High-Achieving Women's Blogazine

As I was browsing through some old emails, I ran across this quote by L. Ron Hubbard regarding being trustworthy.

He stated: “Trustworthiness is a highly esteemed commodity. When one has it, one is considered valuable. When one has lost it, one may be considered worthless.”

I have found that getting others to trust you takes work and sometimes it can take a lot of hard work.

In a recent article, L. Ron Hubbard identified the 7 Keys to Becoming More Trustworthy which are defined below:

Key 1. Keep all of your promises. For example, if you are a furniture maker and promise to deliver a new desk on Friday, make sure you show up with the desk on Friday. If it becomes necessary, you work day and night to build the desk in order to deliver by Friday.

Here’s another example: you agreed to drive your boss to the airport in the morning. That morning, you get ready and have plenty of time to pick up your boss; however your car won’t start.

Instead of calling your boss with the problem, you make it right by borrowing a car, renting a car or hiring a taxi. You pick up your boss, as promised.

Key 2. Keep your big promises as well as your small promises. For example, attorney Jeb promises to write a contract that will keep you out of a lawsuit. He says he’ll call you in the morning to discuss it. However, Jeb forgets to call for two days. You then wonder if he can’t keep his word about calling, maybe he can’t keep his word about writing a good contract.

Key 3. Be careful what you promise. Give accurate statements. For example, you know you can write three reports tonight, and maybe two others, as well. Do not say: “I will write five reports tonight.” Instead say, “I will get three reports done and I plan to write two more, as well.”

Before you sign any written agreement, read it carefully to ensure you can do what it says. For example: “Before I sign this, I want to change paragraph 12 to give me an extra week, just in case I have a problem with the file transfer or other matters.”

Key 4. If you realize you will not be able to keep your word, no matter how hard you try, tells the person immediately. Here’s a good example: “Shelly I want take you to dinner tomorrow night, but I may have to cancel.” “Beth you wanted the wall painted by Sunday, but I need an extension until next Wednesday.” “If you can give me one more day to fix your car, I’ll take off 5% for the delay.”

Key 5. If you lose your trust with someone, do not avoid the issue. Restore your reputation by doing all you can to earn back the person’s trust. For example, you agree to pay Jill $1000 on Monday. You forgot until Tuesday and realized you do not have the $1000. Instead of avoiding Jill, you call her and say: “Jill, I am so very sorry I didn’t pay you on Monday. I should have called you. I will have the money on Friday. I hope that by paying you on Friday, I’ll regain your trust.” Of course, you then do whatever it takes to pay her on Friday.

Key 6. If you have destroyed your reputation by breaking your word and not being trustworthy, make up the damage. For example, “Fred, I know I have let you down. I agreed to fix your computer last month and I did not. I didn’t call and I truly regret what I did. I would like to fix your computer for free, if you’ll let me.”

What about this example, “Martha, I can’t tell you how sorry I am that I didn’t return your truck on time and with gas in it. Even worse, it was dirty. How can I make it up to you? Will you let me wash it and fill it with gas this afternoon? I’d also like to replace the burnt bulb in the tail light, okay?”

Key 7. If someone has lost your trust, help him/her earn it back. Here’s a great example: “You want me to hire you again after what happened last time? To be honest, I can’t trust you, but I am willing to reconsider. You must take a class and achieve a score of 100% by the end of the month.  Then I will hire you on a temporary basis for one week. If you fail me one more time, I’ll never reconsider hiring you again. I’m willing to help you succeed, but only if you are trustworthy.”

To succeed in career, business or life, you must gain a reputation as someone who can be trusted.  You must achieve the “Know Like and Trust Factor”. Now that you know The 7 Keys to Becoming More Trustworthy what is your next step?

In 9 Ways to Prepare for Growth, Success and Acceleration – Part 1, I outlined the first 5 ways that lead to what I call The GSA Factor™ – is Growth * Success * Acceleration™.

Today I will focus on the remaining 4 ways which are:

1. Take care of your people.
   Your employees are what keep you successful. Recognize and reward that. Working in a high-growth organization is stressful and challenging. Take note of your employees’ work and respond appropriately, or risk losing top talent. Create an environment where people are willing to work through the growing pains. In addition, take care of your suppliers, professional advisors and anyone else who can have an effect on your operation.

2. Listen to the experts.
   You may be an expert in your business or industry, but you don’t know it all. What’s more, there often will be experts who know more about particular parts of an industry than the insiders. Identify the experts, listen to them and learn from them. Let them help smooth out your learning curves and keep you on your growth track.

