Entries by Noelle Mykolenko

The Truth about Sales Rejection: It’s Not about You

According to a recent Braintrust study on B2B selling, only 33% of sales reps consistently hit their targets. Whether that data point reflects inaccurate goalsetting or a need for upskilling, that’s a lot of rejection. Losing a sale is a challenge that sits squarely at the intersection of business revenue and personal psychology. While it […]

Establishing Trust by Mastering the Art of Listening

We often think of establishing trust in business relationships in sales-related roles. For instance, if I have a product or service, I will tell you how my industry knowledge and credentials will make it clear I am the person you should buy from. In short, you can trust me. I know everything there is to […]

Honestly Ask (and Answer) Yourself: Do My Clients Trust Me?

Trust is complicated in many aspects of our daily lives; by comparison, trust in business seems relatively straightforward. Or is it? While personal trust involves emotional and relational complexities, trust in business is not necessarily uncomplicated. It involves navigating ethical dilemmas, managing diverse relationships, adapting to cultural differences, and maintaining transparency—all of which require careful attention […]

Why Taking Risks Creates Trust

Due to several universal experiences and observations, everyone is familiar with taking risks, whether they engage in them or not. Even those who avoid taking risks are familiar with the concept because of the fear and caution they experience. This avoidance is a direct response to the perceived dangers of risk-taking. Everyday life involves countless […]

Why the Definition of Trust Depends on Its Use

Trust, a universal concept, is pivotal in our daily conversations. We often invoke it in statements that we believe to be meaningful. It’s a comprehensive language that binds us all, connecting us in our shared understanding of its importance. However, its meaning becomes blurred when used as: “Trust in the airline industry is down.” “I […]

Five Misconceptions about Trust in Business: Part 1

There are many misconceptions about trust that pervade how we think about professional relationships. While most seem harmless (think about Ronald Reagan’s admonition to trust, but verify), unless they are examined and dispelled, they will impede real trust. This blog series describes five of the most common – and most dangerous – misconceptions about trust: […]

The Strengths Trap: How Overplaying Your Strengths Harms Trust (Part II)

Part I of this blog described how over-emphasizing the trust-building factors in the Trust Equation without balancing your self-orientation can actually hurt your trustworthiness. It also identified many internal and external triggers that might increase self-orientation. In this post, we explore specific actions you can take to avoid over-playing your strengths. The Goldilocks Effect In […]

The Strengths Trap: How Overplaying Your Strengths Harms Trust (Part I)

Playing to our strengths can be seductive. We all want to feel we are presenting our best selves, and that naturally leads us to emphasize those things at which we excel. It’s often how we define our professional roles, our careers, even ourselves. Too Much of a Good Thing Some modern psychometric tools are built […]