For this week’s post, I’m going to reprint an email I received from Gary Ryan Blair, founder of the 100 Day Challenge for achieving your goals and dreams. He talks about the importance of trust in a relationship. He pretty well covers the whole story. It has some links in it if you are interested in joining his next challenge. I highly recommend it. I’ve learned a lot and gained some valuable insights. Here’s his message:
“Whether you realize it or not, one indispensable
quality affects every relationship in your life.
It determines whether you realize your dreams,
both personal and professional.
It virtually defines you to others. Without it, true
success is impossible.
Your ability to demonstrate this quality impacts every
relationship, every communication, every work project,
every business venture, every effort in which you’re
engaged.
It changes the quality of every present moment and
alters the trajectory and outcome of every future
moment of your life.
On the other hand, if developed and leveraged, this
one thing has the potential to create unparalleled
success and prosperity in every dimension of life.
Yet, it is the least understood, most neglected, and
most underestimated possibility of our time.
That one thing is TRUST.”
Simply put, trust is confidence in an individual or
organization. It is other people feeling good about
relying on you. And its value can hardly be overstated.
Trustworthiness is the universally accepted test of good
character.
When you trust someone, you have confidence in his or her
honesty and abilities. You can delegate things easily and
effectively.
You can relax. You have peace of mind. But when you doubt
someone’s integrity, question his accomplishments, or worry
about his agenda, confidence is replaced by suspicion and
anxiety.
Take a moment and picture someone you trust implicitly.
It could be a spouse, a parent, a sibling, a friend, or a
business associate.
How does this relationship make you feel?
How easily do you communicate?
How quickly do things get done?
Now imagine someone you distrust. How does this relationship
feel?
How easily do you communicate?
Do you enjoy this relationship… or is it complicated, high-
maintenance and draining?
The difference between a high-trust and low-trust relationship
is night and day. In a high-trust relationship, you can say
the wrong thing and your listener still understands you.
In a low-trust relationship, you can choose your words carefully,
be very precise, and you may still be misunderstood.
Sadly, trust is at an ebb in our society. A Harris poll reveals
that only 27% of Americans trust the government, only 22% trust
the media, only 12% trust big companies, and only 8% trust
political parties.
Personal trust is waning, too. Many people nowadays look back
on contracts or commitments as something to negotiate.
Half of all marriages end in divorce. Many (perhaps most) of
them founder on a lack of trust.
Each of us naturally gravitates away from individuals we can’t
believe or rely on and towards those we can.
Low trust is the very definition of a bad relationship. And
once you forfeit someone’s confidence, it’s awfully hard to
win it back.
This is particularly true in business. We all survive by
selling a product, service or skill. Yet every sale has five
basic obstacles: no need, no money, no hurry, no desire, no
trust.
If trust is lacking, forget the other four. You’re done!
The moment someone suspects your motives, everything you do
becomes tainted.
That’s why successful companies make a priority of building
and maintaining confidence.
John Whitney, Professor Emeritus of Management at Columbia
Business School, estimates that mistrust doubles the cost of
doing business.
You may have the best product, great service, competitive
pricing, mountains of supporting facts and figures, and
testimonials galore.
But if you don’t command and deserve trust, you will not enjoy
long-term success.
It is never enough to simply invite trust. It must be earned.
In personal relationships, that means handling responsibility,
proving your credibility, allowing yourself to be relied upon
again and again.
It’s not just about integrity. It’s about looking out for the
other person’s interests as well as your own.
Employers build trust with employees by assigning them important
responsibilities, giving them the freedom to make mistakes, and
setting an example.
Real leadership is about getting results in ways that inspire
confidence.
In a world that changes as quickly as ours, trust is a critical
factor. It is the vital currency.
Business consultant Tom Peters calls trust “the issue of the
decade.”
Trust makes work easier and more productive. It makes relationships
stable and predictable. It creates a sense of community.
That’s why it’s crucial that we not violate it. Trust can take
years
to build but only a moment to destroy. And you may not get an
opportunity to even try to restore it.
For each of us – and for every organization – trust is something to
be built up, protected, valued, cherished, and carefully preserved.
It is the one thing that changes everything.
As a participant in the 100 Day Challenge, I hope by now that
I’ve earned your trust, and ask that you help me in spreading
the good word about this very special program.
Our next launch takes place on September 22nd, which as you
know marks the final 100 days of the year.
Please help make a difference by sharing this note and
inviting your friends, family and colleagues to participant
in our upcoming launch.
You can pass along this link knowing full well that I’ll take
very good care of them for you.
http://clicks.aweber.com/y/ct/?l=JxIfA&m=3izJiE._SQy4Ayj&b=swTcVYJFEb8VUXD2DAR4zQ
There are so many new and exciting updates that will be
enjoyed and appreciated by all.
Thank you so much for your support and my very best to you.
Everything Counts!
Gary Ryan Blair
P.S. Help Make A Difference By Sharing This Article With
Your Friends, Family and Colleagues.”
http://clicks.aweber.com/y/ct/?l=JxIfA&m=3izJiE._SQy4Ayj&b=swTcVYJFEb8VUXD2DAR4zQ