This work goes far beyond not only my work, but also beyond anything I have read on the subject of trust. It goes beyond ethical behavior in leadership, beyond mere “compliance.” It goes deep into the real “intent” and agenda of a person’s heart, and then into the kind of “competence” that merits consistent public confidence. Just think about it—whether you define trust as mutual confidence or loyalty or ethical behavior, or whether you deal with its fruits of empowerment and teamwork and synergy, trust is the ultimate root and source of our influence.
As you read this book, it will inspire you to think like a “social ecologist” so that you see the relationships of all things and how ultimately all things are rooted in trust. It gives an enlarged perspective and a sequential process to transform a culture of low trust into one of high trust.
Second, this book presents a model of trust that is deep, practical, and comprehensive. It takes you through an inside-out approach to the 5 Waves of Trust. Like a pebble thrown into a pond, it moves from self to relationships with others to relationships with all stakeholders, including society. Through powerful and practical illustrations, it shows how the principles apply universally, whether it’s personally or in a one-on-one relationship, a family, a business, a school, a hospital, a government department, a military unit, or a “not-for-profit.”
Third, this book breathes hope. As you move sequentially through the chapters, you begin to feel optimistic and inspired that no matter what the situation or how low the trust, you can become an active agent in establishing or restoring trust and in rebuilding relationships, and it doesn’t have to take “forever.” As Stephen shares his own and others’ stories of turning around sour, toxic, costly, sluggish situations, you feel affirmed and empowered. You believe you can do it, and you want to do it, and do it in a way that is sustainable.
THE KEY FACTOR IN A GLOBAL ECONOMY
As we move rapidly into an even more transparent interdependent global reality, trust is more career critical than it has ever been. My interactions with business leaders around the world have made it increasingly evident that “speed to market” is now the ultimate competitive weapon.
Low trust causes friction, whether it is caused by unethical behavior or by ethical but incompetent behavior (because even good intentions can never take the place of bad judgment). Low trust is the greatest cost in life and in organizations, including families. Low trust creates hidden agendas, politics, interpersonal conflict, interdepartmental rivalries, win-lose thinking, defensive and protective communication—all of which reduce the speed of trust. Low trust slows everything—every decision, every communication, and every relationship.
On the other hand, trust produces speed. And, as Stephen points out, the greatest trust-building key is “results.” Results build brand loyalty. Results inspire and fire up a winning culture. The consistent production of results not only causes customers to increase their reorders, it also compels them to consistently recommend you to others. Thus, your customers become your key promoters, your key sales and marketing people. In addition, results win the confidence of practical-minded executives and workforces. Consistent results also put suppliers under the main tent as strategic partners, which is so vital in this new world-class, knowledge-worker-based, global economy.
Trust is like the aquifer—the huge water pool under the earth that feeds all of the subsurface wells. In business and in life, these wells are often called innovation, complementary teams, collaboration, empowerment, Six Sigma, and other expressions of Total Quality Management, brand loyalty, or other strategic initiatives. These wells themselves feed the rivers and streams of human interaction, business commerce, and deal making. They give sustaining quality of life to all relationships, including family relationships, interdepartmental relationships, day-to-day supplier and customer relationships—in fact, any effort to make a sustainable contribution.
A FINAL WORD
This book is a readable, assessable, pragmatic treatment of an extremely timely topic in this new “flat world” we now live in. It comes not just out of anecdotal and personal experiences, but is based on empirical research that demonstrates how the speed of trust can be put into the calculus of all of the important metrics inside organizations and relationships. Measurement is what makes this material so hard-edged and practical and so credible.
Seeing Stephen drill down so much deeper and go beyond my own thinking and adding significant new learning and insight has made me very proud and gratefully humbled at the same time. On the single most important need and subject in life—trust—I believe that Stephen has climbed a new summit, both as a model/practitioner and as a serious and competent thought leader.
I hope you enjoy and benefit from the read. I know I did.
Stephen R. Covey
THE ONE THING THAT CHANGES EVERYTHING
There is one thing that is common to every individual, relationship, team, family, organization, nation, economy, and civilization throughout the world—one thing which, if removed, will destroy the most powerful government, the most successful business, the most thriving economy, the most influential leadership, the greatest friendship, the strongest character, the deepest love.
On the other hand, if developed and leveraged, that one thing has the potential to create unparalleled success and prosperity in every dimension of life. Yet, it is the least understood, most neglected, and most underestimated possibility of our time.
That one thing is trust.
Trust impacts us 24/7, 365 days a year. It undergirds and affects the quality of every relationship, every communication, every work project, every business venture, every effort in which we are engaged. It changes the quality of every present moment and alters the trajectory and outcome of every future moment of our lives—both personally and professionally.
