(S X E) T = R

([Strategy times Execution] multiplied by Trust equals Results)

A company can have an execellent strategy and a strong ability to execute, but the net result can be either torpedoed by a low - trust tax or multiplied by a high-trust divident. As one eminent consultant on this topic, Robert SHaw, has said, "Above all, success in business requires two things: a winning competitive strategy, and supurb organizational execution. Distrust is the enemy of both." I submit that while high trust won't necessarily rescue a poor strategy, low trust will almost derail a good one.

on a personal level, high-trust individuals are more likely to be promoted, make more money, receive the best opportunities, and have more fulfilling and joyful relationships.

As New York Times columnist Thomas Frideman observes in The World Is Flat, this new "flat" economy revolves round partnering and relationships. And partnering and relationships thrive or die based on trust. As Friedman says:

without trust, there is no open society, because there are not enough police to patrol every opening in an open society. Without trust, there can also be no flat world, because it is trust that allows us to take down walls, remove barriers, and eliminate friction at borders. Trust is essential for a flat world...

The ability to establish, grow, extend, and restore trust with all stakeholders -- customers, business partners, investors, and coworkers -- is the key leadership competency of the new global economy.

We were surprised, shocked really, to discover the type of leadership required for turning a good company into a great one. Compared to high-profile leaders with big personalities who make headlines and become celebrities, the good-to-great leaders seem to have come from Mars. Self-effacing, quiet, reserved, even shy -- these leaders are a paradoxical blend of personal humility and professional will. They are more like Lincoln and Socrates than Pattern or Caesar.

...

As Alcoholics Anonymous and other recovery programs are quick to point out, the foundation of dealing with some of our most difficult life challenges is the wisdom and humility to accept the fact that there are some things we simply cannot do without help beyond ourselves.
The opposite of humility is arrogance and pride. It's putting ego first -- above principles, above others.

whoever is careless with the truth in small matters cannot be trusted with important matters.

-- Albert Einstein

Every day I remind myself that my inner and outer life are based on the labors of other men, living and dead, and that I must exert myself in order to give in the same mesure as I have received and am still receiving.

-- Albert Einstein

Crucial Conversation etc

People are good at crucial conversions maintain their focus in two ways: first, they're steely-eyed smart when it comes to knowing what they want. Despite constant invitations to slip away from their goals, they stick with them. Second, skilled people don't make Sucker's Choices (either/or choices). Unlike others who justify their unhealthy behavior by explaining that they had no choice but to fight or take flight, the dialog-smart believe that dialogue, no matter the circumstances, is always an option.

The pool of shared meaning is the birthplace of synergy...

Crucial Conversation etc

People who are skilled at dialog do their best to make it safe for everyone to add their meaning to the shared pool -- even ideas tht at first glance appear controversial, wrong, or at odds with their own beliefs. Now, obviously they don't agree with every idea; they simply do their best to ensure that all ideas find their way into the open.

As the pool of shared meaning grows, it helps people in two ways. First, as individuals are exposed to more accurate and relevant informtion, they make better choices. In a very rel sense, the Pool of Shared Meaning is a measure of a group's IQ. The larger the shared pool, the smarter the decisions. And even though many people may be involved in a choice, when people openly and freely share ideas, the increased time investment is more than offset by the quality of the decision.

On the other hand, we've all seen what happens when the share pool is dangerously shallow. When people purposefully withhold meaning from one another, individually smart people can do collectively stupid things.