I recently started doing some work with my local YMCA. Yesterday we were doing a multi-branch meeting when Helen Brena Foley, the CEO,  challenged the group to a contest to see which branch was doing their best to incorporate the mission and values “Living the Cause”, as it were, of the organization. She started with questions like: “What is our purpose, what are we for?” Answer: Youth Development, Healthy Living and Social Responsibility!  She went on in this vein for awhile and each correct answer got a prize: big cheers from the group and their choice of YMCA apparel. And then she threw in a ringer: “Who has read ‘The Switch’?” Surprised silence.  Mine was the only hand in the room to be raised. “What are the three main components in the book?” I felt like I was in high school again but I went with it. “The Elephant, the Rider and the Path”. “What’s the function of the Elephant?” At this point people were turning around to look at me….”The Elephant is the part of us that resists change, the Elephant doesn’t want to be healthy, the Elephant wants donuts.” A few snickers rippled around the room- lots of personal trainers present. “And the Rider?” she asked – not letting me off the hook just because I had a strong start. “The Rider has the Map – the Plan, and sees the need for change – but the Rider needs to motivate the Elephant”.  More heads are turning around now…there is some surprise here that we are spending this much time on something not on the agenda.  I’m feeling some wind in my sails now, so I continue unprompted…”And the Path is the context, the environment, what surrounds the change with various obstacles and supports”.  Helen smiles…. the people sitting at my table send up a cheer – and I win my choice of YMCA apparel. But the bigger win for me is that suddenly, people are interested in this book – they want to talk about “The Switch”, which as some of you know – is one of my favorite group facilitation reads. And I discover that the YMCA wants to begin actively and consciously incorporating these principals to promote healthy lifestyle change in their communities, so that next time she asks about who has read the book, many hands will be raised. In my experience, that makes the YMCA a big winner.

Building Trust in the Continually Moving Workplace

In an increasingly impersonal, fast paced  global workplace, trust is difficult to achieve and retain. Yet, HR leaders understand that “getting results” depends on people working with each other  in trusting and transparent  collaborations.  How do you build trust when you often know next to nothing about your co-workers as human beings?   How can you quickly tap into the best of who you are and stimulate that same essence in others, while staying on schedule and implementing best practices?  How can you make sure that the product or service you need to create is not compromised because you don’t trust the work of another – (and they don’t trust you?)

Janice Cohen and I are in the process of creating an experiential training workshop designed to explore and answer these questions.  We are happy to announce we will be doing this workshop for the HR Convention at the Samoset in Rockport, ME this coming May 11 -14, 2011.

Trusting workplaces are energy producing, not energy reducing, as is common in a workplace devoid of trust. They are more productive, creative, competent, and self-nurturing.  With ever tighter schedules, we can no longer hope for trust to develop over time. Building trust must be an intentional,  courageous act built not on status or goals, but on the willingness to reveal one’s authenticity. Storytelling is an efficient and effective vehicle that enables people to build trust within the restricted time frames and fast movement pace of today’s workplaces.

Four Objectives of this Workshop

• Understand the influence of trust in creating productive workplaces and collaborative relationships.
• Learn  how to tap self-knowledge and share it with others through storytelling that builds connections and trust
• Understand the elements of storytelling that connect the storyteller with the audience and create a shared space
• Ability to listen to another’s story with curiosity and empathy

So what do you think?  What are your stories of Trust on the Run?  Tell us here and come see us in May!