The TRUST Show

S7E6: Pay Transparency and Trust

Do you talk about your salary with coworkers? Is it OK to discuss salary? A survey shows that 42% of Gen-Z employees will share salary information with a coworker (compared to 19% of Baby Boomers). Another survey shows that 63% of employees prefer to work at a company that discloses pay information, but only 19% of the companies do that. This episode will answer a few questions: can you keep salaries a secret? And more importantly: what does it do to trust? (employees' trust in the company and their trust in each other). Finally, what should you do about it?

S7E5: Should You be a TRUSTED Customer?

In my 2018 survey, I asked about, among other types of roles, the most important quality you have in a salesperson trying to sell you something. Trustworthiness was the most important quality in salespeople 76.7% of the time, more than in any of the five other relationships and roles (the average was 61.2%). But, I never asked about the trustworthiness of the customer. Should you, as a customer, be trustworthy or care about being trusted by salespeople? What is it that you need to be trusted at? What is the risk to you if you are not trusted? And how does this spill over to other customers?

S7E4: TRUST, ANTITRUST, and Can You Trust a Competitor?

Can you trust a competitor? Should you trust a competitor? And where does antitrust comes into play? Trusting a competitor can be tricky because of the Symmetry component of the relative trustworthiness model. Competitors, by definition, are on opposite sides of the wall. However, at times, they are not. Those times could lead to behaviors that hurt the public and are prohibited by antitrust laws, but also to growing a market, sharing best principles, and other activities that serve the public good. How can you tell?

S7E3: TRUST, Marriage, and Divorce

This is the third part in the two-part episode(s) that opened this season. The relative trustworthiness model and the 8 laws of trust apply to every relationship, and in this episode, completely disconnected from the 10 causes for divorce cited in the previous two episodes, the model will be applied to why some marriages last, and some end up in divorce. It all has to do with risk, fear, trust, safety, and danger. The episode concludes with some advice for couples considering getting married on how to assure the beginning of a happy and sustainable marriage. 

S7E2: TRUST, DISTRUST, and Divorce, Part II

This is the second of a two-part mini-series about the relationship between trust, distrust, and divorce. This episode will cover unrealistic expectations, lack of intimacy, lack of equality, being unprepared for marriage, and physical and emotional abuse. Each one will be linked to a component of the relative trust model. 

S7E1: TRUST, DISTRUST, and Divorce, Part I

A recent article cited the top ten reasons for divorce (it is estimated that 50% of U.S. marriages end in divorce). Personally, I believe that all divorces are really caused by one reason: a decline in trust below the level required to sustain the marriage. This is the first episode in a two-part mini-series about the link between trust and divorce. In this episode, I will discuss infidelity, financial trouble, lack of communication, constant arguing, and weight gain. This episode will show the relationship between each one of those and the components of the relative trust model. 

S6E12: TRUST, Micromanagement, and TRUST again

This is the 66^th episode of this podcast, and every now and then I will repeat something I discussed in a previous episode for several reasons. One is that it has been a long time since I discussed the topic, and it’s important enough to discuss again, but the other is that my thinking is evolving, after applying the Trust Habits model and process to many organizations and individuals, and I want to share my latest thinking about a topic. So, today I will touch on a topic that I discussed in episode 6 of the first season, in June of last year: The relationship between micromanagement and trust, and give leaders actionable advice, some of which is not the advice you would expect, or want to hear.

S6E11: White Lies, Half-Truths, and TRUST, Part II

This is the second part of a two-part episode explaining how a person considers whether to trust you more, less, or the same as a result of you telling them a white lie or only half the truth. This episode includes a model with five factors that affect that decision, and a few additional examples of how that model can be applied.

S6E10: White Lies, Half-Truths, and TRUST, Part I

When is it OK to tell a white lie or only half truth? Many people asked this question will give a definite answer, many of whom will say “never” or “always.” But the reality is that it depends on how the person you are telling that half-truth or white lie to considers it. This is the first part of a two-part episode on how the trust that the other person has in you will change as a result, because trust is relative and personal.

S6E9: Why is it so Hard to Assess TRUSTWORTHINESS?

Over the past 14 years, I observed 8 laws of trust. The last one is that trust is a two-person game. The level of trust someone has in you is the product of their trustability (their willingness to trust other people) and your trustworthiness. You can do almost nothing about the former, and everything you can do about the latter—your trustworthiness. So, the starting point in building trust in an organization, or any relationship, is to build your trustworthiness. And the first step in solving any problem is recognizing there is one. To build trust, we must, therefore, first assess trustworthiness. I looked up tools to assess trustworthiness, but I’m afraid that, given the 8 laws of trust, and mainly the fact that trust is relative, those tools won’t work. In this episode, I will explain why an existing off-the-shelf trustworthiness assessment will not work but also describe how you should assess trust.