The SPEED of Trust: The One Thing That Changes Everything

The SPEED of Trust was a really meaningful read for me. The main idea—that trust isn’t just a “soft skill,” but something that directly affects speed, performance, and success—really stuck with me. The book breaks down how much smoother things run when trust is present, and how much harder everything becomes when it’s missing. It made me think about my own relationships, work environment, and even day-to-day interactions in a new way. What I liked most is how practical the book is. It explains trust in a way that feels actionable, not just theoretical. The breakdown of the “trust tax” versus the “trust dividend” really shows how trust can either slow everything down or make teams work faster and better. The author also talks about different types of trust—confidence in yourself, trust in others, and the trust others place in you—and each section gave me something to reflect on. The real-life examples help reinforce the ideas, and I found myself noticing trust dynamics everywhere after reading it. The book also makes a strong point that you can actually build trust with specific behaviors, not just hope it appears over time. If there’s one small downside, it’s that some sections feel a bit stretched out, it is a long book. But overall the message is strong and worth the time. In the end, The SPEED of Trust is a powerful reminder of how much trust matters—not just in leadership, but in every part of life. If you want to improve communication, strengthen teams, and move things forward faster, this book is definitely worth reading.

Do you wonder why we feel everything is chaotic and in the state of decline? Could the `loss of trust' be at the heart of what we are experiencing? It is pervasive today; there is distrust of the media; the public (e.g. IRS, DOJ, SEC, schools) and private sector institutions; corporations and financial institutions (e.g. Wall Street); politicians; physicians; police; unions: and the list continues. Symptoms of the breakdown of trust can be found in political gridlock, increasing regulation of corporate and personal activity, class warfare; the breakdown of the family; increased incarceration; increasing concern about our educational system, and much more. A reasonable person would conclude that the loss of trust is at the heart of these problems after reading Stephen M. R. Covey's (son of Stephen R. Covey of "Seven Habits" fame) "Speed of Trust." Although published in 2006, "Speed of Trust" is as important and relevant today as it was then. If anything, the book has become even more important and relevant. The world today is abundant with manipulations, myths (spin to create an alternate reality), half-truths, and outright falsehoods. Deception, hidden agendas, disregarding commitments, blaming others, and trusting none except those in an elite "inner circle" pervades every aspect of our lives. The tax we pay - When there is a lack of trust, we pay dearly. This tax is huge and is impeding our ability to be productive and happy. Things take longer, cost more, and often, never get done. It is manifested in micro-management, second-guessing, regulation, strict operating procedures, bureaucracy, and unnecessary politics. Covey points out that trust has two components - trust based on character and trust based on competence. We can identify our sense of distrust quickly by asking two questions: 1) Can we trust this person (organization, country) to do the right thing (character)? And, 2) can we trust this person to do things right (competence)? Complete trust requires a yes to both. Covey notes that trust begins with us and begins his book with a look at self-trust. He includes a questionnaire to assess your credibility to provide direction areas for improvement. . If you cannot trust yourself, no one will trust you, nor will you inspire others to develop and facilitate trust. You can find out what it is in you that inspires trust. It thrives with behaviors such as talking straight, creating transparency, treating others with dignity and love, practicing accountability, and keeping commitments, and extending trust to others. Once self-trust is established, it can spread like a wave and change the world. "Speed of Trust" is structured on these subsequent waves, which are: * The first wave: self-trust * The second wave: relationship trust * The Third wave: organization trust * The fourth wave; market trust * The fifth wave: societal trust (creating value for others and for society) While there is a tax paid when there is distrust, there is also a trust dividend when there is trust. The trust dividend is a performance multiplier, elevating and improving every dimension of life. High trust materially improves communication, collaboration, execution, innovation, strategy, engagement, partnering, and relationships with all stakeholders. There is nothing as fast as the speed of trust. For us, high trust significantly improves excitement, energy, passion, creativity, and joy in relationships. How do you know if you are in a high trust environment? If you are in one, you will notice: * Information is shared openly * Mistakes are tolerated and encouraged as a way of learning * Culture is innovative and creative * People are loyal to those who are absent * People talk straight and confront real issues * There is real communication and real collaboration * People share credit abundantly * There are few meetings after meetings * Transparency is a practiced virtue * People are candid and authentic * There is a high degree of accountability * There is palpable vitality and energy - people can feel the positive momentum "Speed of Trust" will enable you to see, speak, and behave in ways that establish trust. It will also give you the language to speak about trust, enable you to name the underlying issues involved, and give you the language to describe those issues and to talk about a result. This book will also help you develop behaviors that establish and grow trust, particularly the 13 behaviors of high-trust people and leaders worldwide. Father James Schall, SJ, Professor Emeritus, Georgetown University, noted in his recent essay, "On Lying," "To those who live in untruth, the truth will seem like a "lie." A lie is a statement, presented as fact, which does not conform to a reality that we did not make or legislate into existence. It makes communication between human beings impossible"...Society as a whole is now being invited, or rather coerced, into the double life of the big lie - to pretend that what is, is not and that what is not, is. There is something worse than the disease; there is a denial of its existence. ..A double life, however, leads to a double death." The worst thing, Socrates warned, is the lie in the soul about what is. Trust affects the trajectory and outcome of lives. We know there is more of everything good when there high trust - more options and opportunities, less friction and cost, and greater productivity. We respond to and thrive on trust.

