The Speed of Trust: The One Thing that Changes Everything

Covey describes trust as being based on character and competence, where character is required and competence is situational. He uses financial terms as a concrete way to convey the cost of low trust and the benefit of high trust, describing the former as a trust tax and the latter as a trust dividend. The quickest way to make a withdrawal, he insists, is to violate a behavior of character, and the quickest way to make a deposit is to demonstrate a behavior of competence. He goes on to detail seven low trust taxes (redundancy, bureaucracy, politics, disengagement, turnover, churn, and fraud) and seven high trust dividends (increased value, accelerated growth, enhanced motivation, improved collaboration, stronger partnering, better execution, and heightened loyalty).

Covey also outlines what he characterizes as five waves of trust: self-trust, relationship trust, organizational trust, market trust, and societal trust. For each of these waves, he applies the concept of the four cores (integrity, intention, capabilities, and results) and the thirteen behaviors of high-trust leaders (talk straight, demonstrate respect, create transparency, right wrongs, show loyalty, deliver results, get better, confront reality, clarify expectations, practice accountability, listen first, keep commitments, and extend trust). The book includes a multitude of practical applications and pushes the reader to reflect on his or her own behavior.

Despite the fact that I have recommended this book, I do so with some caveats. Although I generally like it when an author reads the book, that was not the case for this one. Covey is a Harvard MBA, but I was astounded at the number of mispronunciations. His reading style has a hesitating tempo to it that comes across as patronizing, and his incessant family examples are over the top. He's a business man, not a family therapist. Those examples got very tiresome. Still, there are nuggets in the book.

I have listened to ~30 audible selections over the past year. Though I had read reviewers' comments concerning poor narration, I never thought a bad narrator could undermine the content of a book so greatly.

Mr. Covey is probably a really nice guy, but is simply a poor reader. The choppy, uneven flow made me wish I would have purchased the book rather than listening to it.

Recommendation: Please listen to the sample audio prior to purchasing. (I will from now on.)

This book was a pleasant surprise. There is much truth to what Covey says in this book, both about how trust changes everything and how to increase your "trust" quotient in life and in the office. It is also interesting how the principles in this book apply to virtually everything in life: Marriage, Church and Family, relationships between nations, etc..... This was recommended by my boss and I'm truly glad I read (or more accurately listened to ) it. Well worth your time!

Yes, but they've got to listen well and long as this is a long but challenging look at why trust is so important in all our lives.

Trust is shown to be what it was intended to be, the king-pin that creates and holds together relationships of all stripes.

His thinking and clear wording make one stop and self-evaluate.

No, but it did force me to think and rethink.

Trust creates growth

The examples used were highly entertaining and informative.

The content of his book is excellent, his delivery is sometimes monotone and difficult to get through. It does not, however, detract from the strength of his message. I would listen to another of his books.

The insights in this book solidified my belief in integrity and competence as cornerstones of success in life and in business.

This is a great foundational book for someone new to this line of learning, and an excellent review of why integrity, good communication, and competence matters.

It's not preachy. It's written in a manner that is easy for any listener to relate. Trust really changes everything.

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I love that he has a great deal of real world experiences. I like when he shares his faults. He doesn't write the book as if he's perfect. He explained his errors and how he learned from them.

It has enabled me to understand the many aspects of trust. For instance, in the past I didn't understand why some relationships lacked trust. Now among many aspects I understand that motive is a key element. Also, I understand that if I trust someone I am more likely to give their actions the benefit of the doubt instead of jumping to negative conclusions.

I really enjoyed the real life stories and how they connected to my own life. It really made me stop and think about my own reactions to others.

This is an insightful look at the power of relationships, inside and outside of business, and the role trust plays therein.

Stephen MR Covey, son of the famed Stephen R Cover of 7 Habits, hits a home run with this inspiring novel! Although authors don't make the best narrators, this book is easy to listen to with funny personal stories threaded into a great "how to" for any leader looking for results!

Principles can be immediately put into practice. The layout makes it easy to build and work on personal issues step by step.

Author as himself. Giving insights into growing up and his family are entertaining and educational.

Although this book is required reading for work, a very team driven/results oriented industry, I would highly recommend this book to anyone wishing to improve relationships in and out of work. I've put this book into immediate practice and seen immediate results with my husband, children and teammates!

Covey conveys valuable information about trust as a quantifiable asset, however significant parts of this book require greater interaction than I can give while driving. I found myself wanting to take notes and there are times when the text presents quizzes or surveys that require either writing things down or a fantastic memory.