Trust

 Well, I went off to the Sydney Writers Festival this evening. One of the things I like about Story-a-Day in May is that it coincides with the Sydney Writers Festival, and this evening I went to two of the three events I will attend this year.

The first was an interview of Jimmy Wales by Australian stalwart Richard Fidler, of Conversations fame. I went alone. When we were going through the program, this one jumped out at me. If you don't know Jimmy Wales, he is one of the founders of Wikipedia, and after 25 years, has published a book titled The Seven Rules of Trust, subtitled Why It Is Today's Most Essential Superpower.

I'll be honest, I went not knowing what to expect, though I had bought his book a few weeks back (Tattoo Day) and had started reading it before I went. It both met and exceeded my expectations. They did not go into the craft of writing. That will be another talk. What they did go into is the story of Wikipedia and the role trust played in that.

All in all, a very valuable chat, and an even more valuable book, which is immediately applicable across a breadth of areas: in our personal life, and most definitely in my professional life as a Chief Tech leading a group of 120+ people in a digital transformation that delivers learning services to 45,000 students.

One key thing that jumped out at me, and this was early in the talk, was the trust pyramid, drawn below and now, looking at the book, drawn slightly differently but the same. The idea is that to have trust, you need the three elements of Authenticity, Empathy, and Logic.

Funnily enough, in leading my people and in the interactions I have with them, I'd like to think I demonstrate and live these traits daily. The feedback I get gives me a sense that I do, yet naming it, even drawing it up on my whiteboard at the office, means I will be able to live it and teach others.

All in all, a good talk, a valuable book, and one I would feel comfortable recommending and sharing with others.