Trust before value and value before loyalty. 

 

That simple equation re-wired my thinking.

 

My vocational and educational training in executive business  administration used to focus on one thing: value proposition. This is what I was taught and this is what was expected of me: "Do everything possible to increase the actual and perceived value for the recipient of your product or service." The emphasis was always on ongoing value creation instead of starting with trust.

 

And then I looked at the research. 

 

And then I conducted the research. 

 

I rolled up my sleeves and dove head first into doctoral research focused on the perception of value for college students and how it was connected  to their actual loyalty to the institution. Interview after interview, I saw the direct connection with how trusted relationships increased their perception of value and also how it affected their loyalty. The theoretical framework used in other industries was bearing itself out in higher education as well. 

 

My interviews didn't end with the completed dissertation. I met with business leaders, ministry leaders, community leaders and our conversation consistently centered around the following questions: 

 

I would ask, "How do you ACTUALLY build trust in an organization?"

 

Silent responses and oftentimes blank stares. 

 

"I have never really thought about it" was the common response after a long pause. 

 

"I know what trust (or a lack of trust) feels like, I just have a hard time measuring it and then making it better for the organization." 

 

Meeting after meeting and interview after interview confirmed for me that although we know why trust is important, the know-how of assessing, diagnosing, and implementing trust-centered strategies was consistently absent.

 

That is how TrustCentric started and this is what we do:

 

We start with trust. 

 

Then we help you keep trust at the center of everything you do