It's been a thought-provoking and interesting book so far. It asks a lot of questions of me that dig pretty deep into my thoughts and feelings - and motivations.

Am I trustworthy? Do I have true, real honesty? Can I be relied upon? Do I surround myself with others who are trustworthy? Am I working on my ethics and honesty to be a better and happier person?

Lots of things about ourselves totally hinge on trust. I had never looked at it from these points of view before. It's an interesting subject and one that I hope will help me get more out of life.

I spend lot of time thinking about integrity and I don't think I do enough work to improve it in myself.

Perhaps now is as good a time to do so as ever!

every entrepreneur must read this book if he or she wants to be successful. We use this book in our retreat as a main theam of teh retreat.
Thanks Mr. Covey

Great book that can help people get to the bottom of things. If we can't trust each other we both lose! Applies to your company's relationships to your customers and to your vendors as well! Great read and even better information!

Nutshell review - A good insight and explanation of how trust amongst colleagues, friends, and family can have positive impact on performance. Suffers from the usual page-filling case-studies to make the requisite number of pages for a book.

Clear. Compelling.

This made me realize that my company was dysfunctional due to a clear lack of trust along the lines of the organization. One chart in this book very clearly identified the behaviors and patterns that were a result of the level of mis-trust. I immediately re-directed my energies into building trust-worthy professional relationships with my most-respected co-workers, while explaining the motivation and purpose of my actions. When I left the company, the professional and personal relationships that had the foundation of trust endured.

On my way out, I dropped my copy of this book on my boss' desk. He was a untrustworthy manipulator and it was freeing to make that realization.

As a software startup oriented around managing people's expenses, trust is what can only be considered table stakes. Steven Covey has clearly identified what it takes to build trust. Sure, it might be things we all know but what helped me is that it identified the stages necessary to building it. I've included more about his book here, check out [...]

When I read 'Speed of Trust' I had many "ah hah" moments. Either I had just read an explanation for something that had bothered me in the past, or I understood just why I had trusted someone or that person had trusted me. For both the realizations of what worked in the past and the realizations having to do with things that had not worked and why, this book is fabulous! It also pointed out to my just why trust is so essential, and why some relationships are absolutely doomed to failure -- because the trust levels don't match. This book is not about blame, it's about what is and what a person can do to create more trust (provided that is what you want). I recommend it very highly!

"The Speed Of Trust" is all that I imagined. Stephen validated my own thoughts about customer service. I am inspired to even further GREAT customer service.

The book was epiphany-inducing on multiple levels. For anyone working in teams, it is a great read.

I purchased this CD after receiving an invitation to a seminar that I could not attend, nor did I have time to read the book. I was expecting a 7 Habits kind of content (I am a big fan of the 7 Habits series), but found this book to be somewhat different, but equally useful with good ideas. I think this book should be part of every business curriculum because as Mr. Covey points out, lack of trust represents a loss of both time and money.

I believe this book will help all to better understand how trust really works.

I enjoyed it very much.

This book is such a great resource and a great way to be in all things you do.

I am not a Mormon, nor do I share their religious beliefs. But this book preaches no religiosity at all and stands reading by people of any (or no) faith. Covey Senior already stands out as one of the great writers in the genre. Covey Junior makes an incredible impact with this book and stands equally tall. It's a very no-nonsense book too, getting down to practical examples immediately. I have bought a bunch of copies and given them away, and so far everyone I know who has read it is equally impressed. Its message applies with full validity at a personal level as well as at a societal and organisational level. The shelves are overfilled with vacuous self-help books, and we don't need any more of them. This book, on the contrary, is a standout and will reward reading over and over again.

Covey Jr's optimism about regaining trust gave me some hope. He spent too many pages explaining the benefits of trust ... duh! One thing Covey Jr. didn't really address was building trust by being vulnerable yourself, which was one of my favorite nuggets from Lencioni's The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable (which I HIGHLY recommend).

Covey Jr's optimism about regaining trust gave me some hope. But he didn't really address building trust by being vulnerable yourself, which was one of my favorite nuggets from Lencioni's Five Dysfunctions of a Team (which I HIGHLY recommend). He spent too many pages explaining the benefits of trust ... duh!

I'm adding this book to my collection of titles that need to be read on a continuous basis. The Speed of Trust is full of profound statements and observations that people of all levels can apply to their life. The author clearly explains to us that trust is like air: we don't pay any attention to it until it's not there. Trust is by far one of the most critical aspects of our personal and professional lives that need to be examined and improved on a regular basis.

