Think about personal relationships between family and friends. How do you think they grow & flourish? I hope you said trust! Because that is precisely where engagement begins. Relationships strengthen when we learn to trust each other.

The same applies in business. A leader’s success strongly depends on his or her ability to earn and maintain the trust of employees.

So how do you build trust? You invest time in your team. You show who you really are. You get out of your office!

I spend, what some may consider, an inordinate amount of time personally connecting with team members. I believe in the concept of ROR (Return On Relationships). Enabling dialogue, being open and real are what I’ve learned make the most difference in engagement.

The benefits of this concept are evident in social media and through our internal communications channels, but what I want to stress here is the value of old-fashioned in-person interactions. You know, when you step out from behind your desk, you go see for yourself, and interact with the people who work with you.

Business strategy is one thing. But at the end of the day it is people who drive business forward – human beings who each have their own personal “why” for how they give their effort and energy on a daily basis. And they want to be acknowledged, heard, and valued. It’s important for leaders to do that, and to genuinely care. It is that inclusiveness that forms trust and generates immeasurable commitment towards the collective “why” of a business.

Leaders, CEOs, Presidents, we are not typically known to share lunches in the office cafeteria, sit in with call centre associates, or play weekly hockey games with the team. The general expectation is that we are far removed in our corner offices and not easily accessible – It’s time to shift from a distant leadership to a more personal and engaged leadership.

I can tell you from personal experience that the more genuine interest that leaders show their teams, the stronger the culture becomes. The impact is powerful and difficult to quantify.

When you let your guard down, understand what makes individuals tick, ask about their families, truly care about their wellbeing – that is what makes leaders relatable, leaves great impressions and builds great team environments. The kind of environments that foster trust and personal connections and allow for discussion, debate and even arguments at times. And the environments where leaders and their teams feel comfortable to show emotion, and reveal who they truly are.

I had a mentor who once said to me “you can’t be a leader if you’re not fallible. You need to be authentic. No one will follow you if you’re too perfect.”

Connecting with people at all levels of the business in person, is fundamental. There’s plenty of strength in being real. It’s a powerful tool. And it starts at the top. I urge leaders – leave your desks and get to know your teams. And if you have a chance to show your personality, do it.

Engagement is an automatic result. Once the momentum is at your back it is unstoppable!

It’s naïve to think that we can be 100 percent transparent. Even personally, we struggle at times to protect certain areas of our lives. Imagine a business. Then imagine a Financial Services business, with regulators, shareholders, and an acquisition underway.

So how should business leaders strike the balance?

We live in a social business era. Expectations are that we operate transparent business models. And I certainly support those expectations.

I’ve seen first hand how the financial services industry has changed. When ING DIRECT introduced direct online banking to Canadians, it was a radical idea. Trusting a bank without physical branches with something as important as your hard earned money was far-reaching.

Fast forward 16 years, direct banking is the new normal. But even more exciting is that Canadians are opening up about their finances like never before. Years ago, people would rather discuss sex and drugs with their kids and friends instead of talk about money and how to manage it. Today however, there are thousands of blogs being written and shared about people’s personal finances. How they manage debt, try to save, drive fees away from their lives and invest for their futures… How they have learned, the mistakes they made and how they were overcome. It really is an amazing and important development.

There’s something liberating about sharing your struggles. As soon as you do, you realize you are not alone. You become part of a community. Clearly this is not new. But it is amplified in the technology driven social era we live in. An era where leaders need to prove the obvious – that they are human beings.

For the financial industry, this is especially important. Jargon, complexity, ivory towers and mahogany desks are expected, right? Not so much. Not anymore. The pressure is on for disclosure and openness and for sharing the wealth with customers and community.

This is on my mind often: do our employees know who I am as a person? Customers, followers, subscribers, listeners – are they getting to know the real me? How I lead ING DIRECT? What I believe in? What makes me happy, unhappy, frustrated, elated? Do they have a good perspective of my personality by what I share?

I am socially inclined which has helped me be referred to as the “social CEO”. Sharing stories, talking “normal stuff” and connecting with people all come naturally. So using social media was a no brainer for me and our organization. Of  course there are many examples of very successful leaders who are quiet, reserved, even introverted. Those who are more comfortable one on one as opposed to a larger group.

Which begs the question: is social media for everyone? Maybe not. But I believe that the success of future leaders and their businesses may depend on their willingness to reveal who they are, who they really are, with authenticity and sincerity. Being open, sharing more about ourselves, showing a relatable side are all extremely valuable and can be real competitive advantages.

Of course leaders have insights into confidential information that require a level of discretion and at times even legal and compliance issues curtail a leader’s ability to share. I recently found myself pondering this very dilemma when ING Group began the process of selling ING DIRECT Canada. Full disclosure was simply not allowable. But for me, it was important to share what I possibly could as soon as I was able.

I like what Simon Sinek recently shared at the Art of Management conference in Toronto: “It is better to disappoint people with the truth, than appease them with a lie.” With this you have a chance of building trust that will serve the entire team well.

Leaders want to be seen as confident, strong and smart. We think that this is what people want from us. However, at times we feel confused, sad, frustrated and even doubtful. Hey, leaders are human too!

So what happens then? Instead of trying to put your best face forward, I’d consider putting your real face forward. Redefine vulnerability as strength. Be thoughtful how you do it and you may appreciate how those around you grow to feel about you as a leader.

November is financial literacy month in Canada – a great initiative by a group of non-profit organizations that raises awareness of the need for financial literacy, or as I like to call it, financial wellbeing.

