There are many rules on good time management. Block time, prioritize, plan, have a vision, etc. These are all important. I would like to put the spotlight on one time management tool that is often overlooked: Building trust. When we build trust, our customers, employees, and associates see us as a friend, consultant, and teacher. This means we often spend for less time selling them our ideas. They are quick to jump on board. They trust us. Consider the consequences when we have not built trust:
Once I was working with a client who owned a successful service business. One day he shared with me a confrontation he had had with a customer. This owner – we’ll call him Roger, was trying to work through a concern that a particular customer was having. At one point, the customer said, “Oh you are just saying that. All you care about is making a buck”. That wasn’t true. Roger was a caring person of good character. Nonetheless, what the customer said concerned him. Roger said, “From what you just said, I sense that you do not have full trust in me and the work that I am performing. That is OK. It is my responsibility to build that trust. My advice to you is to find someone you trust. You need to be confident in the person who is doing your work.” As soon as Roger said this, the customer backed down, and said she was just having a bad day. She actually apologized. She was open now, and they could have a good problem-solving discussion. Roger knew that he needed to have trust to get others to listen, and listening saves time!
