Gather Member Review: The Speed of Trust by Stephen M.R. Covey

Stephen M.R. Covey's The Speed of Trust is a life book disguised as a business book.  When asked by Gather to review Mr. Covey's most recent publication, I most excitedly accepted, never expecting to learn life lessons from a book that, by the cover, looks so incredibly boring.  What was that old saying?  Oh yes!  "Never judge a book by it's cover."

In the first few chapters, Covey discusses why trust is so important, and how it can truly affect not only the way you do business, but the way you function in everyday life with everybody in your life.  He speaks of trust taxes, which are sort of like the costs of not having trusts in people whether they be monetary or otherwise, as well as the trust dividends, which are the things that companies gain from having high trust in the people in your life, again whether monetary or otherwise. Covey even gives us some formulas to live by (thank goodness they aren't mathematical because I'd have a problem).  Basically he states that if trust is low, the speed with which you will complete a project or a commitment will be low, and costs will go up.  On the other side of it, when trust is high, people will want to work and finish the job therefore it will get finished quicker and costs will go down.  In another formula, Covey speaks of trust as the hidden variable in the equation:

One of my favorite quotes by Covey in the book states exactly how having high trust can affect you:

You will build long term capacity.  You will build stronger, more sustainable relationships.  You will get better outcomes.  You will have more opportunities, more influence, and more fun.  You will learn how to establish, grow and restore and extend the one thing that dramatically impacts everything else in your life – trust.

Covey also gives a great example of trust when it comes to sports.  The example is that of an Any Roddick vs. Fernando Verdasco tennis match in the third round of the Italia Masters in 2005.  The umpire called a ball that Verdasco hit to Roddick as out however Roddick thought the ball was in.  Roddick disputed the point and ended up being correct.  In the end, Roddick lost the match however tennis umpires now have trust that when Andy Roddick challenges a call, and will now treat Roddick's challenges with the utmost respect.

After summarizing why trust is so important, Covey explains the 4 Cores of Trust: integrity, intent, capabilities, and results, and how these 4 Cores of Trust will impact the way people view you and trust you.  The 4 Cores of Trust are part of the First Wave in the 5 Waves of Trust Model.  The first wave is Self-Trust.  In the 5 Waves of Trust, Covey explains each wave in detail and what makes up each one using examples and even in some cases giving charts for readers to fill out.  The other 4 Waves of Trust are: Relationship Trust, Organizational Trust, Market Trust, and Societal Trust.  In the second wave, Covey explains the 13 behaviors that make up a trustworthy person, varying from talking straight to creating transparency, to showing loyalty and to simply clarifying your expectation of someone, among 9 others that are just as important.

Covey also lets the reader know that if someone does not trust you or you do not trust someone because of a past incident, trust can in fact be restored.  This is such an important thing as I know I lose trust in people who have betrayed me, however, I wish I knew of ways to restore that trust so our friendships and relationships and partnerships can be restored.  Well, now I know just how to get that done and I'm looking forward to having people back fully in my life. 

Quotes throughout the book from prominent writers, business authors, and executives prove to the read that this is not just a theory of Covey's, but in fact something that is true to life.  Extending trust to people allows people to trust you, work harder, be more loyal to you.  I also like that in each chapter, Covey explains how to relate all of his writings not just to work but to marriage, relationships, friendships, family, children, and education.

I highly suggest reading this book, even if you aren't a business person.  This will help you in all aspects of your life.  Don't let the boring business cover fool you as it is only a disguise for a book that will only make the way you look at how you do things so much differently!

You can purchase the book HERE  at Amazon.com or you can go HERE  to view your closest Barnes and Noble Bookseller.