Trust is one of the essential values within human social interaction; it is based on a gradual construction of ties, and as such it does not happen overnight.
As with human beings, in the process of building trust, a company needs to establish and test links in different contexts (for example, with its employees, suppliers and customers).
From the quality of the experience resulting from these links, it will be possible to establish whether or not the company will have confidence in its internal or external allies.
-What it means to be a trustworthy company
A trustworthy company is one that, throughout its history, has demonstrated the ability to respond, resolve, understand and accompany different types of situations through its brands, products and services.
As we see, trust is an active value, not something abstract, as if it were a dictionary definition.
Trust is fostered in small actions repeated over time; for example, compliance, good treatment, providing various alternative solutions to the same problem for the customer to choose, taking responsibility for the problems and what may arise, assuming the costs of their mistakes and sharing the achievements .
-One of the highest aspirations that is lost in a second
Any company or organization needs the trust to act with integrity and generate positive perceptions and realities around its daily management. This value is part of an essential aspirational to which every individual and company aspires.
Building trust is a top value, highly appreciated and that directly influences your reputation and image.
As the term indicates, it generates reliability, the ability to know that you are supported by that company and its members, and to know that they will be able to count on it in different contexts and circumstances.
It is known that, as it is constructed, any minimal intentional or accidental act can cause it to be lost, quickly and inevitably affecting multiple organizational dimensions.
It is common to see how companies lose credibility, image, ethics, reputation, positioning, and the built chain of other values is dismantled, such as respect, seriousness, loyalty, built history and a sense of transcendence.
When trust is broken, it cannot be patched; it broke, and it is the same as in a couple or friendship: it can continue, although there will be something that has been broken and cannot be completely repaired.
For example, as a social group, in practically every country in the world you do not believe in politicians: they are associated with the stain of corruption, of living on the state with the taxes of citizens. And that (until now) they have not known or assumed or corrected. Their egocentrism does not allow them, and, protected by what they call "the system", they continue on the same wheel, although nobody believes them and they have totally fallen on the lowest threshold of consideration that a human can have, which is to be a person you can't trust.
-Why trust is lost
The process of loss of confidence occurs due to several factors. Fundamentally, for violating the ethics of their activities, acts of corruption, scams, abuses, mistreatment by employees and officials, failures in their promises and fulfillments and for disappointing the expectation that they themselves had generated.
Although a single detail can completely affect that construction that has taken years and even centuries.
-Recovery strategies
To regain confidence, if the case is very serious, the stage of that brand or company is usually terminated; and to initiate another one of similar activities, with the cost that this takes not only in money but in time.
If there has been a trust problem that has broken and is sporadic (a unique case, for example), it is advisable to immediately implement the crisis management protocol that each small, medium or large company must have.
This protocol defines the steps to be followed, the decision levels, the main actors in crisis management and the measurement of internal and external implications.
For example, one of the main failures for which companies lose confidence is the lack of humility to accept mistakes. In my opinion, this is often based on the arrogance of managers and lawyers, who want to cover the sun with their hands, with money or with power.
The act of humility in acknowledging a mistake can save the confidence crisis, although efforts will have to be made and it must be demonstrated for a long time that the course has been rectified so that those who feel involved can trust again.
-7 ways to build business confidence
1-Continuous training at all levels: Train your managers and teams in values and new types of leadership, such as collaborative and conscious.
2-Communication: Communicate permanently; transparency and clarity at all levels. This implies an authentic open door policy inside and outside the company.
3-Consistency: Actions consistent with what is promoted.
4-Total responsibility: Be socially responsible, bear the consequences, and not just pretend.
5-Detect needs and satisfy them to measure: Personalize the links. Act in the social fabric detecting the primary needs of people, and look for ways to satisfy them as required.
6-Open dialogue: Open channels of dialogue with your internal and external audiences (honest, serious and solid channels). Assertive communication; quality feedback (not just satisfaction surveys).
7-Humility and registration of the other: Have humility and recognize mistakes, taking corrective actions that exceed the expectations of those who are affected. This involves registering the other; maintain quality ties, and when errors appear, take charge of remedying what corresponds.
These are practices that, sustained over time and embedded in the culture of the company, result in the generation of trust in people.
Daniel Colombo is a Facilitator and Executive Coach Master specialized in CEOs, senior management, professionals and teams; professional communicator; international speaker; author of 30 books. LinkedIn Top Voice Latin America 2019.
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