There is one thing that is common to every individual, organization, nation, 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, and 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. According to the author, that one thing is trust. The author says that "The Five Waves of Trust" define the way we establish trust and make it actionable. Understanding these waves will enable you to speak and behave in ways that establish trust, allowing you to become a leader who gets results by inspiring trust in others. First Wave: Self Trust. The key principle underlying this wave is credibility. Second Wave: Relationship Trust. The key principle underlying this wave is consistent behavior. Third Wave: Organizational Trust. The key principle underlying this wave, alignment, helps leaders create organizational trust. Fourth Wave: Market Trust. The underlying principle behind this wave is reputation. Fifth Wave: Societal Trust. The principle underlying this wave is contribution. Here is a list of useful concepts I liked in the book: Trust is the "hidden variable" in the formula for organizational success. The traditional business formula is: (Strategy x Execution = Results). But there is a hidden variable: (Strategy x Execution) x Trust = Results. Trust always affects two outcomes: speed and cost. When trust goes down, speed goes down and cost goes up. Consider the time and cost of airport security after 9/11, or costs for Sarbanes-Oxley Act compliance in response to Enron, WorldCom and other corporate scandals. When trust goes up, speed goes up and cost goes down. Warren Buffett completed the acquisition of McLane Distribution from Wal-Mart on the basis of a two-hour meeting. Because of high trust between the parties, the merger took less than a month. 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 precise, and they'll still misinterpret you. If we can't trust ourselves, we'll have a hard time trusting others. Who do you trust? Why do you trust this person? Now consider an even more provocative question: Who trusts you? To use the metaphor of the tree, integrity is the root. Even though it's underground and not even visible most of the time, it is absolutely vital to the nourishment, strength, stability and growth of the entire tree. We've all seen people with enormous capability, strong results, and good intent who go about what they're doing in a dishonest way. On the other hand, to have integrity only is to be a "nice guy," or a thoroughly honest person, who is basically useless. To most people, integrity means honesty--telling the truth and leaving the right impression. Results matter to your credibility. They give you clout. Returning once again to the metaphor of the tree, results are the fruits--the tangible, measurable, end purpose and product of the roots, trunk and branches. Sometimes, poor behavior turns out to be bad execution of good intent. Communicate clearly so that you cannot be misunderstood. Declare your intent, so you leave no doubt about what you are thinking. Be honest and call things what they are. Don't manipulate people, distort facts, or leave false impressions. Be real and genuine and tell the truth in a way that people can verify. Make restitution instead of just apologizing. The opposite is to deny or justify wrongs because of ego and pride, and to cover up mistakes. Apologize quickly, take action to make restitution when possible, and demonstrate personal humility to achieve this behavior. Give credit to others and speak about people as though they are present. Don't badmouth people behind their backs and don't disclose others' private information. By establishing a track record, making the right things happen, being on time and on budget, and not making excuses for not delivering, you quickly restore lost trust on the competence side. Continuously improve by learning, growing and renewing yourself. Others will develop confidence in your ability to succeed. The opposite is the eternal student--always learning, but never producing. Don't be afraid to make mistakes but learn from them. Take the tough issues head-on. It is far better to address the real issues and lead courageously in discussions of uncomfortable topics. Do both: hold yourself and others accountable. Genuinely understand another person's thoughts and feelings, before trying to diagnose or advice. The opposite is to speak first and listen last, or not at all, and to pretend to listen while waiting for your own chance to speak. Use your eyes and your gut to listen as well as your ears, and don't presume you know what matters to others. Keep all commitments the symbol of your honor. Extending trust leverages it to create reciprocity. Do not extend false trust by giving people responsibility, but no authority or resources to complete a task. Extend conditionally to those who are earning your trust, but extend it abundantly to those who have earned it. Doing good is no longer an addition to business; it is part of business itself. Inspire trust by starting with yourself and your own credibility, and then consistently behave in trust building ways with other people. Restoring trust within an organization may seem difficult; however, the fact that high-trust organizations outperform low-trust organizations by three times provides a strong incentive to make the effort. In the 1990s, Nike was criticized by activists for not being socially responsible, based on the conditions in some of the plants of their foreign manufacturing partners. However, Nike's behavior over the ensuing years resulted in 2005 with being listed as #13 on the "Best Corporate Citizens" list.

Excellent

Must read book

Questo è uno dei grandi classici in tema di letture manageriali/aziendali etc. Molto ben spiegto, forse un pochino datato in termini di metafore ed esempi, ma pur sempre un libro da leggere almeno una volta. Lo consiglio vivamente a chi vuol capire come il tema della fiducia possa impattare la vita al lavoro e non solo. Servizio Amazon eccellente, as usual.

Great book

Compra internacional, chegou bem, tudo certinho. Apenas cuidado com informações paralelas fora da Amazon em relação a rastreio.