The SPEED of Trust: The One Thing that Changes Everything

by Stephen M.R. Covey

The behavior that best creates credibility and inspires trust is acting in the best interest of others. When we do so, we clearly demonstrate the intent of caring and the agenda of seeking mutual benefit.

the fundamental reason most unions are formed (particularly in the U.S.) is that employee groups do not trust that management will act in their best interests. In other words, employees feel they need to organize to act in their own best interests because management will not. Thus, unionism itself is typically a fruit of distrust, coming from a perceived violation of the trustee standard.

It’s also good to keep in mind that people typically judge us—and we judge them—based on observable behavior. Thus, we need to do all we can to ensure that our behavior accurately reflects our true motives and agendas.

Declaring your intent and expressing your agenda and motives can be very powerful, particularly if your behavior is being misinterpreted or misconstrued by others.

The main reason why declaring intent increases trust is that it “signals your behavior”—it lets people know what to look for so that they can recognize, understand, and acknowledge it when they see it.

As this experience clearly shows, capabilities are vital to creating credibility—both personally and organizationally. Our capabilities inspire the trust of others, particularly when they are specifically those needed for the task at hand. Our capabilities also give us the self-confidence that we can do what needs to be done.

if you don’t have current capabilities, if you are not relevant, you will not have credibility.

to remain credible in today’s world, we need to constantly improve our capabilities.

Always surround yourself with people who are even more talented and competent than you.

what the Japanese callkaizen , or continuous improvement.

Unless you’re continually improving your skills, you’re quickly becoming irrelevant. And when you’re irrelevant, you’re no longer credible. And without credibility, you won’t sustain trust—which will dramatically impact both speed and cost.

Lord Chesterton answers: “There are no uninteresting things; there are only uninterested people.

For example, several years ago, Al Dunlap—called “Chainsaw Al” by some and “Rambo in Pinstripes” by himself—gained the attention of Wall Street with his “slash and burn,” “flatten the structure, fire half the company” approach. While he was a hero for a while on Wall Street, he was never a hero with the people. His “style”—getting shortterm results in a way that destroyed trust—also destroyed long term-sustainability and morale.

create the best possible alignment between our natural gifts, our passions, our skills, knowledge, and style and the opportunity to earn, to contribute, to make a difference.

Arnold Toynbee: “Nothing fails like success.

If you don’t like change, you’re going to like irrelevance even less. —GENERAL ERIC SHINSEKI, U.S. ARMY CHIEF OF STAFF

Run with Your Strengths (and with Your Purpose)

Peter Drucker encourages leaders to “feed opportunities and starve problems.

It’s not that we ignore our weaknesses; rather, we make our weaknesses irrelevant by working effectively with others so that we compensate for our weaknesses through their strengths and they compensate for their weaknesses through our strengths.

Keep Yourself Relevant

Know Where You’re Going

Jack Trout, I asked him what, in his view, was the key to leadership. I’ll never forget his simple and resounding response: “At the end of the day, people follow those who know where they’re going.

It is a terrible thing to look over your shoulder when you are trying to lead and find nobody there. —FRANKLIN DELANO ROOSEVELT

Bottom line, without results, you don’t have credibility.

People don’t trust you because you don’t get things done. And there’s no place to hide here—either you produce or you don

What results am I getting? and How am I getting those results?

The greatest profit may not be in the current transaction, but in the credibility and trust that comes from that transaction that paves the way for even greater results in the future.

We need to be careful that we don’t become superficial in defining or evaluating results, both in our own lives and in the lives of others.

Warren Buffett’s response. “David,” he said, “we all make mistakes. If you can’t make mistakes, you can’t make decisions.

there is wisdom in recognizing the capacity of people to learn from their mistakes and to change. There is also wisdom in creating a culture that makes it safe for that to happen.

growth cannot happen without risk.

In creating credibility with others, it’s not just the results that count; it’s people’s awareness of the results. Thus, it’s important to be able to appropriately communicate results to others.

simply taking responsibility for results will also build credibility and trust—sometimes even when the results are not good…and sometimes when they were not even your fault.

When you say, “I accept responsibility for my part in this, whatever it may be…” and also “I accept responsibility to help find a solution,” you build credibility and trust…and get better results all around.

It’s no use saying, “We are doing our best.” You have got to succeed in doing what is necessary. —WINSTON CHURCHILL

The principle is simply this: We tend to get what we expect—both from ourselves and from others. When we expect more, we tend to get more; when we expect less, we tend to get less. This phenomenon was clearly manifest in a 1968 study by Dr. Robert Rosenthal in which teachers were told that, based on IQ testing, students in a control group were high achievers—though in fact they had been randomly assigned. When the students were tested several months later, the control group students performed measurably better than their peers. Higher teacher expectations of students had been translated into increased student learning.

you’re not just going to finish; you’re going to finish strong.

A Summary of the Four Cores

ways to build character by increasing integrity and improving intent.

ways to build competence by increasing capabilities and improving results.

what you do has far greater impact than anything you say.

all the 13 Behaviors require a combination of both character and competence.

every interaction with every person is a “moment of trust.”

Behavior #1: Talk Straight

“Talk Straight” is honesty in action. It’s based on the principles of integrity, honesty, and straightforwardness.

Leaving the right impression means communicating so clearly that you cannot be misunderstood.

What upsets me is not that you lied to me, but that I can no longer believe you. —FRIEDRICH NIETZSCHE

While straight talk is vital to establishing trust, in most situations, it needs to be tempered by skill, tact, and good judgment.

Learn to get to your point quickly. Avoid long prologues and giving excessive context. Recognize that in most cases, “less” is “

SUMMARY: BEHAVIOR #1—TALK STRAIGHT Be honest. Tell the truth. Let people know where you stand. Use simple language. Call things what they are. Demonstrate integrity. Don’t manipulate people or distort facts. Don’t spin the truth. Don’t leave false impressions.