?Will there be a healthy competition?Or,will this lead to competitive,unhealthy competition?Who will be the winner?

3] Will social media evolve strong systems which can protect the privacy of the users?This will be big issue in the future,as far as their trust level is concerned.

4] Will social media be top in government,and political class priorities?Social media appears to gaining an upper hand now.

5] Will citizen journalism emerge in a big way with the rising trust level of social media?

  

Is This A Wake-up Call?

  When I commented on the article in the link www.hrmagazine.co.uk/hro/news/1141294/trust-deficit-threatening-economic-recovery-cipd-report-warns,I found the statistics on trust in UK quite interesting.The survey results have implications for Indian organisations too.Is this a wake-up call?

How to Build Up Trust?

An important link on building up trust is given below;
http://news.investors.com/management-leaders-in-success/010214-684824-stand-by-promises-to-win-others-trust.htm

I like the post for many reasons.Firstly,it points out that leadership is very important for building up trust.Secondly, this talks of building up a culture of trust.Culture of trust in organisations creates bonds which are unbreakable.Thirdly,the of setting up an example of solid trust,which can be followed by others.

Measuring the level of trust amongst the companies is very important.We need more statistics to understand trust in all its dimensions.I think the measurable aspect of trust should come up with more sharp focus in future.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.