Are You A Trust Agent?

In a recent interview with Mohammed Al-Taee, I made the point that career management is already personal brand management, but that the next challenge is that “each of us needs to become, as Chris Brogan and Julien Smith have pointed out, a trust agent." But what exactly does it take to be a trust agent?

In their brilliant book, Brogan and Smith have established a framework for building trust that is comprised of the following six constellations of behaviors:

• Make Your Own Game. Trust agents are typically "gate jumpers" or "hackers" who are able to find ways be original and to stand out.

• One of Us. They are able to relate to a specific community that comes to see them as belonging, and therefore more credible. 


• The Archimedes Effect. They know how to leverage relationships and resources to expand opportunities and influence. 


• Agent Zero. They are typically at the center of wide and powerful networks, and often use their influence to help others connect. 


• Human Artist. Trust agents have polished interpersonal skills and understand people; they know how to work well with, and empower others. 


• Build Armies. They also know how to bring people together to accomplish more than they could possibly do alone.

In that interview, I also noted that increasingly success will not be based on one-way communications about one’s brand, but two-way conversations inside communities of shared interest, i.e., brand communities – both online and in person-to-person situations.

Fortunately, many of the behaviors that Brogan and Smith describe are consistent with what we typically recommend for extracting, expressing, and exuding one’s brand. Yet, it’s clear that building trust requires ongoing engagement. So much so that it seems to me that having a clear brand with solid messages is baseline. Taking steps to establish your reputation as a trust agent takes you to the next level.

What do you think?

Cross-posted at The Personal Branding Blog

Comments

[Muchiri Nyaggah]

Malcolm Gladwell in his book Tipping Point calls these kinds of people Connectors. I definitely agree with the idea.

[Walter Akana]

Hi Muchiri! Thanks for your comment. Happy that you brought up Malcolm Gladwell. I think the Tipping Point describes people who seem to have natural affinity for building trust and connecting others. In my more recent experience, I have come to see this as a skill set almost anyone can develop. One of the reasons I so love Brogan and Smith’s book is that they take behaviors we all have or can develop and demonstrate how they can be used to generate trust.

[DC Jobs]

I like the six bullet points that you used in your review. A lot of reviews I read in blog posts leave me guessing as to what the book is about.

I felt your gave me a pretty clear picture.

[Walter Akana]

Hi Phil! Thanks for taking the time to comment. I appreciate your feedback. I like this book a lot, and have a fuller review over at amazon.com; here:

http://bit.ly/8tPc2l

Hope you decide to check it out. This, I think is an important book for folks who want to manager their careers in fresh, new ways!