Stephen M. R. Covey

From “The Speed of Trust: The One Thing That Changes Everything” by Stephen M. R. Covey According to a study by Warwick Business School in the UK, outsourcing contracts that are managed based on trust rather than on stringent agreements and penalties are more likely to lead to trust dividends for both parties – as […]

From “The Speed of Trust: The One Thing That Changes Everything” by Stephen M. R. Covey I know of leading organizations who ask their employees directly the following simple question in formal, 36-degree feedback processes: “Do you trust your boss?” These companies have learned that the answer to this one question is more predictive of

From “The Speed of Trust: The One Thing That Changes Everything” by Stephen M. R. Covey One time I hired a guide to take my fly fishing in Montana. As I looked out over the river, he said, “Tell me what you see.” Basically I told him I saw a beautiful river with the sun

A cynic might ask, “So what? Is trust really more than a nice-to-have social virtue, a so-called hygiene factor? Can you measurably illustrate that trust is a hard-edged economic driver?” I intent to answer these questions emphatically in this book by clearly demonstrating the strong business case for trust. Here’s a simple formula that will

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, you are suspicious of them – of their integrity, their agenda, their capabilities, or their track record. It’s that simple. We have

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

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

The First Wave: Self Trust The first wave, Self Trust, deals with the confidence we have in ourselves – in our ability to set and achieve goals, to keep commitments, to walk our talk – and also with our ability to inspire trust in others. The whole idea is to become, both to ourselves and

Some people say you can’t change behavior. But there is clear evidence, to indicate that people can and do change behavior – sometimes dramatically – and that doing so often produces extraordinary results. Look at Anwar Sadat, who changed his anti-Israel behavior so dramatically that he brought Egypt and Israel, two long-standing enemies, together to

Now consider the dividends of high trust. Obviously the opposites of the 7 Low-Trust Organizational Taxes we’ve just discussed are dividends. To lower or eliminate redundancy, bureaucracy, disengagement, politics, turnover, churn, and fraud will certainly make a huge positive difference in the Trust Accounts and results in any organization. But there are additional high-trust dividends