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Trust Training: I’m Not Sure I Can Trust It!       

Bruce Hendrick • Aug 06, 2019

You’ve heard something about the workshop offered by Building Trust, but due to the, well, trust issues at work, you have some serious misgivings about it. If so, you’re not alone. If you’re willing, let’s look at this question head-on.

At work, is this you?

  1. You wish you could trust all your coworkers, and that they could trust you.
  2. Much of the daily stress you feel can be traced back to weak relationships or mistrust.
  3. You observe yourself documenting minute details just in case you ever get challenged, and you know others are doing this too.
  4. You try to manage people’s reactions more often than you address the core business issues. It’s frustrating you and wasting valuable time.
  5. During your commute, you find yourself practicing what to say instead of relaxing in confidence and comfort with your coworkers.
  6. A coworker did (or didn’t do) something ten years ago, and it still bothers you. You wrote them off as untrustworthy, but you need to work together. Your fake smile is wearing you down.
  7. You messed up ten years ago. Others won’t let it go.
  8. Decisions take too long or are poorly made. Meetings can be torture. We email each other to avoid face-to-face interactions.

If more than one of the above describes your environment, then trust-building help is a great opportunity. You likely know the high price already being paid for your over-polite yet unhealthy atmosphere.

But it’s not that easy. Trust-related training feels risky, especially if the people with whom you struggle may be in the same room. Common concerns are:

  • “This sounds like the training we need, but what if it blows up?”
  • “We have a rebel who could turn this training into a circus. No, thank you.”
  • “What if a key person leaves us because of what comes out in the training session?”
  • “Nobody is going to open up, so this training is probably not going to affect the real world.”

BTE training is not therapy. Instead, it’s two full days of applied, interactive learning that is focused on improving awareness about behaviors that build and erode trust between people. It brings participants out of auto-pilot mode. We become more intentional about communicating – and listening – in ways that value others. We start to see how we’ve been contributing to our trust-challenged environment. And we practice new and straightforward approaches to build stronger trust foundations in the future.

The atmosphere of these sessions is friendly, understanding, and fun. Barriers drop quickly as people discover that everyone has strengths, weaknesses, and blind spots when it comes to working relationships and trust.

The instructor, Bruce Hendrick , has taught thousands of trust-builders from all walks of life. While doing so, he has personally led businesses and teams in manufacturing, government, the church, and non-profits as well. Course material is not just theory or the latest book summary. It represents a lifetime spent in the trenches, navigating difficult trust issues at home and building award-winning businesses with high-trust/high mojo cultures. Bruce knows how to challenge folks to dig deep, to diffuse difficult situations without embarrassment, and to bring conversations back to solid ground. In their feedback, many say that BTE training is the best they’ve ever attended, on any subject.

Reinforcement

Sometimes, self-awareness and the shared BTE learning experience are all that’s needed to break your logjam of mistrust. Over time, leaders can then demonstrate trust-building behaviors and hold the organization to a new, higher standard.

Occasionally it requires supplemental professional Coaching and targeted Team Training for long-term change to take root. Fortunately, Bruce/Building Trust offers both of these reinforcing services.

If you’re still on the fence, many former participants would be glad to share their before-, during-, and after-BTE experiences with you. To speak with them directly, please let us know. We’ll get you their contact information. How’s that for trust, eh?

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