Trust is a critical success factor in business.
It can build confidence in your teams, your business, your customers and bottom line performance… or it can bring your business, and in extreme cases, industries, (the not too distant memory of bailing out the Banks) to its knees.
Trust is an economical powerhouse and affects two outcomes – speed and cost.
When trust goes up, speed will increase and in turn reduce costs.
When trust goes down, it reduces speed and increases costs.
Equally, your own self-trust can significantly impact your mindset, your performance and your level of success…
Self Trust
So do you trust yourself?
Self trust is about the confidence and belief we have in ourselves. Our ability to set and achieve our own goals and ride those bumps along the way.
When was the last time you backed yourself?
Having spent a decade in Financial Services, I took the decision to take a different career path a couple of years ago and thus far, backing myself and trusting my decision has been very worthwhile and an exhilarating journey.
I chose not to let self doubt manage my life and outcomes – I trusted myself and give myself permission to take risks for the greater good.
Keeping the commitments you make to yourself is also vital… The more we stick to our commitments the greater your self-trust will be.
When you commit to going to the gym – does it always happen? (I often find myself hitting the gym at 9pm at night – now that is keeping your commitments!)
And as I have navigated through the different stages so far in my life, I have also realised how fundamental trust is to achieving the success you desire.
Stephen M.R Covey expands the thinking on self-trust exceptionally well and suggests using these four cornerstones as accelerators to improving both self trust, and the trust you gain from others:
Integrity
- Integrity means honesty, telling the truth and in the process, leaving the right impression
- “A person has integrity when there is no gap between intent and behaviour”
Intent
- Motive – The reason for doing something. (And how much you show that you care).
- Agenda – Grows out of the motive – genuinely wanting what is best for everyone.
- Behaviour – Is the manifestation of motive and agenda. The behaviour that best creates credibility and inspires trust is acting in the best interest of others.
Capability
- Our capabilities inspire the trust of others.
- They also give us self – confidence.
- Keep yourself relevant – you must always be evolving, continually improving.
Results
- When considering results we need to ask two critical questions: A) What results are we getting and B) How are we getting those results.
- Expect to win.
So now take a look in the mirror and ask…do you trust yourself?
And what is the trust like in your organisation with your employees and your customers?
Is it creating a dividend or a tax…?
