Survey question: What’s the biggest trust de-railer we all face right now?

Jot down your answer or make a quick mental note if you’re not able to write something down at this moment.

With the massive influx of webinars and articles on “the top seven ways to work better as a virtual team,” I’m opting to go granular this week by sharing a simple trust-building meeting practice that works with groups as small as two and as big as forty—whether you’re virtual or in-person or some combo.

Some of you know I recently led my first women-only workshop on trust-based business development. This has me reflecting on a lot of things, including a cautionary tale from the early days of my consulting career. This Weekly Tip might in fact speak more to women than men, though I have a hunch there’s a good bit of generalized wisdom in it about everyone’s relationship to authority, and how that can cost us in terms of trust and relationship-building.

Those who know me know I readily admit to being grossly (and unapologetically) ignorant when it comes to just about anything sports related. Only every once-in-a-while a news story will catch my eye, as was the case the other day with American basketball superstar LeBron James. LeBron had an important message for his critics, and it’s one we can all learn from.

Image credit: Tom Hodgkinson – Flickr

I’m not the only one who struggles to manage email. Recall the McKinsey study revealing that the average “interaction worker” spends 28% of work week managing email. (I’m not sure what an “interaction worker” is, but I’m pretty sure I am one.) This equates to nearly three hours per day, on average. Add meetings on top of that, along with the actual work we’re expected to get done, and we’ve got a reliability crisis on our hands.

This just in from a former workshop participant, and reprinted with permission. It’s a really great reminder that sometimes the reason we don’t hear back from clients has everything to do with them, and not you.

I’ve been on the receiving end of a collection of reach-outs recently: a voice mail, a series of emails, and a bunch of LinkedIn invitations. Each and every one has bugged me a little; the collection has put me over the top. So it’s time for a plea to all these well-meaning people—the ones you are more like than you might realize.