The SPEED of Trust

Trust isn’t just the greatest currency, it’s the only currency. Once trust is gone in any form of currency, the value is gone.

Whether you’re on a sports team, in an office, or a member of a family, if you can’t trust one another there’s going to be trouble.

When you make a commitment to yourself, do so with the clear understanding that you’re pledging your integrity.

The reality is that everybody makes mistakes. The issue isn’t whether you will make them, it’s what you will do about them. It’s whether you will choose the path of humility and courage or the path of ego and pride.

One of the fastest ways to restore trust is to make and keep commitments – even very small commitments – to ourselves and to others.

Above all, business success requires two things: a winning competitive strategy, and superb organizational execution. Distrust is the enemy of both. I submit that while high trust won’t necessarily rescue a poor strategy, low trust will almost always derail a good one.

There are no moral shortcuts in the game of business—or life. There are, basically, three kinds of people: the unsuccessful, the temporarily successful, and those who become and remain successful. The difference is character.

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.

Low trust creates hidden agendas, politics, interpersonal conflict, interdepartmental rivalries, win-lose thinking, defensive and protective communication—all of which reduce the speed of trust. Low trust slows everything—every decision, every communication, and every relationship.

Results – we actually need the results to show for our commitments, which is the real foundation for trust e.g. FedEx promise overnight delivery and they deliver

Intent – positive motives and behaviour – constantly analyse and redefine your intent in each interaction. Are you really listening to a person or do you just want to win an argument?

Integrity – standing by your principles (even if they’re uncomfortable) and doing what you say you will. Keeping the non-negotiable commitments you’ve made, like getting up with your alarm clock, is a wonderful way to developing self-trust

For every thousand people hacking at the leaves of evil, there is one striking at the roots.

The trust we have in people and in organizations comes, in part, from believing that they do care.

(Strategy x execution) x trust = results

We judge ourselves by our intentions and others by their behavior. This is why, as we’ll discuss later, one of the fastest ways to restore trust is to make and keep commitments—even very small commitments—to ourselves and to others.

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 measured, even precise, and they’ll still misinterpret you.

The best time to plant a tree is twenty years ago. The second best time is today.

Trust is equal parts character and competence… You can look at any leadership failure, and it’s always a failure of one or the other.

If you run a business, try to develop societal trust through contribution.

Trust always affects two outcomes—speed and cost. When trust goes down, speed will also go down and costs will go up.

The moment there is suspicion about a person’s motives, everything he does becomes tainted.

Simply put, trust means confidence. The opposite of trust—distrust—is suspicion.

Whether you’re on a sports team, in an office or a member of a family, if you can’t trust one another there’s going to be trouble.

Capabilities – lifelong learning to improve our skills and proficiency is essential for developing self-confidence

The first job of a leader—at work or at home—is to inspire trust. It’s to bring out the best in people by entrusting them with meaningful stewardships, and to create an environment in which high-trust interaction inspires creativity and possibility.