E105 - UC Playbook:Trust-Filled Communication

Welcome to the Enthomoc communicator podcast , where we are here to bring enlightenment to the topic of communication . I'm excited today to bring you this UC playbook , the Enthomoc communicator playbook . This is where we break down our last episode . Our last episode was so fun to have Jennifer Lacey on .

Jennifer talked with us about trust and a whole bunch of other vulnerability things that every word that she says was just filled with so much enthusiasm and so much information . Today , what I'd like to do is focus on the idea of trust .

We dabbled in it for just a little bit when we talked about the book by Stephen Covey , and that is Stephen M R Covey , stephen Covey's son in the book the Speed of Trust . Now we talked on one of the behaviors . He breaks down these 13 behaviors , but we talked about one particular behavior and that was of continuous improvement .

But what I wanted to do today is take a deeper look at these 13 behaviors that Stephen M R Covey gives us in his book . Now , 13 seemed like the lot to me .

If you're going to share something in true uncommon communicator style , we're going to break it down a little bit more clearer for you , for our listeners of the Enthomoc communicator podcast , and what I've done . First , let's talk about the 13 behaviors .

He broke them down into three different categories , but 13 what he called specific behaviors that you needed to elicit to be able to build and grow trust within your community . Now , the first one is on the character timeline and it .

Well , these are the five of them talk straight , demonstrate respect , create transparency , right to wrongs and show loyalty , all in that character category .

In the competence category , he talks about delivering results , getting better , confronting reality , clarify your expectations and practice accountability , and then he mixes the two together with this character plus competence of listen . First , keep commitments , extend trust . But what I wanted to do is take a look at these .

I believe we can narrow them down a little bit more clearer for us and for our listeners today , especially when you dive into the character .

The one thing that always kind of bugs me and I know it bugs other people is when somebody is repeating themselves , kind of coming up with a point where they can have , where they can kind of make it fit within the confines of what they're trying to give .

So he talks about talking straight and he also brings up create , transparency and even his own description . They're very similar . And there's other items that really come out where I think we can dive in just a little bit deeper , make this more narrower .

I'm going to give you three behaviors , things that you can do , and one mindset , and with those three things it will help you become a better communicator and better understand and employ the attributes of trust in your communication . How I broke these down is into three things communication , conduct and commitment .

And I by no means meant to make an alliteration , which I love , by the way , love having an alliteration .

These are just how these topics fell into these categories , the first one being communication , the next one conduct , the other one commitment , and then the last thing I'm gonna do is give you a mindset , and that mindset is to continuously Improve yet another . See for you to remember , to remember easily .

But on the idea of communication , there was five of his Behaviors that fit on the line of communication , talk straight . That's really just about being honest , about being straight and for Fort Worth , fort Worth , fort , right with your communications , talk straight , create transparency .

That's very , very important in building any kind of trust is to be as transparent as I guess you're willing to give yourself out to be , but that comes from a level of trust . Transparency brings about transparency .

The next one was confront reality , be able to look at where you're , at what situation you're in , and talk through it to be able to really , really have an attitude of finding what the truth is . And then the last one in the communication line was to listen first .

And that one is a common thing amongst all of our discussions in being a good communicator is learning how to listen . So the first thing to do is , in communication , talk straight , create transparency , confront reality and listen first . So first there's communication , then there's conduct . Now our conduct is there in demonstrating respect for people .

That is something that you have to show , you physically show , and I believe sometimes it even starts with opening doors for people , allowing people to see the respect that you're giving them by opening their way , letting them in through the door . The other one , through your conduct , is to deliver results . Don't just talk about them .

You can't just say I'm good at something you got , to show it and bring the results . Another aspect of conduct is to write wrongs and that's to take ownership for your wrongs and then to correct them .

Sometimes it's not always going to be in admitting that you're wrong , but that's a great start , first admitting that you're wrong , and then it's really about taking the ownership of it . Sometimes how people Accept or some how they perceive that you're wrong , that is the right .

I mean they're right in that and perceiving that because and you have to correct those wrongs , right those wrongs and you do that through clarifying expectations . Those are the five things from the book , which is demonstrate respect , deliver results , right wrongs and clarify expectations .

You would think that clarifying expectations would fall under the communication , but I think it's a little bit deeper in here , specifically when you're talking about clarifying Expectations of behaviors , doing that up front .

These are the expected responses that you want from yourself , that you're going to show as well as you would expect from , say , your direct report or anyone in any situation . Understanding and clarifying expectations really brings about a better result of building trust . The third category is commitment .

You have to show your loyalty and showing your loyalty is something that takes an outward expression of commitment to somebody . You're going to show your loyalty to them and that means defending them when it's the right time to defend them and it's defending them when they're not in the room . That is showing loyalty . The next one is to a practice accountability .

Make yourself accountable as well as when somebody says I want to be accountable to you . When you practice this back and forth , it builds and brings in trust . That's all part of that commitment category . Then , also in it is keep your commitments .

That's probably one of the biggest things that you can do in building trust is to do what you say that you're going to do . Then the last one he talks about extending trust . When you extend trust to people , sometimes it's not that they have to earn it . It's sometimes that you're giving it as a gift .

When you give this trust first , you're open to give it first that trust can be returned back to you . You have to be willing . That's really one of the toughest ones for me as I look at how guarded and how protected I am .

Those are the conversations we talk through with Jennifer Lacey is in that I haven't been willing to extend that trust to people , people that haven't even disearned it , people that haven't even done anything wrong . But I'm guarded in that you have to be able to extend a little bit of trust to be able to receive that trust back .

That's where you have to open up and , yes , I'm going to use the word be vulnerable , in that that's not easy for a lot of us . For a lot of people , giving that level of trust really has started to begin .

For me , the ability to become a better improver , I can get better at things as I allow people and trust people to provide me feedback and know that I am going to be good with the feedback that they give me . I'm going to handle it .

Okay , that's about extending trust Really taking these 13 behaviors into three things Our communication , our conduct and our commitment .

I told you , I'm going to give you the final one , which is continuously improve . It's a mindset , the mindset of getting better , and this is one of the 13 that was provided to us , but to me it wraps it all up , wraps it together in a pretty little bow for Christmas for everybody . It's really the mindset to continuously improve .

And here's a note , I've got to read this to you A mindset of continuous improvement contributes to building trust by fostering open communication by learning from our mistakes , adapting to change , maintaining consistency and encouraging innovation .

When individuals see that improvement is not a one-time effort but a continuous journey , they're more likely to trust you and your commitment to excellence and growth . So , really , to wrap all of those together is to be a continuous improver , and when you do that , you are a lot more of all of those behaviors that we're talking about .

We're going to practice accountability , we're going to keep our commitments , we're going to extend trust , we're going to right the wrongs , we're going to deliver results . When we have this mindset of continuously improving , we're going to talk straight and then , most of all , we're going to listen first .

So , to me , of all of those 13 behaviors that Patrick or not Patrick that Stephen Covey has given us , of all of these things that he's provided to me , the idea of continuously improving is the one that wraps them all together Our communication , our conduct , our commitment , followed by our mindset to continuously improve .

Now , today's UC moment is this Building trust is an outcome of your communication , your conduct and your commitment , and that's all I've got . See you , bye , go , all right .