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 […]
In this blog series, we explore five of the most common misconceptions about trust that, while they are widely-held, are powerful inhibitors to creating real trust: Trust has to be earned Trust takes time to grow and is quickly lost Clients just want you to solve their problem Clients will trust you if you give […]
In this blog series, we explore five of the most common misconceptions about trust that, while they are widely-held, are powerful inhibitors to creating real trust: Trust has to be earned Trust takes time to grow and is quickly lost Clients just want you to solve their problem Clients will trust you if you give […]
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: […]
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 […]
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 […]
In a recent TrustMatters webinar, I shared four key attributes of Trusted Advisor relationships, and six mindsets that can help you get there. You can view this and all our free webinar recordings here. For those of you who prefer to read versus watching a recording, here’s what we discussed. Four Attributes of Trusted Advisor […]
One of the myriad things we learned from “The Great Resignation,” where employees across the nation voluntarily resigned from their jobs, is that people are no longer willing to stay in unfulfilling roles or work for employers that do not respect their values. A powerful component of the mass exodus from organizations of all sizes […]
Zoom and other virtual meeting spaces helped save personal and professional relationships across the globe during the COVID-19 pandemic. While we all adjusted to an explosion in the prevalence of virtual teams, which have since revolutionized the modern workplace, the challenges were — and still are, quite honestly — clear. The lighting. The sound. The […]
There are seemingly endless reasons our clients do not take our advice. Challenges like internal disagreements, budget constraints, and rotating decision-makers can cause countless proposals to be refused or ignored, regardless of how obvious the need may appear. While clients may say they are hesitant to rely too heavily on vendor advice, have had negative […]
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 […]
There’s no denying that trust is a critical differentiator for success. Companies with high-trust cultures outperform their peers in productivity, innovation, and employee retention. Yet despite significant investments in ethics training and corporate value statements, many organizations struggle to cultivate genuine trust. The reason is simple: while trust can be taught, it will wither unless […]