Crisis of Trust?
Terri Norvell, Property Management Consultant

As a property management consultant, I've been researching the quality of Trust lately. And guess what, indicators point to a 'crisis of trust' in not only the US but also round the globe. While I'm not one to join the naysayer's, there is power in awareness and taking pro-active action.

My recent findings include:

* 54% of Americans do not trust the media anymore * Politicians in the presidential race are seen as flip-flopping and untrustworthy in following-through on their promises * An Australian business study highlighted that over the past 12 months, the number of opinion leaders identifying corporate Australia as 'being trusted to do what is right' decreased 54% from 24% to 11% of respondents

As Steven Covey, Jr. has documented in his best-selling book, The Speed of Trust, low trust is the greatest cost in life and in organizations. He describes trust as the aquifer - the huge water pools under the earth that feeds all of the subsurface wells. Old Faithful

In business, these wells are often called innovation, complementary teams, collaboration, empowerment, TQM, brand loyalty, strategic initiatives, etc. It's trust that gives sustaining quality to all these business endeavors and relationships - team, supplier and customer relationships.

Trust is the key to all results in life, business and yes, politics. While Covey does a good job of articulating the importance of trust, his focus is more on outer and interpersonal trust and doesn't really deal with Inner Trust and how important I.T. is as a starting point.

It's my philosophy and experience that the essential first step in any trust is - Inner Trust. Before you can fully trust others - on your teams, in business or politics, you must learn to trust in yourself first. How can you trust someone else if you have not developed your inner trust?

So in the next series of eLetters I'll be exploring the methodologies and ways to develop and strengthen your Inner Trust. It's essential for success...and the feelings of confidence, balance and self-reliance in business and life.

If you are experiencing a crisis of trust in your business or personal life that you would like me to address, please email me at terri@theinnerprize.com or add a post to my blog at AskTerri.WordPress.com.

Terri Norvell is a national property management consultant, trainer, author and keynote presenter. Her expertise in the fields of professional leadership and team building for bottom-line results assists companies in growing their people and their profits.

Contact Terri Norvell - property management consultant

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