3. Stay close to your customers.
   No company can do without customers, and if you don’t stay close to them, you’ll lose them. Know what they need, but more important, know what they want and do everything you can to give that to them. Most important, communicate. Never let your customers wonder what’s going on. Tell them–whether it’s good or bad.

4. Focus on your core business and don’t get distracted.
   Stick to the business your company knows best. Be sure any diversification or product line expansion you do makes sense. If it has nothing to do with your core business don’t get into it just because it seems like a good opportunity.

Otherwise, you’ll confuse your customers and your employees–and you’ll likely to find that dividing your efforts reduces the quality and profitability of your business.

Just Remember:  As you plan for when things go wrong, also plan for when things go well. When you’re prepared for Growth * Success * Acceleration, you can better manage the changes it brings and let it take you to the goal you set when you started.

It Here… My contribution to Success Simplifiedis the chapter: From Visioning Great to Successing Great that explores success from a career, business and life perspective and the obstacles that get in the way of people living successfully. I know that this book will be a great asset to your success library.  You can order your copy by clicking here.

© 2012 Dr. Laureen Wishom

To receive a copy of Elevations™, the newsletter that is “Helping Women Soar to Be the Best and Beyond™”, please enter your contact information below.

I just received a call from Gail who owns a very nice upscale clothing boutique.  Gail would like to experience what I call The GSA Factor™ which is Growth * Success * Acceleration™ within her boutique.  Her plan is to open a second location within the next twenty-four months.

I remembered an article that I read some time ago that is very relevant to Growth * Success * Acceleration™.  The article was written by JK Harris, the founder of Flashpoints Consulting, LLC and of JK Harris & Company, the nation’s largest tax resolution firm. In that article he outlined the 9 Ways to Prepare for Growth and Acceleration which are.

1. Know what growth means for you and your company.
   To prepare for something, you have to know what it is and how you’ll recognize it. Growth is more than just hitting a set of numbers–it’s a package that includes changes to your company in terms of operations, production, systems and staffing (team). In addition, think about what growth means to you personally. What will your life be like when your company grows and the profits increase? How hard are you going to have to work? Are you ready and willing to do what it takes?

2. Maintain relationships with your funding sources.
   The faster you grow the more cash you’re likely to need. Growth financing is every bit as hard — if not harder — to obtain than startup funding. Do regular cash-flow projections so that you know how much credit you’re going to need well before you have to start writing checks.

Develop and maintain strong relationships with your funding sources and be sure to have primary and backup sources available. In today’s financial climate, it’s harder than ever to predict credit availability, so stay on top of your cash and financial needs to give yourself  plenty of room to maneuver when it’s time to borrow.

3. Get comfortable being in the spotlight.
   Successful owners of growing companies are almost always in the spotlight to some degree — maybe not always to the general public but certainly within their industry and with their employees. Be prepared for a level of attention that you probably haven’t received before.

4. Hire people based on where you want to be, not where you are.
   The team that can successfully run a $1 million company is not the same team that can run a $100 million company. If your goal is Growth * Success * Acceleration™, hire people who can perform in the size company you want to be–they’ll help you get there.

5. Put the right people in the right places.
   The right people doing the right jobs are absolutely critical to sustain growth. Conduct whole person assessments and job benchmarking.  This will allow you to take a systematic approach to hiring and career development, which will reduce mis-hires and constant employee turnover.

Be sure to check back on tomorrow for Part 2 of 9 Ways to Prepare for Growth, Success and Acceleration where I will give you the last 4 ways to prepare for to prepare for Growth * Success * Acceleration.

© 2012 Dr. Laureen Wishom

To receive a copy of Elevations™, the newsletter that is “Helping Women Soar to Be the Best and Beyond™”, please enter your contact information below.

*updated 2-14-12*

Most of you who follow me on a consistent basis know that I have a great deal of admiration and respect for the late Jim Rohn.  He focused on the fundamentals of human behavior that most affected personal and business performance.

His is the standard to which those who seek to teach and inspire others are compared. He possessed the unique ability to bring extraordinary insights to ordinary principles and events, and the combination of his substance and style captures the imagination of those who heard or read his words.  Mr. Rohn is known as one of the great wordsmiths of our time.

When I watched this video, I just had to share it with you.

© 2011 Dr. Laureen Wishom

To receive a copy of Elevations™, the newsletter that is “Helping Women Soar to Be the Best and Beyond™”, please enter your contact information below.