I highly recommend this book for everyone to read more than once to be able to apply the tips and principles the author communicates to us. He can be a little long winded on some points but in this case I didn't mind because sometimes it took a little reiterating to understanding key points that he usually detailed with examples.

This book is truely on of the best business books written. Many books are written to be skimmed, however each page of this book is worth reading. I plan to use this book as one of my three key reads for any employees hired.

Although the concepts of The Speed of Trust are not new, when they are presented in a fashion and sequence the way your mind codes information, the changes that are created are powerfull and previous perceptions turned upside down, that is what I call changing your mind and rearranging a major portion of long held beliefs.

A book that arranges sentences and makes paragraphs, so that you can see the forest.

Yes, I too had the opportunity to attend a seminar by the Sr. Covey and agree he raised his son well. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People is one of my top 10 business books. Learning by example is a great way to absorb lessons in life. Trust is a must when dealing with all relationships, Stephen M.R. got it just right. I did learn from this book to open up to the possibility of restoring trust. In addition, that trust cannot always be regained to the same level it was before betrayal. The next level of "regained" trust is not naive but based on what is real.

Being the owner of a new business, I was looking for solid growth advice. Don't let the title fool you. This book can be beneficial to everyone. It's not a book you can rush through. Introspective and well written, but with detail that could be missed if speed read. I have always considered myself a trustworthy person, but have learned that what I'm lacking is self-trust. For this alone, I believe I have benefited greatly. Too bad we can't have this stuff pumped into corporations around the world!

I didnt think it was the best of Coveys work that i have listened to or read before. It was OK, but nothing I would really recommend

I just picked up this book - mistakenly thinking it was authored by Stephen Covey, rather than his son. However, I am not disappointed. Stephen M. R. Covey brings a fresh style and compelling insights to the issue of trust - one of the things that matters most to us and is talked about the least. The concepts in this book will strengthen relationships in your business, your family and your faith community.
-Christopher Maricle, author
"The Jesus Priorities: 8 Essential Habits"

The Speed of Trust will bring you up to speed on how to build trust in a (mostly) business world. Covey shares personal experience and anecdotes that break up the "business" model the book relies on to promote it's message. If you can get past this "business" model, the premise can be helpful to entrepreneurs, entrepreneur wannabes, parents, and anyone in a position of leadership. (Which includes most everyone on the planet.)

I especially enjoyed the direct quotes sprinkled throughout the text, and the analogy on how trust, or lack thereof, can be an asset or a deficit personally and financially. I hadn't thought of trust in this way. So it's worth a read or two. It definitely can cause a paradigm shift.

I expected the book to follow through with the same brilliance expected out of "Stephen Covey" brand name and expected the book to be as good as "7 habits of Highly effective people"

It was a surprising disappointment.

One of the hallmarks of a mediocre self-help book is the frequency of quotes used from other leaders and motivational speakers..And using this benchmark, the book falls below par.

Ex: Page 31,to establish his views, the author quotes includefrom Jack welch,Jim Collins,Warren buffett,Ram Charan,Saj-Nicole etc. There is no harm with that,but it is the frequency of such occurance all along the book that makes the book a boring reading.

Another aspect of a good self help book should be the powerful examples of real life scenarios. This should be probably the most important factor if the author is sincere with his message. Using this metrics ,the book fails again. ( Ex : Page 45 silly example of alarm clock that he turns off.)

In between the tons of fluff all along the book, we have to agree the topic chosen is powerful and the author does a decent job of conveying the idea that "Trust" is everything in the personal and corporate life.

And so the best self help books I have read remain the following:

1. How to win friends and Influence People
2. 7 Habits of Highly effective people
3. The road less travelled.

An important book because Covey calls our attention to the often-faulty assumption that we fully understand "the trust thing." Covey looks at the full impact of trust--and its close companion, truth--in creating alignment within and around ourselves. I was impressed by the thought-provoking treatment he gives the business-relevance of the topic, shining a light on how 'trusted' leaders and organizations do things better, faster, and at lower costs. It's one of those books that shifts your perspective, and also gives you the tools. Highly recommended.

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.

First off this book has an important and true message about just how vital trust really is to getting anything done. The lack of trust in modern society, and its continuing decline is a major issue not just in business, but socially, politically and in the family. Thus this is a timely book and the 3 star rating is not meant to indicate that it is really wrong or poorly written in any manner.


