by Andrea Howe | Nov 15, 2023 | Monthly-ish tips
This post is part of our Monthly-ish Tips series.
I had a really great experience with a customer support person not too long ago, via chat no less. It wasn’t because they were uber-friendly (which oddly tends to annoy me); it was because they did something really simple and distinctive early on that relates to the more rational side of trust-building (which is where most are more comfortable anyway). And few of us do this enough—or consistently enough—with our own clients, whatever the communication medium.
by Andrea Howe | Oct 16, 2023 | Monthly-ish tips
This post is part of our Monthly-ish Tips series.
I was recently interviewed for a podcast and asked at the end, “What advice would you give your 20-year-old self?” My answer reminded me of a cautionary tale from the early days of my consulting career. I think there’s a good bit of generalized wisdom in my story about everyone’s relationship to authority, and how that can cost us in terms of trust and relationship-building.
by Andrea Howe | Sep 25, 2023 | Monthly-ish tips
This post is part of our Monthly-ish Tips series.
Today’s tip is my first “post reboot” tip. While deciding what to write about it occurred to me that there’s value for us all to consider how a good reboot is especially beneficial to anyone doing the rewarding—and sometimes tiring—work of a service-oriented role. (Consultants and more, you know who you are.)
by Andrea Howe | Jan 3, 2023 | Monthly-ish tips
This post is part of our Monthly-ish Tips series.
It’s the first week back at work for many of us in the new year, which means that any resolutions resolutely declared are within about 10 days of faltering—at least according to psychologists who say we typically do well for the first couple of weeks and then backslide. So I’m reprising my plea that we all try something a little different this year. Brace yourself because it may sound more than a little woo-woo.
Ready?
by Andrea Howe | Nov 13, 2022 | Monthly-ish tips
This post is part of our Monthly-ish Tips series.
My spouse and I were recently on the hunt for a favorite electrician for house stuff—one that would finally be our “go to” to call on, after having tried several. This one came so close. And then they made a trust-related mistake that had nothing to do with the quality of their work. I recognize the mistake as one that a lot of sellers make, especially in professional services. Do you?
by Andrea Howe | Sep 18, 2022 | Monthly-ish tips
This post is part of our Monthly-ish Tips series.
We spend an outsized amount of time in our programs focusing on how to increase your own trustworthiness proactively and specifically, since it’s the only thing you can actually control. A recent situation reminded me of content that my co-author Charlie Green and I recorded some years ago for our video learning library that answers the question, “What do you do when others show up in untrustworthy ways?”
by Andrea Howe | Sep 5, 2022 | Monthly-ish tips
This post is part of our Monthly-ish Tips series.
I originally shared this Weekly Tip three years ago, and at the time I didn’t know the identity of the person who offered the unconventional offer it describes. I had forgotten about the post until just the other day when I had a chance to meet this awesome person, in person. I’m reprising it because it’s such a great lesson in a much more trustworthy way to think about “competition” that’s worthy of emulation.
by Andrea Howe | Aug 21, 2022 | Monthly-ish tips
This post is part of our Monthly-ish Tips series.
Image via Flickr by Alex E. Proimos
Of the 200,000+ people who have taken Trusted Advisor Associates’ online Trust Quotient™ self-assessment (TQ for short) they rate their own reliability higher than any of the other three variables of the trust equation (and nearly 21% higher than intimacy). Unfortunately, few of us are as good as we think for reasons I will reveal in short order.
by Andrea Howe | Jul 25, 2022 | Monthly-ish tips
This post is part of our Monthly-ish Tips series.
I wrote the first version of this Tip back in 2018. So much has changed. And yet some things haven’t. I was tired back then and shared a way I had found to re-energize myself at work that I thought would be helpful. Fast forward a few years, through (and still in) a pandemic along with many other challenging things in the world. I bet I’m not the only one who’s feeling at least a little worn at the edges. Hence the reprise.
by Andrea Howe | Jun 20, 2022 | Monthly-ish tips
This post is part of our Monthly-ish Tips series.
I’ve said for years that referring to someone by name is a quick and simple trust-builder. That’s because being intentional about acknowledging others in this very personal way accelerates intimacy. It would stand to reason then that forgetting their name, or fumbling around about how to pronounce it, would sound the death knell for trust, no? Actually, no. The implications are significant, but only in terms of how you choose to handle it.
