Recently, our team at the Potomac Ministry Center spent several days discussing “The Five Behaviors of a Cohesive Team.” According to best-selling author Patrick Lencioni, the foundational behavior for all truly cohesive teams is trust. That brings me to today’s executive book summary, and one of my all-time favorite books, “The SPEED of Trust: The One Thing That Changes EVERYTHING” by Stephen M. R. Covey ($13.99 for the Kindle edition on Amazon).
A Surprising Premise:
Stephen M. R. Covey is the son of Stephen R. Covey, the famous author of “The 7 Habits of Highly Successful People.” “The SPEED of Trust” is a business leadership book with a rather surprising premise. Covey insists that trust profoundly affects both the speed of progress and the cost of doing business. He writes, “When trust goes down, speed will also go down and costs will go up. When trust goes up, speed will also go up and costs will go down.”
Trust is a Function of Character and Competence:
“Simply put, trust means confidence. The opposite of trust – distrust – is suspicion . . . Trust is a function of two things: character and competence. Character includes your integrity, your motive, your intent with people. Competence includes your capabilities, your skills, your results, your track record. And both are vital.”
The 13 Behaviors of High-Trust Leaders:
The author’s father once observed, “You can’t talk yourself out of a problem you’ve behaved yourself into.” However, Stephen M. R. Covey insists, “No, but you can behave yourself out of a problem you’ve behaved yourself into . . . and often faster than you think.” Therefore, the best way to build, maintain, and even repair trust is by practicing the 13 behaviors that characterize high-trust leaders. The book has an entire chapter devoted to each behavior. However, here is a brief summary of each one:
BEHAVIOR #1: TALK STRAIGHT. This is honesty in action. Tell the truth and leave the right impression. Don’t “spin” the truth or leave false impressions.
BEHAVIOR #2: DEMONSTRATE RESPECT. Genuinely care for others. Treat everyone with respect, especially those who can’t do anything for you. Show kindness in the little things. Don’t fake caring. Don’t attempt to be “efficient” with people.
BEHAVIOR #3: CREATE TRANSPARENCY. Be real, genuine, open, and authentic. Err on the side of disclosure. Don’t have hidden agendas. Don’t hide information.
BEHAVIOR #4: RIGHT WRONGS. Make things right when you are wrong. Apologize quickly. Make restitution when possible. Demonstrate personal humility. Don’t cover things up. Don’t let pride get in the way of doing the right thing.
BEHAVIOR #5: SHOW LOYALTY. Give credit freely. Acknowledge the contributions of others. Speak about people as if they were present. Stand up for those who aren’t there to speak for themselves. Don’t criticize people behind their backs. Don’t betray confidential information.
BEHAVIOR #6: DELIVER RESULTS. Establish a track record of results. Get the right things done. Make things happen. Don’t overpromise and underdeliver. Don’t make excuses.
BEHAVIOR #7: GET BETTER. Continuously improve. Be a constant learner. Develop feedback systems. Act on the feedback you receive. Thank people for feedback. Don’t assume what you know today will be sufficient for tomorrow’s challenges.
BEHAVIOR #8: CONFRONT REALITY. Take even the tough issues head on. Lead out courageously in conversation. Don’t skirt the real issues or bury your head in the sand.
BEHAVIOR #9: CLARIFY EXPECTATIONS. Disclose and reveal expectations. Discuss them. Don’t assume that expectations are clear or shared.
BEHAVIOR #10: PRACTICE ACCOUNTABILITY. Hold yourself accountable. Hold others accountable. Take responsibility for results. Don’t avoid or shirk responsibility. Don’t blame others when things go wrong.
BEHAVIOR #11: LISTEN FIRST. Listen before you speak. Seek first to understand. Listen with your ears, your eyes, and your heart. Find out what matters most to others. Don’t presume you have all the answers – or even all the questions.
BEHAVIOR #12: KEEP COMMITMENTS. Do what you say you’re going to do. Make commitments carefully and keep them. Make it a matter of honor. Don’t break confidences.
BEHAVIOR #13: EXTEND TRUST. Demonstrate a willingness to trust others. Extend trust abundantly to those who have earned your trust. Extend trust conditionally to those who are earning your trust. Learn how to extend trust wisely based on the situation, risk, and credibility of the people involved.
A Highly-Recommended Read:
There is much more to the book, including a helpful self-assessment to help you determine how credible a leader you are now and an additional self-assessment to see how well you are doing on the 13 key high-trust behaviors. This latter self-assessment is designed to help you develop your own action plan for growth and improvement. I highly recommend the book and like it so much that I personally own it in three forms: paperback, Kindle, and audiobook.