Contrary to what most people believe, trust is not some soft, illusive quality that you either have or you don’t; rather, trust is a pragmatic, tangible, actionable asset that you can create—much faster than you probably think possible.
While corporate scandals, terrorist threats, office politics, and broken relationships have created low trust on almost every front, I contend that the ability to establish, grow, extend, and restore trust is not only vital to our personal and interpersonal well-being; it is the key leadership competency of the new global economy.
I am also convinced that in every situation, nothing is as fast as the speed of trust. And, contrary to popular belief, trust is something you can do something about. In fact, you can get good at creating it!
NOTHING IS AS FAST AS THE SPEED OF TRUST
Speed happens when people . . . truly trust each other.
—EDWARD MARSHALL
Speed is the new currency . . .
—MARC BENIOFF
I’ll never forget an experience I had some years ago when I worked for a short stint with a major investment banking firm in New York City. We had just come out of a very exhausting meeting, during which it had become evident that there were serious internal trust issues. These issues were slowing things down and negatively affecting execution. The senior leader said to me privately, “These meetings are dysfunctional and a waste of time. I just don’t trust ‘Mike.’ I don’t trust ‘Ellen.’ In fact, I find it hard to trust anyone in this group.”
I said, “Well, why don’t you work on increasing trust?”
He turned to me and replied seriously, “Look, Stephen, you need to understand something. Either you have trust or you don’t. We don’t have it, and there’s nothing we can do about it.”
I strongly disagree. In fact, both my personal life and my work as a business practitioner over the past 30 years have convinced me that there is a lot we can do about it. We can increase trust—much faster than we might think—and doing so will have a huge impact, both in the quality of our lives and in the results we’re able to achieve.
You can have all the facts and figures, all the supporting evidence, all the endorsement
that you want, but if you don’t command trust, you won’t get anywhere.
—NIALL FITZGERALD, FORMER CHAIRMAN, UNILEVER
TRUST ISSUES AFFECT EVERYONE
As I speak to audiences around the world about the Speed of Trust, I repeatedly hear expressions of frustration and discouragement such as these:
I can’t stand the politics at work. I feel sabotaged by my peers. It seems like everyone is out for himself and will do anything to get ahead.
I’ve really been burned in the past. How can I ever trust anyone enough to have a real relationship?
I work in an organization that’s bogged down with bureaucracy. It takes forever to get anything done. I have to get authorization to buy a pencil!
The older my children get, the less they listen to me. What can I do?
I feel like my contributions at work are hardly ever recognized or valued.
I foolishly violated the trust of someone who was supremely important to me. If I could hit “rewind” and make the decision differently, I would do it in a heartbeat. But I can’t. Will I ever be able to rebuild the relationship?
I have to walk on eggshells at work. If I say what I really think, I’ll get fired . . . or at least made irrelevant.
My boss micromanages me and everyone else at work. He treats us all like we can’t be trusted.
With all the scandals, corruption, and ethical violations in our society today, I feel like someone has pulled the rug out from under me. I don’t know what—or who—to trust anymore.
So what do you do if you’re in a situation like one of these—or in any situation where a lack of trust creates politics and bureaucracy, or simply slows things down? Do you merely accept this as the cost of doing business? Or can you do something to counteract or even reverse it?
I affirm that you can do something about it. In fact, by learning how to establish, grow, extend, and restore trust, you can positively and significantly alter the trajectory of this and every future moment of your life.
Technique and technology are important, but adding trust is the issue of the decade.
—TOM PETERS, BUSINESS AUTHOR
GETTING A HANDLE ON TRUST
So what is trust? Rather than giving a complex definition, I prefer to use the words of Jack Welch, former CEO of General Electric. He said, “[Y]ou know it when you feel it.”
Simply put, trust means confidence. The opposite of trust—distrust—is suspicion. When you trust people, you have confidence in them—in their integrity and in their abilities. When you distrust people, you are suspicious of them—of their integrity, their agenda, their capabilities, or their track record. It’s that simple. We have all had experiences that validate the difference between relationships that are built on trust and those that are not. These experiences clearly tell us the difference is not small; it is dramatic.
Take a minute right now and think of a person with whom you have a high trust relationship—perhaps a boss, coworker, customer, spouse, parent, sibling, child, or friend. Describe this relationship. What’s it like? How does it feel? How well do you communicate? How quickly can you get things done? How much do you enjoy this relationship?
Now think of a person with whom you have a low-trust relationship. Again, this person could be anyone at work or at home. Describe this relationship. What’s it like? How does it feel? How is the communication? Does it flow quickly and freely . . . or do you feel like you’re constantly walking on land mines and being misunderstood? Do you work together to get things done quickly . . . or does it take a disproportionate amount of time and energy to finally reach agreement and execution? Do you enjoy this relationship . . . or do you find it tedious, cumbersome, and draining?
