Artfully building and retaining trust

What comes to mind when you hear the word “art?” Dancers, perhaps, or galleries filled with contemporary and Renaissance art? Maybe you think of concerts that move you, plays that inspire you. Or maybe you remember that watercolor masterpiece by your 3-year-old.

But do you think of trust? Or more specifically, trust in the marketplace? Bill Gates once said that “success today requires the agility and drive to constantly rethink, reinvigorate, react and reinvent.”

This is what artists – songwriters, painters, actors, dancers, etc. – do all of the time. And it’s what business people do every day. A widget is created and sold. A service is provided.

What roles do trust, honesty and transparency play in your business? Do they have starring roles? Or are they relegated to understudy status? It’s just as important for a small one-person business to be trusted by customers as it is for a corporation with hundreds if not thousands of employees.

On April 21 the Better Business Bureau Torch Awards for Business Ethics will honor Northern Colorado and Wyoming businesses for being exemplary ethical businesses. The theme for the evening is “The Art of Trust.”

That the art of trust is paramount in all relationships with employees, customers, vendors and stakeholders is evident with all of this year’s nominees.

Spiro Palmer, owner of Palmer Flowers, said communication and accountability is the basis of every relationship his business builds with customers and suppliers. The seamless relationship between upper management and front-of-the-house employees is a result of company training.

Customer satisfaction is also the number one goal at Colorado Boat Center. The employee handbook states: “Customers … are human beings with feelings and emotions like our own … not someone to argue with or match wits with …. They are people who bring us their wants and it is our job to fill those wants … they are the lifeblood of our business.”

Walker Manufacturing prominently posts “What We Believe at Walker” both in its facility and on its website. It emphasizes the importance of operating by principles that are optimum for employees and their families and the first letter of each bulleted item spells “opportunity abounds.” Included in the statement are these gems: promises are to be kept; pursue excellence in all work without excuse; always love people, use money.

Since taking over leadership and majority ownership of Alliance Construction Services, Bill Joiner has made employee training and development a priority. He also offered employees an opportunity to buy into the company, which about 50 percent did. Joiner’s passion for ethical behavior is infectious and has spread companywide.

What is your business doing to artfully build and keep trust?

Pam King is president/CEO of the Better Business Bureau serving Northern Colorado and Wyoming. For more information about the BBB Torch Awards, visit wynco.bbb.org/torch_awards.

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