Number 10 by Andrew Lewin, Creative Commons license, Flikr

There are many simple, silly ways an individual, organization, product or institution can lose trust and credibility. Much of my career has been spent identifying these behaviors, pointing them out and helping organizations and individuals find ways to avoid things that hurt so easily, so deeply, and so permanently.

You might find this list helpful in simply predicting the kinds of behaviors that can lead to devastating, trust-busting activities.

1. Don’t involve people in decisions. Suspicions grow and become unstoppable.
2. Hold on to information. The #1 trust-buster in any relationship.
3. Ignore people’s feelings. Truth is 15% facts and data and 85% emotion and the viewer’s point of reference. Feelings matter.
4. Don’t follow up. We send an email and do nothing.
5. Deny mistakes. Denial is management and leadership on the run. Everybody knows and notices.
6. If you don’t know the answer, fake it or duck it. Somebody always knows and speaks up.
7. Use big words. Many smart people believe that if you can’t understand a complicated concept, you don’t matter. Pretty dangerous, dumb, arrogant thinking.
8. Be a bureaucrat. Require receipts, demand documentation, erect barriers.
9. Delay talking to other organizations. Those you fail to tell quickly become critics and enemies. They used to be your friends, coworkers and advocates.
10. Send the engineers. Management believes that facts and data are where the truth lies. The data is used to demonstrate the ignorance of the audience. Making people look dumb doesn’t build trust.

James E. Lukaszewski, ABC, Fellow IABC; APR, Fellow PRSA, BEPS Emeritus

If you have questions, or would like to dive more deeply into the subject of this blog, you can reach me 24/7 at jel@e911.com; 203-948-7029 (voicemail; email, text). I look forward, as a friend and colleague, to helping you achieve the objectives you’ve set for yourself for having a happier, more influential, successful and meaningful career.

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