Leadership Is Your Competitive Advantage
Building Extraordinary Trust Into Your Everyday Life
John T. Perez, P.E.President – Cognascents02 March 2011Houston Organization Development Network
Leadership Is Your Competitive Advantage
John T. Perez, P.E.
Now:1. Great wife and four enjoyable children
2. President of Cognascents – leadership, strategy, delivery excellence, process safety consulting
3. Currently enrolled in Rice’s Executive MBA program
4. Member of Rice CHBE Alumni Advisory Board
5. Board member of neighborhood civic association
6. Active with Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo
Past:7. B.S. Chemical Engineering – Rice University
8. Rohm & Haas – process engineer
9. Berwanger – process engineer / business development manager
10. Celerity3 Engineering – owner / PHA facilitator
11. Lloyd’s Register – President of Celerity3/Capstone
Leadership Is Your Competitive Advantage
Brand Loyalty?
1. Is there a brand you are loyal to?
2. What is the product?
3. Why are you loyal to the brand?
4. What would need to happen to break the relationship?
Leadership Is Your Competitive Advantage
Brand loyalty
• What are these?• What do they mean to
you?• What feelings do they
evoke?• Do you trust them?• Are you a go-to brand?
1 Interbrand. “Best Global Brands 2010.” 2010 Rankings. http://www.interbrand.com/en/best-global-brands/best-global-brands-2008/best-global-brands-2010.aspx.
Leadership Is Your Competitive Advantage
Guideposts
1. What is trust?
2. What is extraordinary trust?
3. Why is trust important?
4. How do you build it?
5. No really, how do you build it?
6. Key takeaways
Leadership Is Your Competitive Advantage
What is trust?
• Person’s belief (not fact?)• Cultivated over time• Competence• Reliability• Consistency• Relevance (value similarity)• Honesty• Benevolence• Vulnerable to other’s actions• Reasonable expectation for
another to behave/decide in way beneficial to you
Remember these?Anything sound familiar?
Leadership Is Your Competitive Advantage
What is extraordinary trust?
• Extraordinarily stronger
• Seemingly perpetual political capital
• Second nature• Faith
+
• Person’s belief (not fact?)• Cultivated over time• Competence• Reliability• Consistency• Relevance (value similarity)• Honesty• Benevolence• Vulnerable to other’s actions• Reasonable expectation for
another to behave/decide in way beneficial to you
Leadership Is Your Competitive Advantage
Why is trust important?
• Experience-based decision rule that allows humans to deal with complexities requiring unrealistic rational reasoning
• Makes social life predictable (structure)
• Creates sense of community (belonging)
• Makes it easier for people to work together
• No hidden agendas
• No wasted time
Leadership Is Your Competitive Advantage
Trust and Leadership
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Knowing who's on boardRelationships matter
Trimming the sailsInnovation and delivery excellence
Steering the boatAlign and motivate
Taking the helmSetting and conveying the direction
Preserving the hullWatertight integrity of your organization
Laying the keelKnowing your center
Find the Wind™ Framework
Leadership Is Your Competitive Advantage
Trust and Your Organization
Innovation & Delivery Excellence
Self Leaders Organization
Marketing & SalesMarketplace
Strategy & Communication
Flow of Traits, Values, & Culture-Setting
Flow of Alignment & Motivation
Represent relationships
1 2
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Leadership Is Your Competitive Advantage
How do you build trust?
1. Know your excellent self
2. Be your excellent self consistently
3. Make decisions using moral compass
4. Hold reasonable expectations of others (assumes expectations are clearly defined)
5. Do not take advantage of others
6. Be honest, fair, competent
Leadership Is Your Competitive Advantage
How do you build it specifically?
1. Define your excellent self
2. Practice acting consistently authentic until it is a habit Rigorous decision-making process Playscripting Role-playing
3. Instill structure and organization in all you do
4. Be ever-vigilant for trust breakdowns
Leadership Is Your Competitive Advantage
Define/Know Your Excellent Self
1. Identify your strengths and weaknesses Assessment (MBTI, Hogan, Birkman, Insights, 360°) Solicit input from friends and family
2. Identify core values/virtues Remember that values have some ethical component Do not confuse values with behaviors Write them down … verbalize them
3. Safeguard against existing/potential character flaws Document practical development action plan Establish checks on biases Be open to and ask for help in changing behavior
Leadership Is Your Competitive Advantage
Acting Consistently Authentic
1. Apply rigorous decision-making process Identify true problem Gather information Evaluate options and consequences of each Synthesize solution based on moral
responsibilities first Apply solution with integrity
2. Practice, practice, practice!
Leadership Is Your Competitive Advantage
Acting Consistently Authentic
1. Playscripting and Role-playing Imagine potential situations What do you see? Write down script of integrity and
process fairness Imagine the rest of the stage Write down play with cast and
characters What do others see? Dress rehearsal
2. Practice, practice, practice!
Leadership Is Your Competitive Advantage
Instill Structure and Organization
1. If you are out of control, then your behavior (i.e. decision-making) will be out of control and inconsistent
2. Manage your time and commitments
3. Don’t make promises you can’t keep!
Leadership Is Your Competitive Advantage
Watch for Trust Breakdowns
1. Dial up your emotional IQ and be aware of the feelings around you
2. Engage your organization
3. Genuinely listen
4. Is this activity a blind spot? Then safeguard it!
Leadership Is Your Competitive Advantage
Key takeaways
1. Trust is a must
2. Define your excellent self
3. Safeguard your blind spots
4. Don’t make lazy decisions
5. Playscript and role-play!
6. Instill structure and organization
7. Strive to be a go-to brand!
Leadership Is Your Competitive Advantage
Sources1. Phillips, D.T. Lincoln On Leadership: Executive Strategies for Tough
Times. Business Plus, Hachette Book Group: 237 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10017. Copyright © 1992.
2. Gentile, M.C. Giving Voice to Values: How to Speak Your Mind When You Know What’s Right. Sheridan Books: Ann Arbor, Michigan. Copyright © 2010.
3. Patterson, K. and J. Grenny, R. McMillan, A. Switzler. crucial conversations: Tools for talking when stakes are high. McGraw-Hill: Two Penn Plaza, New York, NY 10121-2298. Copyright © 2002.
4. Levine, M. et al. Lifescripts for Managers. Macmillan General Reference USA: 1633 Broadway, New York, NY 10019-6785. Copyright © 1999.
5. Kolbell, E. Lifescripts for Family and Friends. Pocket Books: 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020. Copyright © 2002.
6. Jacobides, M.G. “Strategy Tools for a Shifting Landscape.” Harvard Business Review: January-February 2010.