ISSUES OF TRUST AND CREDIBILITY

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Dear Friends:

I believe that trust is the most critical ingredient to any operation requiring more than one person. Trust binds us, yet it frees us. It allows us to focus on accomplishing what needs to be accomplished, instead of wasting time and energy trying to secon-guess the other individual's motives or "hidden agenda." Trust is becoming a rarer and rarer commodity in these times of depersonalization, cyberconferencing, text-messaging and, in general, limited physical person to person contact.

Trust between people. Trust between groups. Trust between organizations. Trust between nations. Trust between individuals and institutions. Trust between citizens and their own governments...

If you establish a record of trust, you build your credibility, and with that, your Relationship Capital Quotient (refer to numerous articles and interviews by, or featuring, Adam J. Kovitz, of The National Networker Companies). A simple example: I trust my life insurance agent -- he carries a high Relationship Capital Quotient. If I need a referral to another professional, I will phone this fellow because I trust that he would only refer me to a trusted colleague. He has, unbeknownst to him, become a moral surety on all of the persons he refers to me. He is also becoming more and more indispensable to me. He is trusted; he has credibility; he is valuable.

During the Bush administration in the United States, the US lost a great deal of credibility with the International Community (and the US citizenry lost a great deal of trust for their government and leadership). Secretive, hard-line, callous administrations...those who dictate terms and carry out their plans despite any opposition, difference of opinion, or the objections of their own people tend to be looked on very negatively. Be a powerful, determined leader by all means...but do not put on blinders to the reservations and opinions of others, and don't intimidate all of those who oppose your unilaterally chosen course of action. You cannot afford to be selfish, completely unyielding, oppressive and too secretive -- this conduct breeds suspicion and mistrust.

A brief exerpt from the NEW YORK TIMES follows to illustrate this point:

Breaking News Alert
The New York Times
Wednesday, August 19, 2009 -- 9:38 PM ET-----

Outsiders Were Hired as C.I.A. Planned to Kill Jihadists

"The Central Intelligence Agency in 2004 hired outsidecontractors from the private security contractor Blackwater USA as part of a secret program to locate and assassinate topoperatives of Al Qaeda, according to current and former government officials.

Executives from Blackwater, which has generated controversy because of its aggressive tactics in Iraq, helped the spy agency with planning, training and surveillance. The C.I.A.spent several millions of dollars on the program, which did not capture or kill any terrorist suspects."

Read More:http://www.nytimes.com/?emc=na

-----Now get New York Times breaking news alerts sent to your mobile phone. Sign up by texting NEWSALERTS to 698698 (NYTNYT)
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An article which I had recently written about trust also follows, printed in full, for your review. while this article centers on events in The United States, it can easily be generalized to global matters...matters common to us all.



IN ______ WE TRUST?


Note: This article, written by Douglas Castle, was originally published in HUMANITAS MAXIMUS (http://HumanitasMaximus.blogspot.com)



Dear Friends:



When it comes to banking nowadays, we would all be wise to adhere to a policy of "Let the Customer" beware. Count your change. Put your hand over your wallet. Reconcile every statement.



Banks are cutting credit lines (arbitrarily and capriciously, despite your actual credit history), destroying credit ratings left and right, charging record fees for overlimit expenditures and late payments, giving us the runaround when we try to "restructure" our mortgages, denying both individuals and businesses any credit facilities, foreclosing without a second thought, and enjoying the pleasure of government-infused taxpayer money. The Fed is not exactly forthcoming with the truth about the financial condition of banks and other credit institutions. The percentage of the population either unemployed or incarcerated continues to grow. The IRS is all but turning its agents into bounty hunters. A growing number of U.S. citizens are without healthcare insurance -- yet the insurance companies seem to be doing fairly well -- their health is certainly better than the average overstressed, overburdened and struggling citizen's. Unpaid insurance claims are piling up while premiums rise like the waters of Hurricane Katrina. There is desperation in the air, like the tinge of ozone before a major thunderstorm. When you telephone any major company for answers or explanations, you get a recorded menu of choices -- and when you've finally made your selection (*after going through any entire decision-tree matrix of choices), you are put on hold. Every possible impediment has been placed between humans to prevent real interpersonal interaction. And we are all suffering the consequences.



