From a Betta fish brooch to a “dragon’s trove” of zircon eggs, here are seven pieces that’ve stuck with Associate Editor Lauren McLemore.
Book of the Month: Creating a Culture of Trust
National Jeweler’s book pick for January explores what happens to employees’ brains when they feel trusted, and why it’s good for business.

New York--In 2016, National Jeweler brought readers a selection of recently released books each month that were jewelry or business focused.
This year, the publication’s editors have decided to narrow it down to just one book per month.
Read on to learn more about January’s selection and please let us know if you’ve read any great books lately in the comments below.
The Trust Factor: The Science of Creating High-Performance Companies
Paul J. Zak
Out this month from publishing house Amacom is The Trust Factor by neuroscientist Paul J. Zak.
This creates a culture that fosters engagement, accountability and commitment to excellent at all levels.
“Trust motivates a desire to make an extra effort to reach organization goals. A culture of trust is a powerful lever on human behavior--as long as it is properly implemented,” Zak said.
In his book, Zak identifies eight components of a culture where employees feel empowered, valued and happy, using OXYTOCIN as an acronym to do so. They are as follows:
--Ovation, recognizing colleagues who contribute to the organization’s success;
--eXpectation, setting high standards and stretching to meet those goals;
--Yield, empowering people to share their expertise and choose how to do projects;
--Transfer, enabling self-management and customized job crafting;
--Openness, sharing information broadly with colleagues;
--Caring, intentionally building relationships and prioritizing empathy;
--Invest, committing to individual development and work-life integration; and
--Natural, allowing leaders to be human, honest and vulnerable
The Trust Factor is currently available in hardback for $24. It is the second book from Zak, who also wrote 2013’s The Moral Molecule.
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