Trustworthiness

This post was written by Kip Morse, your BBB Serving Central Ohio's President and CEO.

During a past DC trip, I had the opportunity to go through the FBI Citizens Academy, the training facility at Quantico, and the FBI headquarters. The ultimate goal was to gain a better understanding of what the FBI does, doesn't do, and to better prepare to develop relationships that will protect our consumers, businesses, and citizens in Central Ohio.

I had hoped to soon engage the local office of the FBI to help us with our new educational initiative "Keeping Kids Safe Online".

However, it was a trip to the Capitol Building that was the capstone of my few days in Washington.

Our agent representative set up a special tour of the nation’s Capitol Building conducted by a young police officer who was well respected and passionate about the history and meaning of our Constitution.

As we entered a hall, he asked us all to gather around a plaque on the wall. He shared a story about the only two deaths of police officers ever in the protection of the Capitol Building from a shooter, as they manned their posts. The first officer, Jacob Chestnut, had the door post and was shot and killed immediately. The second man, John Gibson, was responsible for the protection of the Majority Whip, Tom Delay, whose office was around the corner. Gibson secured the office staff, locked the door, and stood guard as the shooter rounded the corner and engaged him in a gun battle within seven feet of each other. The shooting lead to the death of Gibson, and the shooter was then shot and tackled. (FBI agents train heavily for seven-to-ten feet battles, for many of them are of this distance.)

Our young officer/tour guide then took a deep breath and shared that this story means a lot to him because the officer that died protecting our Capitol was his dad. John Gibson died in 1998, when our guide was only 15 years old.  

“Okay,” I thought, “Now I am starting to put the pieces together. Passion, intensity, character, and leadership, all coming from this 30-year-old were making sense.”

I reflected on our BBB leadership character code UncommonSense, and read the principle on Trustworthiness:

“High character people are true to their beliefs. They strive to be what they say they are and their behavior matches their beliefs. They actively self-reflect, and know who they are and what they stand for. Their actions are consistent with their beliefs, and they strive to do "what is right or wise" rather than "what might work or be popular." They seek wisdom first, and then consistently apply it to themselves and as a result can be trusted within their organizations, marriages, families, fellowships, friendships, teams, etc.”

The principle is why John Gibson’s son stood out as Uncommon. He learned to do what is right and not necessarily what is popular. He was also passionate about passing on the wisdom he learned from understanding the importance of protecting our Nation’s Capitol, and the history of the Constitution, all while making his father proud.  

Thank you Mr. Gibson, for you made this trip truly remarkable. And thank you John Gibson, for raising such a valuable son and protecting our freedom.  

Four Ways To Market Your Small Business

The first quarter of the year is in full swing, and many businesses are still in the midst of planning their 2016 marketing plans and goals. The decisions that entrepreneurs make now can create results by the end of the year and sometimes, attracting consumers means making changes. BBB and our surrounding community is supported by small businesses with big ideas, and we’d like to offer some tips to get the ball rolling.

Four Ways To Market Your Small Business:

• Focus on Relationship Marketing. In order to receive business, give the “Keeping in Touch” technique a try. A short newsletter, blog, or Q&A section on your website can make a big difference.
• Establish a Social Media Presence. Social media is the new word-of-mouth marketing. Tweets can now be searched through Google, maintaining a Facebook presence is a simple way to show off your work, and LinkedIn is a great way to network and find potential employees.
• Become active in your community. Join groups like your Chamber of Commerce or civic associations. Participate in these groups and always have some business cards to pass out.
• Create a video ad. Video ads can be added to your website and social media. The concept isn’t new, but Google is starting to incorporate video ads into search results.

In order to improve your business, you might need to learn new skills or take a few risks. Change can be good, and improving your business strategy is even better!

For more information, follow BBB on Facebook, Twitter, or at bbb.org.

Source: bizjournals.com

This post was written by your BBB Serving Central Ohio's Content & Communications Coordinator, Jordan Abbruzzese.

Seeking Wisdom

This post was written by Kip Morse, your BBB Serving Central Ohio's President and CEO.

Imagine being in a room with a randomly selected group of peers, associates, friends, and a few other folks you know nothing about. They are all there to assist you with seeing the truth about a particular interest or dilemma you might be facing.

But what is the problem with this scenario? A lack of Trust.

In order for the Performance Group Concept to work, you must trust the group you are with. You have to know that you are among vulnerable, humble, and principled individuals. There is no hearsay that is shared or discussed as verified information. The group has to collectively be seeking what is right or true.

I currently have two groups that I treasure time with in this category. One is a performance group of 15 peer BBB leaders that meet twice a year and review hundreds of data points that reflect the end result of many decisions, policies, and initiatives. But while the data is crucial and we spend a lot of time entering it and refining what we review, the real value is the trust within the group.

I trust that everyone is focused on the same mission of being teachable and not crafty or clever. (Although we do tend to build trust on the clever way that we keep each other humble.)

The other group was formed out of a Center for Character Ethics President’s Forum a few years ago. We were a group of CEOs that wanted to discuss issues of Leadership Character and Ethical Enterprising. We still continue to meet for lunch, facilitated with a few discussion points and again, the common theme of trust permeates our group.

If you do not have a group that helps you Seek Wisdom, I would suggest you establish one. With support from understanding and trustworthy peers, we can be the best and most successful versions of ourselves. Call us here at the Center for Character Ethics if you would like assistance to put one together. We are always happy to help.