It’s because of what Mr. Schreiner said in a recent
interview: “Queen’s Park should represent honesty, integrity, and good public policy to the people of Ontario. Instead it means boondoggles, shell games, and empty promises.”
Well put!
It comes therefore as no surprise that GfK Verein’s 2014 study, “Trust in Professions” uncovered that the least
trusted profession is that of politician – in 23 out of 25 countries surveyed.
(Insurance salesmen and traders scored lowest in the remaining two countries.)
If you work as a firefighter, you can pat yourself on
your back, as this profession scored extremely highly in all 25 countries. And
how did business people do? For Canada, the trust score for “businessmen,
entrepreneurs” was 66 per cent; for “insurance agents”, 56 per cent, and for
“advertising specialists”, 38 per cent.
CEOs who head corporations are tasked with engendering
trust – for themselves, for their product, for their employees, for the
shareholders. Trust in one’s top manager translates to success: sales are
steady and/or increase; the employees are willing to stick around; the work
environment is pleasant and innovation is encouraged. Best advice is freely
given and received.
These CEOs know about, value, and practice the Craft of
Management.
On the other hand, CEOs who are perceived to be
untrustworthy face a Sisyphean battle.
Senior executives do have a choice. What is yours?