Here's a terrific (in a sad sort of way) story and some sideline articles, courtesy of Yahoo! News:



Bank's big auction blunder
A woman returns home to find a stranger demanding she leave "his" house. » Sold by mistake -NBC Miami
Find how to fight bank errors
Mortgage delinquency at all-time high



The question to ask yourself is, "Does it still make sense to give anyone the benefit of the doubt?"



The greatest challenge facing each of us is finding someone in whom (or something in which) we can trust. Trust is the glue that holds every relationship together. In point of fact, trust is the cement that keeps a society "civilized."



This is indeed a time for trusted friends to rediscover eachother, to reconnect with eachother, and to rebuild society from the smallest fundamental elements of the partnership and the team. Person to person, real space, real time.


Faithfully,


Douglas Castle
http://aboutDouglasCastle.blogspot.com

p.s. I write for THE NATIONAL NETWORKER. Get your free subscription at http://twitlik.com/OK .

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In the coming months and years, Trust and Credibility are going to become more and more difficult to come by, and increasingly difficult to achieve for ourselves. Based upon the the simple economics of supply and demand, this would indicate that Trust and Credibility, and those special people who possess them, are going to become increasingly valuable.

Invest in building your own Trust and Credibility.

Faithfully,

Douglas Castle, Internationalist.






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KEYWORDS, TERMS AND ORGANIZATIONS:

globalism, CFR, NGO, UN, WTO, IMF, central bank, outsourcing, offshoring, capital markets, import, export, international trade, strategic alliances, e-commerce, entrepreneurship, social networking, banking, finance, trade, ventures, business, securities, stock exchanges, indexes, futurism, trends, citizen ambassadorship, enterprise, capitalism, international politics, commodities, prime rate, LIBOR, foreign currencies, foreign exchange, blogs, blogging, bloggers, aol, google, yahoo, msn, AP, news, media alerts, world government, world governments, international affairs, treaties, tariffs, trade restrictions, marketing, advertising, business development, arbitrage, obtaining capital, promotion, publicity, EU, NATO, military affairs, government regulation, trade restrictions, liquidity crisis, business opportunities, web-based businesses, communication, communications, technology, intelligence, embassies, consulates, business resources, Douglas Castle,The Internationalist Page, The Global Futurist, international politics, elections, time management, cyberspace, AI, energy, industry, productivity, Mixx, Digg, Technorati, Sphere, Facebook, YouTube, MySpace, LinkedIn, advertising, economics, strategy, management, cooperation, widgets, blidgets, links, incoterms, CCH, UCC, freight forwarding, custom house brokers, diversity, employment, culture, micro-loans, technological convergence, trends, financial planning, FOREX, futures, stock index, inflation, recession, sub-contracting, Department of Commerce, the next generation, amnesty, humanitarianism, foreign aid, philanthropy, charity, cooperation, peaceful cooexistence, a world without walls...

THE CASE FOR CITIZEN AMBASSADORS

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Dear Friends:

The U.S. government has been fighting a moral battle within its own ranks about many things:

1. What to do about a flagging domestic and worldwide economy...hearing petitions for bailouts from industry groups and institutions and trying to determine what action to take; this involves a great deal of time, a fight against legislative inertia, a fear regarding public opinion, a propensity to yield to the pressures which all too often precede putting a bandage on a cancer, and numerous other Hobson's choices in the interest of polishing a pile of compost. Sadly, many of these decisions will result in even greater problems for the country's future, including continued inefficiencies, inflation and the creation of a "corporate welfare state."

