Protecting The Only Currency You've Got - Trust

Recently I held a meeting. A nice introductory meeting for everyone where we had an open forum to talk about issues, ideas and planning for the future. It was treated as most meetings are, an opportunity to open up about issues important to you, and have an open dialogue. As happens in meetings of this nature, people said some unfiltered and not necessarily supportive or popular things. In other words, people opened up. Talked about issues impacting them. It began a great relationship moving towards trust.

And then it happened.

One of the people in the room didn't like everything that was said. That person immediately ran to a blogger, spilled their guts, and the blogger wrote an excoriating denouncement of the group, the organization, the meeting and the attendees - without of course reaching out to other attendees to confirm anything.

I know this might be surprising, but "gotcha blogs" aren't exactly beholden to any sort of standard of honesty let alone journalistic standards.

With little more than an impression and an internet connection this blogger immediately destroyed the trust of the people in that room. In 2012, Fast Company wrote an incredible piece on protecting the trust of your business, and essentially this applies in organizations as well.

In one of the now more famous Ted Talks, Rachel Botsman - an expert on the new collaborative business environments - explains that Trust is the currency of the new economy -
And in one poorly advised move one individual managed to jeopardized the trust of an organization that is over 100 years old.

Right now you may be thinking, "Big deal, one person talking to one blog about one meeting... what could that lead to?" The answer to that is actually quite simple -

"Put not your trust in money, but your money in trust."
- Oliver Wendell Holmes

In other words people shouldn't invest in something they don't trust, and that starts with something as simple as someone hearing something somewhere.

• If they hear something that causes doubt, they don't trust the message
• If they don't trust the message they cast doubt to others
• If they cast doubt to others, the support withers
• If the support withers... so does the money

Which is where your organization, business, or individual loses the ability to be effective.

So how do you protect it?

This answer differs for business and organizations.

With business the answer is relatively simple - you cut out the cancer, make a corrective action, and declare a victory.  If that means firing someone, getting a new vendor, or changing a business partner, that is the move you make - and then, above all else, you tell everyone what you just did.  After which you move on and don't discuss the problem again.

Organizations the answer becomes a little different.  Often you have volunteers, you have people who feel that they should be recognized for their efforts, you have people who feel that they should have freedoms within the organization.

While organizations thrive off of membership involvement, that shouldn't take precedence over the trust of the organization - there will always be more volunteers.

That said you can't just cut out the cancer because it puts people on edge and makes them less likely to go out on a limb if they think they are going to get cut out.

Here is how we handled the issue -

1. LEADERSHIP - the leadership was brought in to the situation to discuss how to move forward.  Their input was sought, their involvement was sought, and collectively the group moved forward on one course of action.
2. CONFRONTATION - the issue couldn't be left alone, it needed to be confronted.  The leadership stood forward and confronted the individual in a one on one meeting about what happened.
3. REACTION AND REGROUPING - after the confrontation the group connected again to exchange reactions - in this case the offending individual lied, covered up and attempted to pass the blame - however it is blatant and transparent.
4. CORRECTIVE ACTION - the discussion became how the organization operated and what protections could have been in place:
1. Was there a stated policy of the organization about such incidents?
2. Was there a procedure to address such transgressions?
3. Were there protections in place to stop this from happening again (ie. Confidentiality agreements)?
4. Are there mitigating circumstances that could be used in addressing the issue (timing, appointments, meetings, decisions etc.)?
5. Could the group move forward without the trust being broken again?
5. IMPLEMENTATION - of the missing items, what could be brought in on the short term, and what needed to be long term measures to address the issue?
6. EXECUTION - implementing the controls, messages, and efforts of the organization

The only way you can keep that trust is to work openly and combat misinformation through a clear process.