Trust Rules: How to Tell the Good Guys from the Bad Guys in Work and Life

Trust is at the root of all positive relationships. This accessible and empowering book teaches how to form an inner circle of trusted confidants in your workplace and at home that will allow you to live a more peaceful and more effective life, reduce stress, and better deal with negative emotions.Building trust is crucial for effective leadership, and trusting others is a necessary part of working with others. But knowing whom to trust—and whom not to trust—eludes many people. A surprising number of people report that being betrayed by someone in their "inner circle" either at work or in their personal lives is one of the most devastating things they have endured. Lack of trust is also expensive in that it costs companies money to surveil employees; and in our personal lives, if we live with people we cannot trust, we expend needless amounts of energy protecting ourselves from these untrustworthy people. How do we increase trust, bounce back from betrayal, and form alliances and positive relationships with those who ARE trustworthy?This book provides a unique examination of trust and its often-overlooked importance to our work and personal lives. It identifies the characteristics of a trusting relationship, considers the decision-making process that people should make before granting individuals admission to their own "inner circle," and teaches how to tell the "good guys" from the "bad guys" in our work environments and life in general. This revised and updated edition contains new information on the negative mental and physical aspects of telling lies; how to better manage our emotions, which allows us to become "better guys" ourselves; strategies for building more trusting relationships in our families; and how trust works—and doesn't work—online in the Internet age. It also includes a useful "Family Board Meeting" tool for having family meetings in a way that encourages honest and open dialogue between family members regardless of age or family structure.

About the Author

Linda K. Stroh, PhD, is a Loyola University Faculty Scholar and emeritus professor at the Quinlan School of Business, Loyola University, Chicago.