2. What to do about the detainees at the Guantanamo Bay prison facility, many of whom have been held without formal charges or any form of "due process" since the terrorist attacks on the United States of 9/11. Many of these individuals may well be completely innocent of any offense, but they were unfortunate to get caught in the net of braod fear and paranoia that possesses a country under attack. Part of the government believes that these people have been denied any type of rights, recourse or remedies -- they have been captive for more than six years without being formally charged and without an opportunity to present their case -- while another branch of the government insists on keeping these "detainees" (calling them "prisoners" might entitle them to certain constitutional and civil rights) locked away while appealling the decision of the other branch (in this case, the judiciary) that these people be treated as people, and released immediately. The detainees are the ultimate victims in a battle between two branches of the same goverment which are unable to reach an agreement. And the years go on...

Governments cannot solve many problems. When they attempt to intervene, the "cures" prescribed are often worse than the diseases. When proper decisions are made in a rarity of cases, these decisions or their implementation comes far too late -- not unlike liberating the prisoners in a concentration camp after they have been malnourished too long to survive.

As citizens of our respective countries, and as citizens of the Internationalist Community, we are unfettered by the mindset, malaise and politics which keep governments from "fixing" the problems of peoples and commerce.

We are called upon as Citizen Ambassadors to create change and to solve problems as individuals, in cooperation with other individuals, and to form teams which transcend geological barriers and isolationist traditions in order to implement solutions. We need to be partners. We need to become team participants. We need to organize and to implement with humanitarian and entrepreneurial efficiency.

We cannot leave our salvation to highly compromised governmental bodies which move at a glacial pace and ultimately shoot at flies with cannons.

Faithfully,

Douglas Castle, Internationalist

THE POWER OF THE TEAM ENTITY

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Dear Friends:

It bears repeating -- As the worldwide economic situation becomes increasingly intimidating, with its day-to-day volatility and its evident downward macroeconomic trend, several skills are absolutely crucial to survival:

• Entrepreneurship (with its compatriots: initiative, innovation and persistence).


• Networking (with an emphasis on its second crucial phase: relationship-building).


• Teamwork (with a focus on cooperation and equitable sharing of efforts and rewards).

I recently posed a question to some of my colleagues at Linked In about the notion of the Team Unit, and received some wonderful responses. One of them follows for your information.

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LinkedIn
Date: 11/18/2008
Subject RE: THE TEAM ENTITY
Group: Linked 2 Leadership
Kay Stout wrote (in answer to my post, which follows):

"Douglas, I couldn't agree with you more. Effective team performance can be amazing - - remember "Miracle on Ice?". Bud Greenspan said it was the greatest Olympic moment he ever covered. International team cooperation can be especially rewarding personally and professionally. And, thanks to sites like LinkedIn - - you can build a team across state lines, country borders and across the oceans. I've also witnessed the humanitarian success of organizations like Rotary, Heifer International and Kiva, who combine resources and people to build teams and processes that successfully changes the lives of others. No man is an island - - and today we can join hands electronically to make an impact (personally and professionally).

On 11/13/08 8:47 PM, Douglas Castle asked: THE TEAM ENTITY (An Issue For Your Evaluation and Comments) -- (This was my post):

Dear Colleagues:

We spend a great deal of time networking and acquiring new contacts. Then, some of us agressively and positively go to work converting those contects from mere names into good, two-way relationships. Why must it end there?

I believe that the most powerful business operating subunit is the Team. Further, I believe that team-building is going to become a skill of increasing importance as the traditional corporate and institutional paradigms are put to the test.
Kindly review: http://thenationalnetworkerweblog.blogspot.com/2008/11/using-teams-to-fuel-exponential.html and let me know your thoughts. Thank you.

Faithfully,

Douglas Castle, THE INTERNATIONALIST PAGE

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The greatest challenge which lies before us regarding this issue is to educate and motive the tremendous majority of displaced people in the world economy who are inveterate "corporate" creatures with either 1) very specialized, or at the other extreme, very nebulously-defined roles within the political heirarchy of the big company interpersonal infrastructure and typical status quo paradigms, and 2) those individuals who are accustomed to working alone. How do we bring the appeal of "teamwork" to these persons who constitute the greatest percentage of the populations of most westernized countries?

