I recently tracked down Charles H. Green to talk about his experience connecting trust, spirituality and business.
Green is author of Trust-Based Selling and co-author of The Trusted Advisor, and founder and CEO of Trusted Advisor Associates, a consulting firm centering on the theme of building trust in business relationships. He also has a great blog called Trust Matters, where he posts frequently on this subject drawing from current business events, economics and client experiences. Charlie majored in Philosophy at Columbia, and has an MBA from Harvard Business School.
Basically, Charlie says that putting others before yourself is good business practice. Since my own blog (Shrinking the Camel) runs the tagline of “Connecting Business Life with Spiritual Life,” I was intrigued by the work his firm was doing, taking special note of the unspoken link between building trust relationships and spirituality in business. So I asked Charlie if he would do an interview. He graciously agreed.
BJM: Charles, I have been on both ends of the Trust Advisor paddle, so to speak. I spent the first 15 years of my career in management consulting, and the last 10 years as an executive who has hired all sorts of professionals: attorneys, accountants, investment bankers, etc. All that to say, I know a good professional when I see one, and I never, ever will hire someone whom I don’t like and trust.
CHG: That does give you a good deal of perspective in this space; nothing like sitting in both chairs. Your client experience in particular must be valuable. And I’ll quote you, if you don’t mind, on never hiring someone you don’t like and trust. Life is too short to hire people you don’t like and don’t trust, and too long to get away with it even if you could.
BJM: Amen to that! Speaking of people I like, our Blogs seem to be quite similar, with the minor exception, of course, that you are a well-known author who has appeared on TV and in newspapers and magazines, and who is probably invited frequently to dinner parties at Famous Peoples’ Houses. In any case, it looks like we are interested in the same type of material – ideas that mash up business with soft subjects like relationships, serving others, doing good and spirituality. Didn’t I even see a post of yours recently that talked about telling clients you love them? Aren’t you afraid people will think that you have gone off the edge?
This post continues over at The High Calling Blogs. To keep reading this fascinating interview with Charlie Green, click here.
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