Respect Confidentiality | FOW #16

Honor the trust others give us. Be rigorous about keeping all information in confidence and be vigilant to safeguard it.

At Momentum – our clients talk, we listen.Only when they trust us will they talk, and only because we live by this fundamental will they trust us.The origin of what I do rests with this fundamental.In the 9th grade, a friend in distress confided in me on a sensitive subject. I wasn’t his best friend, but for some reason, he felt he could trust me. He said I was “fair.” After years of discussion later I interpret “fair” to mean confidential. Something about me was trustworthy, fair and safe. One could argue those three words pretty much sum up the distinction “confidential.”At the time I was just as dorky, hormone-driven and immature as any other 9th grader, but I’ll humbly admit that I’ve always had a natural understanding that some things people say are not for everyone’s ears. It may be because I don’t want everyone knowing everything about me either, but it’s simply an integrity issue for me.We are consulting people on business, but at our core, we are still people. Transparency has great benefits in many situations, and at the same time, not everyone needs to know all our details.When people have confidence that what they’re sharing is safe, a whole new world of solutions opens up. Related to our fundamental #18: Practice Blameless Problem Solving, confidentiality includes a “no-judgment zone” where anything can be discussed.When anything can be discussed, anything can be solved.What do you think? Would your interactions change if you knew the discussion was confidential? I would love to hear what you think, comment below and let me know.Best,Brett