Robert Eccles is a Professor of Management Practice at the Harvard Business School. For over three decades he’s been active in management accountability—linked to, but not limited to, more traditional concepts of financial-only reporting. He’s written several books before, perhaps most notably Building Public Trust: The Future of Corporate Reporting with Sam DiPiazza, former Global […]
Issues of social trust and social institutions has been on the forefront of my mind for months now; the theme only seems to grow in relevance. The Trust Primer, volume 9 addresses such issues. The relationship between the media, politics and society-at-large has been shifting recently, and trust, or the lack-thereof, lies at the heart […]
First of all, stifle that snarky laugh about awards for trust in business. Yes, trust in business is at an all-time low. All the more reason to identify best practices, celebrate them and help us to learn from them. And while most efforts at measuring trust fall short, there’s a new award ceremony in town […]
The attempted assassination of Congresswoman Giffords in Tucson this weekend is related to trust. I’m not talking here about interpersonal trustworthiness. Nor am I talking about polls and surveys about which institutions or professions are up or down in the public’s sentiments. I am talking about what the academics call “generalized trust.” (See interview with […]
Join us at one or more upcoming Trusted Advisor Associates events. This January we’ll be hosting and participating in events in Fairfield, New Jersey; Seattle, Washington; Portland, Oregon and through the globally accessed radio show “Trust Across America.” Also, a few words about the new Trusted Advisor Mastery Program, and an offer to vote in […]
You probably want your customers to trust you. And you probably tell them the truth about why they should buy from you. You might think that’s enough for them to trust you, but of course it’s not. Oddly, what’s missing is telling them something about why they might not need you. Here’s why. Consider these […]
I’m a huge fan of country music. In small doses, that is. One of the great things about country music is how it speaks to the heart, about real human emotions. Then again—after a certain point, dwelling on those emotions can turn toxic on you. It’s easy to get addicted to crying in your beer […]
I wrote a good blog post at this time four years ago, and haven’t improved on it yet. Here it is again. Happy New Year. —————– My unscientific sampling says many people make New Years resolutions, but few follow through. Net result—unhappiness. It doesn’t have to be that way. You could, of course, just try […]
I had the pleasure last night of seeing Rachel Maddow broadcasting her MSNBC show live from the 92nd Street Y in New York. A lot of themes were hit, but one—the repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell—was particularly striking. The Appetizers: Nouriel Roubini, Matt Taibbi As usual, the themes du jour were served up. Nouriel […]
Kierkegaard described philosophy as, “You see a sale sign in a store window. You go in, but find it is only the sign that is for sale.” I sometimes feel that way in our increasingly online world. I got a notification that I had a new twitter follower—let’s just call him Mr. X. I usually […]
You’ve graduated from Question Obsession 101. You’ve learned not to pepper clients with endless questions or craft that perfect “Keystone Arch Question” expecting miracles. You’re focusing on relationships, creating insights, and empowering clients. But have you fallen into the next trap? The Answer Trap. Many consultants who overcome question obsession swing to the opposite extreme, […]
Question Obsession: The Silent Sales KillerMay 6, 2025 - 5:00 pmHave you counted how many questions you ask in your typical client meeting? Do you find yourself carefully crafting the “perfect” question sequence before every sales call? Are your meeting notes filled with question frameworks rather than real insights? If so, you may be suffering from Question Obsession—a condition that’s quietly sabotaging your client relationships […]