Blog

Why We Teach Trust-Building

Recently, I offended a coworker in public with an offhand “joke” that cut deeply. At the time, I had no idea what I said bothered him because he, like most of us in that situation, masked his inner reaction to save face – both his and mine. I continued with my day,...

read more

How do You Know When to Call?

How do you know when to call in a trust and leadership trainer/coach? Quick! Without over-analyzing, choose the word below that best describes your current work environment:   Outstanding. Frequent risk-taking, open communication, collegiality, and trust....

read more

A new future built on trust

I’ve had a lot of people ask me, “why the career change?” when I left social work to work for Building Trust. And some who are probably thinking, “why hire a social worker to run a business”? I can’t speak for Bruce’s decision to choose me over other candidates, but I...

read more

The Great Reevaluation

We’ve heard that contentment is not having what we want; it’s wanting what we have. But this framework itself comes from an achievement mentality that seems to be losing its appeal these days. “Wanting” and “having” are no longer the driving forces they used to be.

read more

Want More Trust?

In my training and coaching work with organizations, I encounter folks who want meaningful connections with coworkers, friends, and family members. They leave our workshops feeling energized and well-equipped to break down barriers that get in the way of gutsy collaboration and good mojo. However, sometimes, within a couple of months, what seems like a new opportunity to open things up with other people becomes a heavy lift.

Can you relate? Of course! Me, too.

read more

Building Trust Without Collaborating

Wait, what?

In my latest book on 60 ways to build trust, collaboration is highlighted as the best way to deal with conflict. And yet there are situations when it’s appropriate not to collaborate, too. In 1974, Kenneth W. Thomas and Ralph H. Kilmann published an insightful tool that indicates how a person uses five forms, or “modes,” of handling conflict: avoiding, accommodating, compromising, competing, and collaborating.

When it comes to trust-building, I usually work with clients to find the way forward that allows mutual safety, transparency, and assertiveness, which requires some amount of time and risk-taking from both parties. Given this ideal context, let’s look at when to employ the alternatives to collaboration.

read more

This is our Moment.

With this post, I may end my political aspirations, but it’s a price I’m willing to pay. Before I make my point, in fairness, I begin with some personal disclosure. I grew up in a white, middle-class family in Ohio, USA. Boy Scouts and baseball were my things. I was...

read more