“The Power of Trust”
“We are not Servants; Our Profession is Service” (President and COO of Ritz Carleton)
At our recent Women Principals Group of the Boston Society for Architecture, we talked about the need to build trust in order to get things done. A couple of women who work in the Public Sector claimed that it took 5 years before they were no longer a newbie. This made me realize that everyone in the group could benefit from reading the new book by Harvard Business School Professor Sandra J. Sucher (my client and friend) written with Shalene Gupta titled “The Power of Trust – How Companies Build it, Lose it, Regain it.” This book demystifies the important but amorphous topic of Trust.
Professor Sucher suggests that there are 4 elements of Trust:
Competence – “It is easier to do a job right than to explain why you didn’t” Martin Van Buren (quoted on page 29). This element is about competence and expertise.
Motives – “It’s motive alone which gives character to the action of men.” Jean de la Bruyere (quoted on page 55). This element of trust is about your purpose.
Means – “Being good is easy, what is difficult is being just.” Victor Hugo (quoted on page 83). This element is about how you do what you do.
Impact – “It’s not only what we do, but also what we do not do, for which we are accountable.” Moliere (quoted on page 119). This element of trust is about what we do.
Professor Sucher has many case studies that prove her points. One of the case studies relevant to my world of architecture and interior design is about Ritz Carleton. I was impressed with her analysis of their management style, which contributed greatly to their high ratings for customer service. If you get the book, enjoy this case study. I won’t repeat the whole story, but I loved the way the President and COO, Horst Schulze met with new employees himself. Schulze tells the new employees, “You are not servants; We are not servants. Our profession is service. You are ladies and gentlemen, just as the guests are, who we respect as ladies and gentlemen. We are ladies and gentlemen, and we should be respected as such. If we do it right, we become as important as the guests are.
“…the Ritz-Carleton’s values of equality and respect for the work were married to a promotional system that encouraged and rewarded excellence with upward mobility…25% of Ritz managers had begun…in roles as housekeepers, restaurant servers, and hourly supervisors…Schulze himself started as a busboy.” (above quotes on page 50).
You won’t want to miss the case studies about Uber, Michelin, and many other local and international companies. Enjoy the read and the good stories, and you will be inspired!
Here is the link to The Power of Trust from the Harvard Book Store. The Power of Trust: How Companies Build It, Lose It, Regain It (Hardcover) | Harvard Book Store. It is currently listed as out of stock. For less money, it is listed as available at Walmart: The Power of Trust: How Companies Build It, Lose It, Regain It, (Hardcover) – Walmart.com