Faithfully,

Douglas Castle

p.s. Numerous of my readers (as well as a number of my detractors and my mother, who tends to worry about me quite a bit) have asked what services I actually provide for independent clients when I am not working with Mojave Jet Group, Internal Energy Plus or The National Networker. Please visit my professional blogsite-in-process at http://aboutdouglascastle.blogspot.com/ . Learn something about me. And, by all means, direct your constructive criticism my way. If you are one of my readers, your opinion is not only welcomed...it is encouraged.

KEYWORDS, TERMS AND ORGANIZATIONS:

globalism, CFR, NGO, UN, WTO, IMF, central bank, outsourcing, offshoring, capital markets, import, export, international trade, strategic alliances, e-commerce, entrepreneurship, social networking, banking, finance, trade, ventures, business, securities, stock exchanges, indexes, futurism, trends, citizen ambassadorship, enterprise, capitalism, international politics, commodities, prime rate, LIBOR, foreign currencies, foreign exchange, blogs, blogging, bloggers, aol, google, yahoo, msn, AP, news, media alerts, world government, world governments, international affairs, treaties, tariffs, trade restrictions, marketing, advertising, business development, arbitrage, obtaining capital, promotion, publicity, EU, NATO, military affairs, government regulation, trade restrictions, liquidity crisis, business opportunities, web-based businesses, communication, communications, technology, intelligence, embassies, consulates, business resources, Douglas Castle,The Internationalist Page, The Global Futurist, international politics, elections, time management, cyberspace, AI, energy, industry, productivity, Mixx, Digg, Technorati, Sphere, Facebook, YouTube, MySpace, LinkedIn, advertising, economics, strategy, management, cooperation, widgets, blidgets, links, incoterms, CCH, UCC, freight forwarding, custom house brokers, diversity, employment, culture, micro-loans, technological convergence, trends, financial planning, FOREX, futures, stock index, inflation, recession, sub-contracting, Department of Commerce, the next generation, amnesty, humanitarianism, foreign aid, philanthropy, charity, cooperation, peaceful cooexistence, a world without walls...

THE POWER OF COOPERATION - THE TEAM

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THE POWER OF COOPERATION -- THE TEAM
A Synergistic Miracle Occurs When Networks Are Upgraded To Teams. -- By Douglas Castle

Dear Friends:

There is a great deal of talk about networking. Most of this discussion revolves around the simplistic notion of collecting contact names and filing them away somewhere where you may forget them. On occasion, some slightly more enterprising souls have come up with notion of converting contacts into relationships. I am told that we can accomplish this by doing several things:

1. Maintaining communication (through personalized emails, through forwarding newsletters and articles, and through reaching out on a continual basis;

2. Asking, from time to time, for advice from these new acquaintances, and asking (just as frequently) how we may be able to help them accomplish their goals and objectives;

3. Sharing some personal information about our lives, our interests, our trifling vulnerabilities, areas where we need help, interesting cultural and familial stories, and the like;

4. Presenting oppportunities to participate in projects together, but without making demands or applying harsh pressures;

5. Making introductions to persons who may be of assistance to these new acquaintances.

In accomplishing the above objectives, it is helpful to communicate by telephone, and to send photographs in order to achieve a fuller, richer, more sensorial personalized perception -- a more "human" bond. I believe that brief voicemails or video clips embedded into otherwise conventional emails will become increasingly popular toward achieving this humanization perception objective. But, as always, I have retreated into my private reverie of utopian super-personalization and cyber-intimacy. (sigh)

More to my subject, I feel that networks should be brought together by diplomatic and energetic initiators, and shaped into cause-based teams...teams which can accomplish great things by working in concert. A well-chosen, well-structured, well-guided team can accomplish great things in this world. Going further, if a team is visulaized as a circle, then every member has his or her own circle of contacts outside of the team with him or her at its center. If these circles can be linked or brought together into the greater circle, team size and power potential have the potential to be exponentially increased. Struggling entrepreneurial enterprises are generally far to frightened and defensive to see the tremendous benefits of this conjunction and cooperation -- this protectionist mindset is, with the possible exception of plain indolence and inertia, one of the greatest barriers to team formation and success. Sadly, even some of the most otherwise active networks remain comprised of multiple dyads, and team formation is relegated to "afterthought" status.

