Trust is hard to earn and easy to lose. Steven Covey first introduced the notion of a trust bank in his book "7 Habits of Highly Effective People". He suggested that it takes a long time to build up the trust balance of one’s emotional bank account by making small deposits - and this balance can be quickly depleted with just one withdrawal.

The core issue in establishing relationships and building trust is honesty. The idea of a trust bank is that “deposits” of good and ethical work are made regularly and with transparency. These deposits earn interest from clients and colleagues in the way of sales, or by a positive work culture. These deposits should also serve us well if we make a mistake or if we meet with tough times. Learn more >>

If you are providing long distance leadership, the following tips will help you manage expectations, people and communications.
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The toxic boss. We've all heard horror stories about their sociopathic behaviours. They’re grumpy, aggressive and always blame their staff.

Charming and delightful when on display, these rabid people turn into compulsive liars in the workplace. Whatever your industry, watch out for these toxic individuals who are slowly creeping their way up the corporate ladder.

How to recognise a toxic boss or team leader

A toxic leader can be recognized from as early as the interview. Although they are often agreeable, and sometimes even charming, characters - they are also predictable. You may be able to avoid working in a toxic environment, or least be prepared for one, if you keep an eye out for specific behaviours. Learn more >>

Press Release: 04.14.2010 – A new Maritz® Poll conducted by Maritz Research, a leader in employee satisfaction research, paints a dire outlook of American workforce attitudes toward employers. Employees’ trust toward their workplace has taken a severe hit, with employees across all industry segments citing a lack of trust in not only senior leaders, but direct managers and co-workers as well.

According to the poll, few (11 percent) employees strongly agree their managers show consistency between their words and actions. In addition, only seven percent of employees strongly agree they trust senior leaders to look out for their best interest, and only seven percent strongly agree they trust their co-workers to do so. Approximately one-fifth of respondents disagree that their company’s leader is completely honest and ethical, and one-quarter of respondents disagree that they trust management to make the right decisions in times of uncertainty. While workplace trust has been dwindling since the Enron, WorldCom, and Tyco scandals of the earlier part of the decade, threats of layoffs and downsizing have only exacerbated the problem. Learn more >>

Standard terminology for someone who is deaf is “hearing impaired”. Interesting. Why don’t they say, “listening impaired”? Because there’s a difference between the two words. A crucial difference. But how many of us really know what that difference is?

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Angels, stars, superheroes – whatever we call them – they are the mainstays of our organisations. 

 “Anything juicy that gets my brain working is usually right up my alley,” says Executive Assistant, Karmyn Ingram. Learn more >>

If you do, watch out! Melbourne’s Donut King manager, Jim Martinoski, was recently fined $12,000 for using the “F” word and bullying an employee, Jennifer Claus. Learn more >>

Oprah Winfrey never misses an opportunity to praise her team. Knowing that her real power comes from having a loyal, integrated and empowered team, Winfrey actively encourages an open-door policy.

Authors of The New Leaders, Transforming the Art of Leadership into the Science of Results, Goleman, Boyatzis and McKee, are convinced that emotional intelligence accounts for the differences in performance between average and exceptional leaders. They argue that the ultimate leader is firm and fair, leads by example, has empathy, expertly resolves conflict and understands the dynamics within an organisation. Learn more >>