Trust and Trustworthiness

Trust and Trustworthiness

Who trusts you? And Who do you trust?

John Fisher

Chief Value Officer NET(net), Inc.

TEEPEE

March 21, 2012

Trust & Trustworthiness

Just what is Trust?

We readily give it and strive hard to earn it…..with each other, with our clients and with our business partners

Trust is earned, not assumed!

• Acquired through open, honest and complete communication with the other party.

• Maintained by predictable dependable behavior.

• Nourished through mutual respect and an understanding of the value it derives.

March 21, 2012 © 2006-2012 All Rights Reserved - John Fisher 2

Trust Exercise

List the names of people you

trust: (Friends, Family,

associates, clients)

1

3

2

4

Explain why you trust the

people on the list

List the names of people or

things you do NOT trust

What would have to happen

to make you trust this person

or thing?

Source: The Dooley Group


What did we learn?

• There were a few surprises

• There were some contradictions

• Common elements of Trust

• Predictability

• Shared positive experiences

• Common History – it doesn’t happen quickly

• Honesty – no hidden agendas

• Clarity about intentions

• Taking care to do the right things

• Isn’t always both ways

• Often based on faith/belief

• Time can change it – so can circumstances


What did we learn?

• You should know your own trust framework

• Think about what it takes to get trust in the first place

• How is it different to regain trust in an organization

versus trust in a person?

• What does it take to get trust back?

• Does it take 15 years vs. 15 minutes or 15 days?

• Can it ever be regained?


Is IT or the CIO Trustworthy?

• What are we doing to build trust?

• What are we doing to destroy trust?

• Projects are late

• Expectations are not clarified

• We often don’t communicate changes in plan or intention

• IT is often an Institution or a “thing”

• Trust in Things is hard to develop and easy to lose

• Every customer encounter can build or destroy Trust

• Technology is often difficult to understand, • But is very important to our clients

• The way organizations use technology often changes • Even in the middle of a project

• Constant communications is a key to keeping trust


Trust & Trustworthiness

Fostering trust, confidence & support from your

clients and business partners

• Communicating Goals of the Project/Organization

• Understanding Expectations

• Managing Challenging Times

• Reporting Bad News Effectively

• Build a Good History of Your Engagements


Trust Building Ideas

• Always prepare your business partners prior to a meeting that will contain controversial issues. • Poll members, understand their position and work behind the

scenes to reach as much consensus as possible

• Outline and present the core issue as you perceive it in order to avoid misperceptions

• Full disclosure on all issues. No surprises. All relevant

information disclosed

• Kept current on all matters of interest or importance.


Communicating Bad News Effectively

• Your clients do not like surprises. • The skill is knowing when to prepare them for the potential of bad

news vs. distracting them with non critical matters

• They want to be informed of potentially adverse news when there is still time for their suggestions and input

• With the delivery of bad news be prepared to quantify the financial impact, offer alternative strategies to recovery and demonstrate a willingness to solicit their advice


NASA Challenger Example

• January 28, 1986, the

space shuttle Challenger

exploded shortly after

launch

• Seven Astronauts died

because two rubber O-

rings leaked due to cold

temperatures

• Engineers from Morton

Thiokol wanted to abort

the flight

10 March 21, 2012 © 2006-2012 All Rights Reserved - John Fisher


• Here are the

actual graphs

and charts

they used to

communicate

the issues to

NASA

management.

11

--Edward Tufte (1997) Visual and Statistical Thinking : Displays of Evidence for Making Decisions, p. 24

March 21, 2012 © 2006-2012 All Rights Reserved - John Fisher


12


• A total of 13 charts were used.

• Only 6 had data on either launch temperature or O-Ring failure

• None showed the relationship between the two


NASA Challenger Example • Here is a better approach

• A simple scatter plot demonstrates how far out of range the proposed launch temperatures were.

• Lesson: Keep It Simple!

13


Relationship of

O-Ring Failure

to Temperature

Temperature at

launch was projected

to be between 26°F

and 39°F. Any launch

below 55°F was likely

to experience O-Ring

failure


What can we do to keep Trust?

• Make sure there is a clear understanding of expectations

• Examine why things did not go well (openly review without blame)

• Don’t over-react or people will become paralyzed to make decisions.

• Never violate it!......It means more than any single issue that may be at hand.


Some Things to Think About

• First impressions are often lasting impressions • Do a good job the first time

• Every impression counts • Each person representing IT can impact the trust of any client

they come into contact with

• Once lost or damaged, trust is difficult to restore

• Trust in an organization or institution is easier to lose and more difficult to restore than trust in an individual

• Clients will forgive a mistake much faster than a lapse in trustworthy behavior

• Once you have establish a high degree of trust, inevitable mistakes will be more easily accepted.


Questions


Thank You !