Sally Bibb and Jeremy Kourdi's new book on fostering trust is given the once over by Emma De Vita
Who is there left to trust?
The British have never been well known for their naive, trusting nature, although people who work in the third sector might be less cynical than most. But the events of recent times have justified every bit of our home-grown cynicism. If it's not bankers awarding themselves big bonuses, it's MPs billing us to have their moats cleaned and ducks rehoused.
Trust is a hot potato for managers right now - how to rebuild it, foster it and make it stronger. In A Question of Trust, Sally Bibb and Jeremy Kourdi lay down the trust rules that every manager should follow.
Work on building trust, which should be genuinely important to you; deliver what you say you will; be true to your word; act with integrity; treat others as you would wish to be treated; and take time to find out how your colleagues work and what motivates them.
What you definitely shouldn't do is betray a confidence, gossip or be critical, cynical, negative or combative. As the authors write: "Trust is not a coat, a temporary 'quick-fix' approach that we can use when it suits us and discard when we choose. It is a genuine belief system." Do people believe in you?
Emma De Vita is books editor of Management Today
