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The Trust Factor: Effects of the Enron and Barry Bonds Scandals
Posted by B2B on: 2006-04-06 10:44:05
The Trust Factor: Effects of the Enron and Barry Bonds Scandals
by Roy Wooten
Whether you believe they are guilty or not, the effect of the scandals of Enron’s leadership and performance enhancing drugs in baseball is clear. Trust in corporate leaders and sports figures has waned. The damage to the individuals at the center of the scandals and their respective associates has been generalized to others with similar roles throughout America.
Whether you are on a corporate team or a sports team, trusting relationships are essential to achieving success. According to Roger K. Allen, Ph.D. at The Center for Organizational Design, "We can build our relationships on fear, obligation, or trust. However, only a foundation of trust results in the collaboration and goodwill necessary to achieve our peak performance."
When trust is absent, relationships are characterized by an adversarial attitude: me vs. you us vs. them. Rather than goodwill, there are deep and hidden animosities. Respect is lost and our performance is compromised as our energies go into manipulation and protection rather than working together towards a shared vision.
Barry Bonds and Ken Lay may never be able to regain the public’s trust again, but you can strengthen your trust factor by taking the following action steps:
1) Identify patterns of relating to others that weaken the trust factor. Do you find yourself planning passive aggressive ways to get back at other team members? Are you frequently thinking negative thoughts about a member on your team? Do you talk about other team members in negative ways behind their backs? Are you occasionally taking more credit for your role on the team than your efforts deserve? If you answered yes to any question, you are in a trust weakening pattern of relating to others that you must stop!
2) Make a change of heart! Once you have identified your negative pattern, realize that you must make a conscious decision to refrain from engaging in those behaviors again. Make it a personal policy for your self to refrain from talking about others behind their back, etc.
3) Change your point of view! There are redeemable qualities about every individual on the planet. Find at least one for every team member. Come to view them in a way that promotes unity, trust, and good will.
4) Seek first to understand, then to be understood. Your success within a team is directly related to your ability to listen. Summarizing what another person has said before stating your point tells them that you value them and builds trust.
5) Disagree without being disagreeable! Confront only with the goal of strengthening. Your viewpoint when confronting others will likely determine the outcome of the interaction. Take the approach that you are in the process of helping them by strengthening their skills or abilities during any confrontation.
The trust factor is at the core of any team’s ability to succeed. Strengthening trusting relationships maximizes your team’s performance! Learn more about The Trust Factor at www.SuccessSolutions.Org .
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