“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world” said Nelson Mandela. So how about changing our individual worlds? You know, our health, careers, relationships and our financial future.

Why is it that very few of us take the initiative to help ourselves? Sure, government, schools, banks, parents can all contribute to our knowledge, but unless we independently take the first step toward bettering our future, I’m afraid we won’t make a dent in improving our worlds.

It all starts with education. The basic understanding of how something works so we can be equipped to decide for or against something. Like Tax Free Savings Accounts (TFSA).

There are not many financial goals in life more important than saving for our retirement. Yet, four years since they first became available, we find 52% of Canadians still have not opened a TFSA. Which I find quite perplexing.

TFSAs have significant benefits versus other registered products. They provide tremendous flexibility to work toward short or long-term goals, provide easier access to funds without penalty and allow us to put as little or as much as we can into our future. It is one of the easiest financial products Canadians can invest in! So why aren’t we taking advantage of it?

There is some good news here. 63% of those surveyed who do have a TFSA have not made any withdrawals from the account. All it takes is the first simple step to take control of our saving behaviours. Like many other goals, each step after the first gets easier.

If you’re one of the 53% who don’t fully understand how the TFSA works there are options for you. You can check the Government of Canada Information Page, or take a look at ING DIRECT’s top 10 things to know about the Tax-Free Savings Account. You can also learn about the activities taking place around Financial Literacy Month and participate!

I have no doubt that we all find it difficult at times to set aside savings when we have numerous bills and obligations to take care of, vacations to plan, the latest TV to buy… Especially as we are ramping up to the onslaught of ‘best deals’ for Holiday shopping.

Research tells us that 53% of Canadians have said that “not having the money to contribute” is the main reason why we haven’t yet opened a TFSA. But any amount, be it large or small, does make a difference. It’s easy to set up automatic savings plans, anywhere you bank! Set it and forget it. It’s that simple.

My advice is not radical. There’s really no secret to saving. It’s the same as saving for any other goal, financial or otherwise. Getting started is the beginning and doing it routinely and automatically is the recipe for success. Making small dents over a long time is the best we can do to create a better world for each of us, our families and our Country.

I will leave you with this thought by Jim Rohn: “If someone is going down the wrong road, he doesn’t need motivation to speed him up. What he needs is education to turn him around.” There’s only so much hand holding that governments or businesses can do to set us up for success. It’s time to get ourselves on the right road!

Here’s what I know for sure. Change is constant. Businesses grow, or shrink. And we all evolve. So you have two choices: You can sit and watch the transformation happen, or you can be an active participant. Alan Kay said it well, “The best way to predict the future is to invent it.”

I’ve always been fascinated by innovation. Consider Google, Netflix, Apple or taxi company Hailo and how each has revolutionized their respective industries. Do you ever wonder why Blockbuster didn’t invent Netflix? I do. I doubt that it’s because of a lack of ideas. But I’m certain that a number of businesses don’t fully comprehend that success today does not mean success tomorrow.

Innovative businesses are those nimble and courageous enough to drop old strategies and adopt new ones. There’s no question that innovation can be a real challenge, but without it you will be left behind. If you’re not coming up with the next big thing (or many small things), your competitors are, and faster than you can blink.

So how do you find the next big thing? You listen. You observe. You try. You fail. You adjust. You try again.

“To have a great idea, have a lot of them.” Thomas Edison was right. Ideas are everywhere, and you don’t have to look any further than your immediate stakeholders – your employees and your customers. Out of 10 ideas, whether gigantic or small, one may be key in either enhancing an existing product, transforming your business or potentially an industry.

Our employees at ING DIRECT share their ideas in an internal forum we call Orange Spark. It’s open for suggestions about products and processes, and employees vote on which ideas they think are of value. Orange Spark has been instrumental in idea generation and fine-tuning new products and services and how we do things.

Since simplifying banking for Canadians is our purpose at ING DIRECT, we take our customers’ feedback seriously – which is why we are the first company in Canada to offer customers the ability to deposit cheques using their iPhone from home! Our customers have shared the obstacles they experience in depositing cheques with us. So with the help of technology, Canadians will now be able to safely take a picture of their cheques using the Cheque-In feature on their iPhone app to make a deposit remotely.

Innovation is a big deal. Lately, it is even the currency for business success, particularly in the transformative world we live in today. If you’re not igniting the innovation spark in your organization, what’s the alternative? Do nothing? I think you know what happens to those businesses.

If there’s a magic formula that will produce breakthrough solutions, every employee in your organization should want to find it. But quite often, businesses get in their own way. Here are a few suggestions and tips for what you can do to cultivate a culture of innovation in your organization.

 Remove the hierarchy obstacle. In other words, foster autonomy. The best ideas come from those closest to customers, and traditionally executives are furthest away. Let others hold the keys to decision-making and allow for cross-functional roles to ensure a well-rounded view of industry and customer needs.

Let mistakes happen. Be comfortable with the mistakes, because failure is an important lesson. It helps modify and adjust ideas and reassess objectives. But don’t fail too often because you risk losing your confidence. Simplify the strategy as much as possible. Involve more people early. Make incremental changes.

Allow time for adoption. Comfort around change is not expected. You may experience backlash, particularly if the innovation involves behaviour change, but human beings do adapt. In the words of Steve Jobs “People don’t know what they want until you show it to them.”

 Balance speed and thoughtfulness. Getting something done is good. Getting it done right is better. You shouldn’t need 18 months to execute a new strategy, but you do want to be mindful of making hasty decisions. Don’t let speed cost you a great idea. Fight for quality.