This is as wasteful of human resources as it is wrong. A well -coordinated team accomplishes so many fundamental objectives for each of its members:

1. Complementarity;

2. Synergy;

3. Protective diversification;

4. Risk-sharing and minimization of individual loss exposure;

5. Reduction of redundant costs, and sharing of costs to reduce cost per participant;

6. Cross- marketing;

7. Rapid growth potential.

How are networks formed into teams?

Firstly, each network member must have an existing relationship (in dyad form) with the team organizer, or initiator. This latter person is the unifying friend and catalyst who serves as vouchsafe and introducer of each prospective team member to each of the others. This person may be a leader, or a moderator, depending upon his or her preferred personal style. A team must be formed around a specific projec, goal or mission; if the project, goal or mission is either too nebulous, too vast, or of minimal perceived importance, the team will not bond. Important, relevant, specified purposefulness is key to team solidification and participation amongst members. Passion and vision are important uniting elements as well.

Each team member must have a clearly defined role, and each member must clearly see the importance of each other member's role, as well. A single team member who does not make a perceivable contribution to the team effort will cause dissonance, and ultimately, team dissolution.

The organization of the future, born of today's networking obsession, will be a consolidated team, comprised of component sub-teams. And the wonder of this is that team members can be culled from every part of the world where internet access exists. I firmly believe that this organization of the future will be stronger, better and far more productive than the conventional structures which we see crumbling about us now. It will be more interpersonal, more flexible, more compassionate, and far more profitable.

Teams are more than a business configuration -- they are the natural next step in the evolution of the socially conscious organization.

Prediction: You will be hearing more and more about team-building. You will become increasingly receptive to the idea. You will become a member of a team and reap greater benefits in every aspect of your compensation and quality of life than you ever had when working for a traditionally-structured and typically-managed corporate enterprise.

Cross-reference links:

THE NATIONAL NETWORKER

THE GLOBAL FUTURIST

Faithfully,

Douglas Castle,

Internationalist

KEYWORDS, TERMS AND ORGANIZATIONS:

globalism, CFR, NGO, UN, WTO, IMF, central bank, outsourcing, offshoring, capital markets, import, export, international trade, strategic alliances, e-commerce, entrepreneurship, social networking, banking, finance, trade, ventures, business, securities, stock exchanges, indexes, futurism, trends, citizen ambassadorship, enterprise, capitalism, international politics, commodities, prime rate, LIBOR, foreign currencies, foreign exchange, blogs, blogging, bloggers, aol, google, yahoo, msn, AP, news, media alerts, world government, world governments, international affairs, treaties, tariffs, trade restrictions, marketing, advertising, business development, arbitrage, obtaining capital, promotion, publicity, EU, NATO, military affairs, government regulation, trade restrictions, liquidity crisis, business opportunities, web-based businesses, communication, communications, technology, intelligence, embassies, consulates, business resources, Douglas Castle,The Internationalist Page, The Global Futurist, international politics, elections, time management, cyberspace, AI, energy, industry, productivity, Mixx, Digg, Technorati, Sphere, Facebook, YouTube, MySpace, LinkedIn, advertising, economics, strategy, management, cooperation, widgets, blidgets, links, incoterms, CCH, UCC, freight forwarding, custom house brokers, diversity, employment, culture, micro-loans, technological convergence, trends, financial planning, FOREX, futures, stock index, inflation, recession, sub-contracting, Department of Commerce, the next generation, amnesty, humanitarianism, foreign aid, philanthropy, charity, cooperation, peaceful cooexistence, a world without walls...