At JKL Associates, we engage our clients under the Promise Culture Model. It is a framework to build a successful, stable, sustainable, and profitable business upon. At its core are Purpose, Values, Principles, and the various relationships of all the parties to the organization. The framework or platform is the structure or foundation, but in order for it to flourish, the relationships – the people-to-people intersection MUST be rooted in trust. An organization can have a well-articulated purpose, vision, mission, and the like, but when the behaviors and actions of the people are contrary to those words, then trust fails.
Trust, like a reputation, takes time and concerted effort to build. Equally so, both can be destroyed in moments. A careless decision or remark can now be heard around the world in seconds over social media and internet channels. The impact on trust is usually quite substantial, even if people don’t outwardly discuss or show displeasure.
How does this lack of trust show up in the workplace?
As you ponder your business this week, consider the following areas to see if a breakdown in trust is contributing to the challenge.
Turnover – If you are experiencing unplanned turnover, where team members are leaving for other organizations, do you pause to consider whether the relationship between the team members and the organization has eroded trust? It takes some strong self-introspection, but we might not realize that the organization actually caused the employee to start looking elsewhere due to a situation where the employee began to feel a breakdown in trust.
Customer/Client erosion – It is almost impossible to retain every customer and client throughout a business’s lifespan, so some ebb and flow of revenue sources does take place. On the other hand, are there any peaks or valleys in revenue that can be attributed to the organization’s breach of trust with its customers/clients?
Vendor Issues – The vendors you select to be part of your overall solution need to be in alignment with your organization’s culture and trust model. When vendor relationships are based solely on low price and not the overall value of the vendor/organization relationship, trust will always be a challenge.
As leaders in the culture and trust-building effort, our core purpose, values, principles, and expectations MUST align with our thoughts, behaviors, decisions, and execution efforts. When these are out of alignment, variation enters the organization, causing it to wobble and eventually spin out of control over time.
If you are in the startup phase of your organization, now is the time to establish a solid foundation to build upon for the future. If your business is maturing and has been around a while, it is never too late to get the entire organization on the same culture and trust platform. If you are entering the perpetuation stage of your business, then having a solid foundation, a solid culture, and solid trust adds value to your business in the marketplace because it will realize greater revenues, higher profits, and demonstrable growth.
Let a Promise Guide from JKL Associates be a “Partner in progress.” Give us a call at MI (313) 527-7945 or FL (407) 984-7246
Journey On!
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QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS – EMAIL US AT PARTNERS@JKLASSOCIATES.COM OR CALL OUR OFFICES – MI AT (313) 527-7945 FL AT (407) 984-7246
Celebrating 30 years of Delivering on “Promises”
