I have been reading the book Give and Take by Dr. Adam Grant of the Wharton School of Business. Would like to share some of the key take aways that can create value for your client and partner relationships.

There are 3 styles or preferences for reciprocity or desired mix of taking and giving:

• Takers - They like to take more than they give.  They tilt reciprocity in their own favor.
• Givers - They tilt reciprocity in the other direction, preferring to give more than they get.

In the workplace, give and take becomes more complicated.  Many of adopt a third style; we become Matchers, striving to preserve an equal balance of giving and getting.  Matchers govern their relationships by even exchanges of favors.

Based upon hard research, Givers achieve the worst results.  They help others, but their success suffers as a result.

A Relationship Capital (RC) Interaction is based on the time-tested principle of accountability which rewards a kept-commitment! Many people in the next 10 years will seek new sustainable ways to grow income and will turn away from stock investing. Earning tangible measures of Relationship Capital (RC) by capturing RC through online social interactions will validate your reputation.

This is increasingly important to an individual’s success by attracting others to their personal and professional brands.

What Tasks, Concepts and Practices Earns You Relationship Capital (RC)?

•  Active Listening
• Genuine Interest
• Telling Stories
• Swap Stories
• Make and keep Commitments
• Be Consistent in what we think, say, and do
• Solicit Feedback about You
• “Matchmaking” People
• Volunteer to Mentor
• Volunteering Your Time
• Providing free Coaching
• Showing up to Meetings on-time
• Following-Up Doing What You Say
• Saying “I do not know”
• Asking “Please”
• Ask another “What Their Story Is?”
• Saying “Thank You”
• Saying “I was thinking of you”
• Asking “How may I be of service to you?”
• Donating $$ to a Charity or worthy cause
• Sending Information that would be of interest to that person.
• Giving a person an authentic recommendation
• Giving a person a “Qualified Referral”

Relationship Capital (RC) is an accounting of the interactions between “entities”, including people, businesses and products. Interactions include Commitments (actions) and Perceptions (thoughts and feelings).

Entities earn RC by keeping Commitments and obtaining positive Perceptions. They receive a Relationship Capital Point (RCP) for each fulfilled Commitment, and an RCP, or a fraction thereof, for each positive Perception obtained. RCPs are deposited in an RC Account under the strict control of its owner entity.

The objectives of RC are to provide a common vocabulary for relationship interactions and to account for the interactions as they occur. Accordingly, RC uses a “standard-in-the-cloud” platform to enable entities to engage in interactions and capture RCPs in near real time. The platform is provided by RNIA, an independent body.

The important principle here is that Relationship Capital (RC) is earned and not given to you!  

Now, Givers, Takers, and Matchers can earn and account for their Relationship Capital (RC) and standout from the crowd in this new technology-enabled and hyper-connected world of social business.

-Rob Peters

The new technology-enabled and hyper-connected world of social business are having a profound effects on the quality of social relationships with key stakeholders such customers, employees, & suppliers.  More than ever people are watching for aligned action more than words from their leaders.

A Charismatic leader of a for-profit business can make a strategic difference to it's success by providing:

• Vision
• Sense of Mission
• Instilling Pride
• Gaining Respect and Trust

The current macro-economic environment is as uncertain as ever as information technology, demographics, and cross-national competition are disrupting business models.  The old way of serving customers is not enough to differentiate your products/services and grow profit margins. Engagement levels between employees and employers are at historical lows.  

The way forward is to attract key stakeholders with innovate business models and charismatic leadership from all employees.  If you do not build, nurture, and execute a culture that respects an individual as well as the team, does not trust your employees and partners to "Do the Right Thing", your operating performance will suffer and most likely your business model will fail.

To enable this culture of mission, purpose, and commitment we need to reward this behavior.

The time is now for you and or your business to embrace the power of social networking. We are at an inflection point. The opportunity for you to create a trustworthy brand for yourself, your product/service, and business has never been more cost effective or more democratic.

Customers and Consumers want stronger relationships with all relationship entities (people, products/services, & organizations).

You must begin to earn tangible measures of Relationship Capital (RC). Customers and consumers will not continue to buy from you or recommend your business if they do not trust you. Your reputation is becoming a tangible asset that you must manage effectively!

Principles of honesty, accountability, responsibility, support, respect, emotional boundaries, and trust are foundational. You, your product/service, and organization’s online behavior must match these principles in order to consistently earn Relationship Capital (RC) online or off.

Embrace Relationship Capital (RC) standards of measurement. It will guide you to sustainable growth!

-Rob Peters, Founder

In this hyper-connected and increasingly transparent world, opportunities will go to those individuals, products, and organizations that have a track-record or evidence of their credibility.

 Across the globe, an explosion of entrepreneurship is happening.  Large businesses will continue to do more with less people and focus their business value on doing fewer things very well.  The United States will lead in the growth rate in solo entrepreneurs.

As more an more individuals create businesses and explore partnerships with other entrepreneurs, it is important that we have metrics that serves as:

"a testament to their trustworthiness"

Partnerships and alliances will increasingly become strategic to both small and large businesses.                                                                                                                                         

Relationship Capital (RC) is an open industry standard and social interaction process in which you, your staff, services/products, and organization earn Relationship Capital (RC) through kept-commitments and perceptions.

It will be the firms who capture, measure, and utilize Relationship Capital (RC) with their internal teams, partners, suppliers, prospects, and clients that will differentiate themselves from the competition and win more business.

The Relationship Capital (RC) standard will be an important contributor to the testament of the quality of your credibility, reputation, and influence and will distinguish you and your product from the competition.

