Trust is a critical ingredient in effective decision making and how we go about making decisions within our workplaces can build or erode trust.

September 7, 2021 | Subscribe

THE newsletter helping leaders and organizations put trust at the center of their work so they can support both people and performance while better adapting to our fast-changing world.

📰 In this issue of In Trust, we are bringing you:

Now that you’ve made a decision…
Trust and decision engineering
It’s time to decide

➡️ Note: We’re excited to be back in your inbox and will publish the newsletter on a bi-weekly schedule for the remainder of 2021.

TRUST-CENTERED LEADERSHIP PERSPECTIVE & PRACTICE:

Now that You've Made a Decision...

Mayor Quimby from The Simpsons saying, "Then it's decided."

You’ve made a decision.

Great! Now what?

Deciding doesn’t equate to action.

As organizations and individuals, we frequently invest a lot of energy, time, analysis, fear, worry, and discussion in making decisions, only to do nothing about them.

We decide and then continue on as things were before, like decisions were never made at all. We forget that the act of deciding needs to be followed up by a course of action.

Decision-making without action is merely performative and erodes trust.

Now that you’ve made a decision, you’ve got to commit to act on the decision.

Now that you’ve made a decision on what to do, what are you actually going to do?

This Week's Trust-Centered Leadership Practice:

Reflect on 1-3 recent decisions that you’ve made as an individual or organization. Have you followed through on the decisions with action? If not, what were the obstacles? What insights can bring you forward with you to help you overcome these obstacles in future so that you more readily act upon decisions that are made?

FROM THE IN TRUST PODCAST:

Being Trustworthy and Trusted

“If people within organizations are better equipped with the language [of decision-making] and of having that dialogue, it can foster more empathy, more trust, more discussion, and convergence on what might be the right course of action. And even when there is disagreement, at least if there were dialogues that were had at that granular level, at least it can be okay. ‘We disagree, but we understand why.’” —Michelle Florendo

In Trust podcast episode 51: Trust and Decision Engineering with Michelle Florendo

How do you untangle big, messy decisions?

How do you make collective decisions within organizations that everyone can get behind, even if they disagree?

Who better to ask these questions to then Michelle Florendo, a decision engineer and award-winning coach for type-A professionals (who also happens to host a podcast called Ask a Decision Engineer). Michelle uses a blend of decision engineering, design thinking, and lean startup principles to help her clients achieve their goals. Michelle has guest-taught on career decision making in Stanford's famous Design Your Life course, was a founding member of the Forbes Coaches Council, coaches for Startup Parent, and teaches a course on decision making for Stanford Continuing Studies.

In our conversation we talked about the relationship between trust and decision making, why decision making is less like shooting an arrow and more like steering a ship, and what defines a quality decision.

If you’re looking to make better quality decisions as a leader and with your organization, then you won’t want to miss this episode of In Trust.

LISTEN NOW

GOODIE BAG:

It's Time to Decide

Game show contestant saying, "This is a serious decision"

We make tens of thousands of decisions each day. Some of these decisions end up strengthening trust and some erode trust.

So how can you improve the quality of the decisions you make and make them in a way that boosts trust? These resources can help:

🎧 Ask a Decision Engineer｜Stanford Decision engineer and coach Michelle Florendo (our latest In Trust podcast guest) hosts her own podcast where she shares tools to help you move through decisions with less stress and more clarity.

📝 The Decision to Trust ｜How can you make the decision to trust leaders and managers an easier one to make, especially in times of uncertainty and change? Management professor Dr. Robert F. Hurley offers a model in this Harvard Business Review article.

🧰 Decision Education Foundation Resources｜While the Design Education Foundation’s mission is to empower youth with effective decision skills, their free resources can help almost anyone develop the skills needed to make quality decisions.

📺 Unlocking Everything through Trust-Centered Leadership ｜We recently joined Skot Waldron on his show Unlocked to explore the crucial role trust plays in unlocking the potential of people and teams within organizations.

THE FUTURE IS TRUST:

Consider getting a copy of our Amazon bestseller and #1 hot new release The Future Is Trust: Embracing the Era of Trust-Centered Leadership. It’s a practical and actionable guidebook for understanding and building real trust with others and within ourselves.

Quote To Ponder

“You build trust with others each time you choose integrity over image, trust over convenience, or honor over personal gain.” —John C. Maxwell

ICYMI

Here is the most recent edition of the newsletter: Are you trustworthy and trusted?

TRUST IS BETTER TOGETHER:

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This newsletter was crafted by:
Rick Kitagawa (he/him) + Lisa Lambert (she/her)
Co-Founders and Co-CEOs, Spotlight Trust