The Role of Connect & Engage in Building Trust

This is by far one of the most exciting periods for Emergenetics International. We are just one week from the Emergenetics Brain Summit, our biennial conference for Emergenetics Associates from around the world. We’re gearing up for two and a half days of learning & inspiration, idea exchanging, skill and technique refining, and good old-fashioned fellowship with the global Emergenetics family. The Summit this year is being held in Assisi, Italy, which is the perfect venue given the theme of the Summit- “Connect & Engage”.

As I mentally prepare for the Summit, I find myself reflecting on what “Connect & Engage” means and how it applies to the work that I do. I’m taking an approach often used by Colin Yeow, Deputy CEO of our Asia-Pacific office, and that is to look up the definition of the word in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary:

• Connect: to join with or become joined to something else; to think of (something or someone) as being related to or involved with another person, thing, event, or idea.
• Engage: to get and keep (someone’s attention, interest, etc.)

These two words just make sense together. You might connect with someone, but it will stop there unless you actively engage them. Conversely, you can not engage with someone unless you first connect with them. In the Business World, your ability to grow sales, gain new clients, and secure deals is dependent on your ability to first connect with a potential client and then to engage their minds and their hearts. Additionally, networking is something in which most of us regularly participate in order to connect with new people with the hope of turning them into business leads…which happens if and when they’re engaged.

I think we can all agree that connection and engagement are important, but this really clicked into place for me when I read a Forbes article on the importance of human connections. Author Carrie Kerpen highlights how social media is empowering companies to achieve greater levels of success. Why? Because social platforms “are vitally important for knowledge sharing and breaking down those traditional organizational boundaries. Ultimately, these connections lead to conversations that in turn build trust.”

The reason connect and engage is so important is because it helps to build trust. In saying this I am reminded of a well-known John Maxwellism, “everything rises and falls on leadership”. You’ve likely heard that, but I think we should take it one step further because trust comes into play whether you are a leader of others, a trainer or facilitator, an individual contributor, or an entire organization. I would instead say that everything rises and falls on TRUST. And if that is the case, then really everything rises and falls on your ability to connect & engage with others because that is how you build trust.

Trust Resources

We frequently blog about trust here on the Emergenetics blog so I thought I’d share with you a few of my favorite posts. I hope you find them helpful in building trust with others!

• 4 Crucial Factors to Building Trust in the Workplace
• The Role of Trust in Team Communication
• Trust in the Workplace: Begin with a Common Language
• Creating an Environment Where Trust Can Thrive

Stay Tuned….

Whether you are an Emergenetics Associate or not, The Emergenetics Blog is your Brain Summit headquarters. Each day we’ll share recaps from the sessions, and this year we’re featuring a special “#AskGeil” opportunity during Emergenetics Founder Dr. Geil Browning’s kick off speech. If you have any burning Emergenetics questions, take to social media (Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn) and just us #AskGeil. A few lucky questions will be answered during the Summit, but all questions will be answered in a special blog to be released shortly after the Summit.

I can’t wait to share with you everything that I learn. There are some brilliant minds presenting this year so stay tuned… and follow us on social media with #BrainSummit15 for real-time updates!

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