-Rob Peters

The rapid adoption of mobile devices such as Smart Phones and Tablets are having a transformative effect on business organizations.

The ability of the individual to acquire the information he or she needs just in time to do their job is requiring all businesses to up their game in serving these demanding users.

As individuals BYOD or Bring Their Own Device to work the also must BYOT or Bring Their Own Trustworthiness.

The combination of powerful information technology in the hands of the individual combined with their principles & ability to keep their commitments is making influence and reputation a tangible asset.

Relationship Capital (RC) is an accounting of the interactions between “entities”, including people, businesses and products. Interactions include Commitments (actions) and Perceptions (thoughts and feelings).

Entities earn RC by keeping Commitments and obtaining positive Perceptions. They receive a Relationship Capital Point (RCP) for each fulfilled Commitment, and an RCP, or a fraction thereof, for each positive Perception obtained. RCPs are deposited in an RC Account under the strict control of its owner entity.

The objectives of RC are to provide a common vocabulary for relationship interactions and to account for the interactions as they occur. Accordingly, RC uses a “standard-in-the-cloud” platform to enable entities to engage in interactions and capture RCPs in near real time.

This interlocking Triangle of Mobile Technology, Principles & Behaviors of Trustworthiness, and open standard measurement of Relationship Capital (RC) is a powerful fulcrum for enabling the socially connected business.

Regards,

-Rob

The speed by which technology is interconnecting people, businesses, and products is nothing short of breathtaking. 

It is not enough just to be found on the social web, but having a clear, compelling, and trusted brand is critical to attracting opportunity.  

• What do you stand for?
• What do your employees stand for?
• What does your business & products stand for?

Capability is not enough to differentiate you from the competition in today's world of rapid commoditization.

Your ability to communicate, influence and motivate your stakeholders to your objectives will separate you and your business from the competition.

One indicator that I propose to measure social business success going forward is Relationship Capital (RC).

Relationship Capital (RC) is an accounting of the interactions between “entities”, including people, businesses and products. Interactions include Commitments (actions) and Perceptions (thoughts and feelings). Entities earn RC by keeping Commitments and obtaining positive Perceptions. They receive a Relationship Capital Point (RCP) for each fulfilled Commitment, and an RCP, or a fraction thereof, for each positive Perception obtained. RCPs are deposited in an RC Account under the strict control of its owner entity.

The objectives of RC are to provide a common vocabulary for relationship interactions and to account for the interactions as they occur. Accordingly, RC uses a “standard-in-the-cloud” platform to enable entities to engage in interactions and capture RCPs in near real time. The platform is provided by RNIA, an independent body.

Your RC or "Credibility" should be measured with open standards and not by a proprietary algorithm.

Your Relationship Capital (RC) Score will be an asset as important as the amount of money in your bank account.  

It is that important to you, your business, and product's success.

-Rob Peters

The pace of change is accelerating and that is a surprise to no leader.

The research is evident that businesses that continue to drive transformation and leverage technology both with all it’s stakeholders are more profitable & agile!

Standard of Trust is commited to assisting B2B business leaders to adopt open standards for the capture & measurement of Relationship Capital (RC) that enables a principles culture of higher trust that enables greater levels of innovation and increase speed & agility.

Management must increase the quality of engagement with employees, partners, and customers in this hyper-connected and technology enabled world in order to capture the opportunities and meet the threats.

Capgemini Consulting has publicly shared their 2012 Research that I wanted to share their conclusions with you and get your feedback and begin the discussion:

Let me know what you think and let’s serve our B2B leaders and their businesses to great levels of prosperity!

Rob Peters

Founder

Leaders must design for:

• The capture of all stakeholders RC within their business and across their ecosystem.
• The capture of their Products/Services Relationship Capital (RC)
• The capture of their overall business entity’s RC

To differentiate yourself, your business, and/or your products & services in this technology-enabled and hyper-connected social business world, your reputation and credibility must be accounted for with prospects and current customers.  

Relationship Capital or RC is an open standard of online trustworthiness.

It is captured through online interactions and it is earned by kept-commitments and positive perceptions and credited to your Relationship Capital Account.

Your stakeholders want to see and track your Relationship Capital (RC) in “Real-Time”.

Your Reputation and Credibility is a strategic asset that must be managed in a highly effective manner and not just delegated to your PR or Marketing Function.

Are you tracking your Relationship Capital (RC)?

-Rob Peters

Founder

1. Why earning relationship capital (RC) is important in today’s economy
2. How your gifts can create relationship capital (RC)?
3. The Importance of your brand to managing and growing your relationship capital (RC)
4. How creating a personal mission statement earns you relationship capital (RC)
5. Why meeting people is important to earning relationship capital (RC)
6. What does it mean to “Being of Service to Others” in the creation of relationship capital (RC)?

7. How keeping commitments creates relationship capital (RC)
8. Why being efficient is important to earning relationship capital (RC)
9. How making things happen today creates relationship capital (RC)
10. What a personal development can do for you to earn greater relationship capital (RC) rewards

Interested in delving deeper on these individual points.

Let me know, happy to share over a Skype or Conference Call.

Regards,

-Rob Peters

Founder

Nurturing a culture of kept-commitments and positive perceptions that rewards individuals and work-groups with Relationship Capital (RC) will be an increasingly important metric of capability, credibility and influence within the organizational entity and across the entire ecosystem.

We live in a low-trust business world, where action and not just words are being accounted for by stakeholders.

Leaders must build trust by earning Relationship Capital (RC) with stakeholders otherwise they will either be too far ahead or too far behind.

-Rob Peters

GIVE

-Rob Peters