This week on Business Matters we explore the matter of trust. What does it mean to be a trustworthy company? A trustworthy leader? A trustworthy individual? Our first guest, David Horsager, explains the Trust Edge, how businesses can be hugely impacted by the trust customers have in them, as well as the trust that runs within coworkers. His book describes research that identified the eight pillars of trust, all of which leaders and companies need to have in order to be successful. Our second guest, Ross Bernstein, has used his trusting personality to get inside the world of sports. He has befriended coaches and players from all over the world to tell him their experiences and lessons from the game, which he has written into over 50 books. Ross believes that trust is a delicate thing that can be broken very easily, but when it is solid, it can provide many opportunities. Our final guest is Waldo Waldman, who inspires people to never fly solo. After flying in the Air Force for over 20 years, Waldo learned the value of having a strong formation around you at all times. By having a trusting and solid formation, coworkers can feel supported and accepting of challenges. This week, we hope you look at trust in a new light and find new practices to use in your business and home life.

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David Horsager

David Horsager is the author of Wall Street Journal bestseller, “The Trust Edge.†In his book, David describes the methods of becoming, and maintaining, a trusted company, product, or leader. At its most basic point, trust is a confident belief in a product, organization or individual; which means someone else believes in it. Trust can hugely affect the bottom line in business. When trust increases in the workplace, stress goes down and innovation goes up. Furthermore, David says that a lack of trust can be the biggest expense in a company. It prevents customers from returning, employees from persevering, and companies from succeeding. David’s research has broken trust down into eight pillars: clarity, compassion, character, competency, commitment, connection, contribution, and consistency. In our interview, David explains how to be a trustworthy leader using his pillars of trust and motivation. In the end, it boils down to learning how to trust yourself in order to trust others and for others to trust you.

To learn more about David, check out his website. Also, like David on Facebook, follow him on Twitter, and subscribe to his YouTube channel.

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Ross Bernstein

Ross Bernstein grew up in a small town in southern Minnesota, where he gained a love of sports at a young age. After he failed to be selected as a walk-on for the University of Minnesota hockey team, he drew on his love of sports to become the next best thing – the team mascot, Goldy the Gopher. This “undercover†position provided Ross the inspiration for his first book, “Gopher Hockey by the Hockey Gopher.†Motivated by his passion, Ross has written over 50 books about sports; the teams, the players, and the codes. To get close to the action, Ross has built trusting relationships with coaches and players, encouraging them to share their stories. In order to get the best information, his subjects must not only trust him in order to open up about their experiences, but they must also trust that he will not write anything about them that may place them in a bad light. He explains how in today’s highly media-centric society, if you break someone’s trust once, you can be blackballed forever. As both a speaker and a writer, Ross inspires individuals to win the right way, on their own terms. By taking accountability for one’s actions, you can become more trustworthy and successful in all aspects of your life.

Check out all of Ross’s books or contact him to be a speaker at your next conference. As always, don’t forget to follow Ross on Twitter for more updates.

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Waldo Waldman

Affectionately known as “The Wingman,†Waldo Waldman has used his passion for flying to teach businesses how to build trusting relationships among their employees. Waldo got his first taste for flying when his father showed him and his identical twin brother around JFK Airport, where he worked as mechanic. After high school, Waldo entered the Air Force Academy, where he majored in psychology with a minor in Spanish. He then became an instructor pilot, teaching others how to fly. In this position he learned patience and communications with his students. Then, he advanced to an instructor’s instructor – teaching others how to teach. Eventually, he flew fighter F-16s in combat in Iraq and Serbia. Although flying is a solitary experience, a pilot is still part of team. Waldo explains this in his talks, saying that to be successful you need to have a solid formation around you, both in business and life, so you can look both ways and know you can always ask for help. Basically, you should never fly solo. He says that some of the most important tasks you can do is to be prepared, be present, and follow through on your commitments.

Along with speaking, Waldo and his brother have founded the Wingman Foundation, which provides funds for veterans and other veteran organizations around the country. This money helps veterans create a stable formation after service. Check out Waldo’s website for more information about being a Wingman. Also, subscribe to his channel on YouTube and follow him on Twitter.



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