Todd Davis
speaker
423 appearances
6 recordings
3 series
first heard Dec 2024
last heard May 2025
Todd Davis’s voice in public audio — every appearance, attributed to the second.
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Appearances
We live in a tool economy. There's always some tools to fix something. And sure, tools are useful. I need a screwdriver when I need to fix something, but it can't fix everything. Now we're entering the era of AI agents. By the end of this year, we'll see even more AI solutions, both for businesses and individuals. They will solve some problems, but they won't solve everything.
In fact, there's risk in relying too much on technology. For example, collaboration. There are billion-dollar collaboration tools But in some ways, they're actually dehumanizing the way we work together. So at the end of the day, it's not just about having the right tools. It's about keeping humanity at the center, making sure we don't lose the human touch as we build and use digital solutions.
And that brings me to trust. You talk about trust a lot, and I agree with you, it's critical. But right now, trust in the workplace is fragile. Employees don't trust their employers, especially with all the layoffs, disengagement, and burnout. We see things like quiet quitting and mass resignations. So in a world where trust is fading, how do we rebuild it?
From your perspective, what mindsets or habits help strengthen trust in the workplace? What can leaders do to make trust real again?
I think the number one priority for everyone in this world, professionally and personally, should be relationships. I think nothing is more important than our relationships. And I think if you ask anyone, regardless of what part of the world they live in, at the end of the day, if someone we care about needs our help, we drop everything to go help. If there's an urgency, an emergency.
So I just think it's our nature as human beings on this earth that relationships matter. And the foundation of all foundations in any relationship is trust. Whether it's my professional relationship with my boss or my colleague, whether it's a personal relationship with one of my friends or one of my kids or nieces or nephews, it's the level of trust that we have.
do am i someone that's trustworthy do they trust me do i do what i say i'm going to do do i have integrity and can i trust them doesn't mean we're perfect doesn't mean i never make a mistake or they never make a mistake but it means that our intent our intent is to do the right thing and to build that trust so i believe trust is at the heart of every relationship every good relationship
and the lack of trust is of course at the heart of every bad relationship and so building that trust just like the example we were talking about earlier if i'm a leader of multiple generations and i'm busy and i've got a lot to do but i still take the time to understand each and every individual and what's important to them as far as flexibility as far as recognition
That builds trust with them because they know that I care about them. And some people hear it and they think, okay, so it's about being nice. Yeah, it's about being nice, but more importantly, it's about getting results.
And if I take the time to make what we call it in the seven habits, deposits in the emotional bank account of others, if I take time to make a deposit in your emotional bank account, it raises the level of trust. In the EBA or the emotional bank account, much like a financial bank account, we make deposits. And sometimes because we're human beings, we make mistakes. We take a withdrawal.
But if we've made enough deposits in the emotional bank account of the people who are most important to us, then when an accidental withdrawal happens, we don't bankrupt that relationship. There's enough trust built up in there. So that's my take and my philosophy on trust.
Yeah, some people use another analogy, which is insurance policy. You keep contributing, and at some point something happens. And that's how you're supposed to draw on the policy to cover the downside of that situation.
Yeah, I like that analogy as well. And with the analogy we use of making deposits, I bet you've experienced, I know I've experienced those people who they're making deposits, but they're not sincere deposits. You can tell something's going on. They're trying to schmooze you, a word we use in the U.S., to butter you up or to make you feel good because they need something. They need a favor.
They need you to do something for them. Instead of just being open and honest and saying, hey, I need your help. Would you be willing to help me with this? They try and build up this fake deposit, I guess is what I'm saying. And being sincere is a huge part of our trust accounts with people.
Yeah, like you mentioned, so much of what we've talked about comes down to human nature, which is universal. It doesn't matter where you're from, your culture, your background, these workplace challenges exist everywhere.
That's actually one of the reasons I created this show, to engage people from all walks of life, from different parts of the world, because burnout, disengagement, and workplace struggles aren't just happening in the US. They are happening everywhere. The difference? In some places, people just don't express it as openly as Americans do.
They might not say, I'm quitting my job tomorrow, but that doesn't mean they aren't feeling the same pressure. That's why I've really enjoyed this conversation. These are real global challenges. So as we conclude, let's go back to the seven habits.
Each of them is important, but if someone wanted to start with just one, the foundation of all seven, the habit that if mastered properly would make it easier to develop the rest. Which one would it be and why?
Yeah, that's a tough question. That is a tough question. And I'd answered it differently at different times. I've been asked something similar, but right now, and maybe it's just based on how the last couple of months have gone. Habit number three is put first things first. It's the habit of focus and prioritization.
And again, all of the habits work together, but I think right now with everyone with so much on their plates and everybody's being pulled in different directions to, to decide in habit three, we talk about how do you prioritize? Because it's not like we're choosing between good things and bad things to spend our time on.
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