The reason for the only 3 star rating is that there is a whole lot of padding. The author does a very insightful job of investigating the components of trust, and exploring and explaining the dynamics of how trust can be built (and destroyed) in families, in teams, and in institutions. These explanations make it worth buying the book and at least reading it's . . . table of contents. The only problem is that the book is easily twice as long as it needs to be. I really think there's nothing wrong with a short book, but the author and/or publishers must have been afraid that the sixty page or so treatise these could have been wouldn't have been taken seriously.

A good book you should read and implement, or perhaps read the first few pages of each chapter and skim at will when it starts to sound like it's just filling space on the page.

Trust can make things easier, and distrust can definitely make things much harder. You already know that. But do you know how to check out where you need to change in order to create more beneficial trust? The Speed of Trust can help those who need a template for such self-examination.

Mr. Stephen M. R. Covey is the son of Dr. Stephen R. Covey of 7 Habits of Highly Effective People fame. If you've read that famous book, you may remember young Stephen referred to by his father as the seven-year-old son who was asked to keep the yard "clean and green" and did neither at first. Dr. Covey writes the foreword for this book and refers to that example. Ms. Rebecca Merrill helped with the writing of Dr. Stephen R. Covey's book First Things First which was coauthored by Roger Merrill.

Trust is expressed by a paradigm that includes five waves of trust (self trust based on the principle of credibility, relationship trust based on the principle of proper behavior, organizational trust based on the principle of alignment, market trust based on the principle of reputation, and societal trust based on the principle of contribution). Most of the book is taken up with examining those five waves and their underlying principles. The core of the book comes, however, in the 13 behaviors that establish trust (talk straight, demonstrate respect, create transparency, right wrongs, show loyalty, get better, confront reality, clarify expectations, practice accountability, listen first, keep commitments, and extend trust). Each section of the book comes with ways to check on your performance and to create plans for improvement.

This book is by far the best development of the subject of creating and restoring trust that I have read. That makes the book an essential reference. I congratulate and appreciate the authors for tackling this important subject.

I would be remiss, however, in being a trustworthy reviewer if I didn't point out some weaknesses in the approach:

1. Some of the examples of trust and mistrust drawn from Mr. Covey's experiences aren't terribly satisfying to read. Perhaps the most jarring example is one of the early ones in the book that describes the distrust that the Franklin Quest people felt toward him after the company merged with Covey Leadership Center. Mr. Covey comes across as unbelievably naive for not having taken into account how the two cultures should mesh (if at all) in engineering the merger. That's a more fundamental lesson than the lack of trust point. In addition, he doesn't seem to realize that merely being the son of the company's founder would make many people who didn't know him skeptical of his qualifications and his talent. Having read about how naive Mr. Covey was in this situation undercut my confidence in his ability to address the subject of trust. But I did appreciate his willingness to share such a painful experience in his book.

2. Most of the examples that are cited that do not involve Mr. Covey's direct experience are very overused. They same examples have been used to prove excellence in many other dimensions. As a result, the book doesn't come alive as much as it might. The examples conjure up memories of other books and arguments rather than cleanly bringing across the authors' trust-related points.

3. The book's structure and style are pretty pedantic, but without the precision that an academic would bring to the subject. In most areas, the authors rely on your sense of what's right rather than giving you clear lines of what to do and what not to do. That's fine if you already have a well-defined sense of how trust is formed and re-established. But if you don't know the answers already because you haven't lived in that kind of an environment, the book will leave you with too little direction.

4. Ultimately, long sections of the book are very general and boring. The major exceptions are the examples drawn from Mr. Covey's own family. I found those examples to be fresh and interesting.

After you finish this book, I suggest that you think about those who have gained your trust and distrust. What did they do? Examining those personal examples will add a lot of depth to the general ideas presented here.

A must read for realizing the importance of trust and reminding yourself how important it is to continue building your integrity and trust with yourself and with others.
No matter whether its a professional or personal relation, if you have trust--the speed of getting things done is just amazing.

Adesh

Given that trust is fundamental for all relationships, whether business or personal, this book does an outstanding job in explaining what trust is, how it is lost and gained, and what the key behaviors are that build it. Most of this is common sense, but it is explained in a logical and easy to understand manner. I recommend this book if you are interested in building trust and developing stronger relationships.