The difference between a high- and low-trust relationship is palpable! Take communication. In a high-trust relationship, you can say the wrong thing, and people will still get your meaning. In a low-trust relationship, you can be very measured, even precise, and they’ll still misinterpret you.
Can you even begin to imagine the difference it would make if you were able to increase the amount of trust in the important personal and professional relationships in your life?
You can’t have success without trust. The word trust embodies almost everything you can strive for that will help you to succeed. You tell me any human relationship that works without trust, whether it is a marriage or a friendship or a social interaction; in the long run, the same thing is true about business, especially businesses that deal with the public.
—JIM BURKE, FORMER CHAIRMAN AND CEO, JOHNSON & JOHNSON
THE CRUCIBLE
One of the most formative experiences I’ve had personally in increasing trust occurred several years ago as a result of the merger between Franklin Quest and Covey Leadership Center to form FranklinCovey Company. As anyone who has ever been through a merger or an acquisition will know, these things are never easy. The merged company had terrific strengths. We had great people, superb content, loyal clients, and productive tools. But the blending of the two cultures was proving to be enormously challenging.
As president of the Training and Education business unit, I had traveled to Washington, D.C., to address about a third of our consultants on the topic of our division’s strategy. But a meeting that should have had me looking forward with anticipation literally had my stomach churning.
Several weeks before, the company’s new CEO—frustrated (as we all were) with the enormous problems and friction that had beset what had seemed to be a promising merger—had scheduled a meeting of all the consultants in the company. In an effort to “get out” everyone’s concerns, he had created a format in which we, as leaders, were to listen, but could not respond, to anything anyone wanted to say. The meeting, scheduled to last four hours, turned into a 10-hour “dump” session. With no one allowed to amend, correct, give context, supply missing information, discuss the other side of the issues, or even show the dilemmas involved, only a small percentage of what was said had real contextual accuracy. Most was misinterpreted, manipulated, or twisted, and some of it was flat-out wrong. There were assumptions, suspicions, accusations, frustrations. And, as leaders, we had reluctantly agreed to a format in which we weren’t permitted to say a word.
In the end, we’d had over a dozen such meetings. The whole experience had been brutal, and, with my position of leadership, I had taken it all personally. Having had some experience on Wall Street, I knew mergers were usually hard, but I had thought we could do what needed to be done to make this one work.
The problem was that I had assumed far too much. Mistakenly, I had failed to focus on establishing trust with the newly merged company, believing that my reputation and credibility would already be known. But they weren’t, and, as a result, half the people trusted me and the other half didn’t. And it was pretty much divided right down Covey or Franklin “party” lines. Those from the Covey side who knew me and had worked with me basically saw my decisions as a sincere effort to use objective, external criteria in every decision and to do what was best for the business—not to try to push a “Covey” agenda . . . in fact, sometimes even bending over backward to avoid it. Those who didn’t know me, hadn’t worked with me, and didn’t trust me interpreted every decision in the exact opposite manner.
In one case, for example, a question had come up concerning the use of the Sundance Resort for one of our leadership development programs. Sundance had been somewhat hard to work with, and some felt we should move the program to another venue. The program director strongly wanted to keep it at Sundance because clients loved the location, and the financial data showed that we were averaging nearly 40 percent more revenue per program held there compared to other venues. I said, “Because the economics are better and the program director strongly recommends that we keep it there, we’ll find better ways to work with Sundance.” That was an example of a solid business decision I assumed people would understand.
But those who didn’t trust me didn’t understand. They thought I w
as trying to push a “Covey” approach. Some even wondered if I was getting some kind of kickback because, as a community leader, I had been asked to serve in an unpaid role on the advisory board for the Sundance Children’s Theater. Many suspected my motive. Because there was such low trust, the feeling was, “There’s got to be some kind of hidden agenda going on here.”
The moment there is suspicion about a person’s motives, everything he does becomes tainted.
—MAHATMA GANDHI
In another situation, I had made the decision to move “Ron,” an extremely talented leader who had come from the Covey side into a different position because, like many of us, he had gotten caught in merger politics and had polarized the two camps. I had decided to go outside the organization for Ron’s replacement so that there would be no perception that the new manager was a “Covey” person or a “Franklin” person.
When I made this announcement, I thought people would be excited by my attempt to bring in new talent. But among those who didn’t trust me, no one even heard the part about bringing in someone from the outside to replace Ron as manager; all they heard was that he was still in the company, and they wanted him gone.
Time after time, my actions had been misinterpreted and my motives questioned, even though I had involved both Covey and Franklin camps in making decisions. As you might imagine, some who had no idea of my track record and results had assumed that the only reason I was in my position of leadership was simply that I was Stephen R. Covey’s son and that I had no credibility on my own.
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