Wednesday, August 10th, 2011
Build, Maintain and Enhance Trust Inside Your CPA Firm
I’ve been researching, reading, talking and writing about TRUST a lot this year. Read my post on March 29, 2011, For CPAs Trust is Not a Soft Skill.
Stephen M.R. Covey, in his book The Speed of Trust: The One Thing That Changes Everything, states, “Simply put, trust means confidence. The opposite of trust – distrust- is suspicion.”
Inside your CPA firm, do your team members trust all your partners? People trust people who get things done.
In his book, Covey notes that he asked Jack Trout (marketing expert) what, in his view, was the key to leadership. His simple, powerful response was: “At the end of the day, people follow those who know where they’re going.” That’s one of the issues I find as I consult with various firms around the country. The leaders are unsure of where they are actually going.
I’m talking about this today because of the AICPA 2011 Top Talent Survey. Here’s the results from a question about trust:
Throughout the economic recession, has your level of trust in your firm or leadership decreased or increased?
- 11.7% – My level of trust has decreased slightly
- 28.6% – My level of trust has decreased somewhat
- 46% – My level of trust has remained about the same
- 10.4% – My level of trust has increased somewhat
- 3.3% – My level of trust has increased significantly
If you want to establish a truly trusting relationship and environment with your clients, you must first have a truly trusting relationship and environment inside your firm.
- "A person who trusts no one can't be trusted."
