The SPEED of Trust: the One Thing That Changes Everything By Stephen M. R. Covey (2006)

The Speed of Trust by Stephen M. R. Covey explores the role of trust in business, organizations, and personal relationships.

The main concept of the book is that trust is the basis of successful relationships, leadership, business, and society as a whole. Covey argues that trust can provide organizations and individuals with immense competitive advantages, including speed and low cost. On the other hand, lack of trust causes friction, frustration, and high costs in transactions and relationships.

Covey outlines 4 cores of credibility that leaders and organizations must develop in order to establish trust: integrity, intent, capabilities, and results. Integrity involves aligning words with actions and having congruence between espoused values and actual behaviors. Intent refers to having genuine care for others and not being self-serving. Capabilities involve demonstrating skills, talents, and competencies. Results entail getting things done and establishing a track record of performance.

In addition to the 4 cores, Covey provides a framework called the 5 Waves of Trust which describe how trust operates and flows. He also outlines 13 behaviors exhibited by high trust leaders and provides tips for building self trust, relationship trust, organizational trust, market trust, and societal trust.

Much of the book is devoted to real-world examples of companies that have developed high or low trust cultures and environments. Overall, The Speed of Trust emphasizes the importance of character and competence in building trust rapidly.

 
As an Amazon Associate, I earn a small commission when you purchase a book via this site.