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Slim vertrouwen
Free Press nonfiction title.
256 pages, Hardcover
First published December 27, 2011
75 people are currently reading
1310 people want to read
About the author
Stephen M.R. Covey
36 books247 followersStephen M. R. Covey is co-founder and CEO of CoveyLink Worldwide. A sought-after and compelling keynote speaker and advisor on trust, leadership, ethics, and high performance, he speaks to audiences around the world. He is the author of The SPEED of Trust, a groundbreaking and paradigm-shifting book that challenges our age-old assumption that trust is merely a soft, social virtue and instead demonstrates that trust is a hard-edged, economic driver—a learnable and measurable skill that makes organizations more profitable, people more promotable, and relationships more energizing. He advocates that nothing is as fast as the speed of trust and that the ability to establish, grow, extend, and restore trust with all stakeholders is the critical leadership competency of the new global economy. Covey passionately delivers that message and is dedicated to enabling individuals and organizations to reap the dividends of high trust. Audiences and organizations alike resonate with his informed, practical approach to real-time issues that affect their immediate and long-term performance.
He is the former CEO of Covey Leadership Center, which, under his stewardship, became the largest leadership development company in the world. Covey personally led the strategy that propelled his father’s book, Dr. Stephen R. Covey’s The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, to one of the two most influential business books of the 20th Century, according to CEO Magazine. A Harvard MBA, he joined Covey Leadership Center as a Client Developer and later became National Sales Manager and then President & CEO. Under Covey’s direction, the company grew rapidly and profitably, achieving Inc. 500 status. As President & CEO, he nearly doubled revenues to over $110 million while increasing profits by 12 times. During that period, both customer and employee trust reached new highs and the company expanded throughout the world into over 40 countries. This greatly increased the value of the brand and company. The company was valued at only $2.4 million when Covey was named CEO, and, within three years, he grew shareholder value to $160 million in a merger he orchestrated with then Franklin Quest to form FranklinCovey.
Over the years, Covey has gained considerable respect and influence with executives and leaders of Fortune 500 companies as well as with mid- and small-sized private sector and public sector organizations he’s consulted. Clients recognize his unique perspective on real-world organizational issues based on his practical experience as a former CEO.
Covey currently serves on the board/advisory board of several entities, including the Human Performance Institute—the leader in energy management technology—where he serves as Advisory Board Chairman.
Covey resides with his wife and children in the shadows of the Rocky Mountains.
He is the former CEO of Covey Leadership Center, which, under his stewardship, became the largest leadership development company in the world. Covey personally led the strategy that propelled his father’s book, Dr. Stephen R. Covey’s The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, to one of the two most influential business books of the 20th Century, according to CEO Magazine. A Harvard MBA, he joined Covey Leadership Center as a Client Developer and later became National Sales Manager and then President & CEO. Under Covey’s direction, the company grew rapidly and profitably, achieving Inc. 500 status. As President & CEO, he nearly doubled revenues to over $110 million while increasing profits by 12 times. During that period, both customer and employee trust reached new highs and the company expanded throughout the world into over 40 countries. This greatly increased the value of the brand and company. The company was valued at only $2.4 million when Covey was named CEO, and, within three years, he grew shareholder value to $160 million in a merger he orchestrated with then Franklin Quest to form FranklinCovey.
Over the years, Covey has gained considerable respect and influence with executives and leaders of Fortune 500 companies as well as with mid- and small-sized private sector and public sector organizations he’s consulted. Clients recognize his unique perspective on real-world organizational issues based on his practical experience as a former CEO.
Covey currently serves on the board/advisory board of several entities, including the Human Performance Institute—the leader in energy management technology—where he serves as Advisory Board Chairman.
Covey resides with his wife and children in the shadows of the Rocky Mountains.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 53 reviews
February 13, 2023
Không điều gì làm chúng ta tổn thương hơn là tin vào ai đó và bị phản bội - nhưng nghịch lý nếu không tin ai cả, chúng ta cũng không thể thấy ... niềm vui.
May 30, 2015
This follow-up to Stephen Covey's "The Speed of Trust" drills down into his idea of "Smart Trust", his alternative to distrust or blind faith.
He gives example after example of how Smart Trust increases prosperity, energy and joy in your personal life and in your business. He points out that you don't need to get others to change, become trustworthy yourself and you will be a change agent. The book outlines five principles for building Smart Trust.
Whether you're in business or not, read and apply the lessons in this book to build trust in your life.
He gives example after example of how Smart Trust increases prosperity, energy and joy in your personal life and in your business. He points out that you don't need to get others to change, become trustworthy yourself and you will be a change agent. The book outlines five principles for building Smart Trust.
Whether you're in business or not, read and apply the lessons in this book to build trust in your life.
March 16, 2012
I won this in a Goodreads Giveaway and was really happy to. I try to read as many business books as I can, although this book would really apply to a lot of areas of our lives. The writing, as expected from these two authors, was great but the ideas were even greater. Trust is such a tenuous thing, and it's hard to invest in things we can't see, but this book makes a great case for it! Highly recommended...
July 16, 2023
In Slim vertrouwen (Smart Trust) uit 2012 gaat Stephen M. R. Covey (zoon van) verder op het pad wat hij eerder met de bestseller The Speed of Trust (De snelheid van vertrouwen) insloeg. Het levert een interessant boek op wat stelt dat vertrouwen zorgt voor welvaart, energie en geluk, wat onderbouwd wordt door ontelbare anekdotes van bekende bedrijven en personen.
Slim vertrouwen begint met te stellen dat we over het algemeen maar vanuit twee posities handelen: vertrouwen of wantrouwen. Vertrouwen kan de vorm aannemen van blind vertrouwen, en dat kan ons flink schade toebrengen, denk aan een Ponzi-scheme. Ook wantrouwen kan schade opleveren. Mooie voorbeelden van wantrouwen zijn die van de zonnebrillenwinkel, die wel 5% omzet verloor door diefstal van de probeer-monturen. Die monturen mochten voortaan niet meer gepast worden. Tja, geen klant die een bril koopt zonder het montuur te passen, de omzet kukelde met 50% achteruit. Een ander voorbeeld is de SoX-regelgeving, die Enron-achtige debacles moet voorkomen. De kosten hiervan zijn enorm hoog stelt Covey: 2 miljoen per bedrijf!
Laag vertrouwen (wantrouwen) leidt tot een lage snelheid bij samenwerking (veel bureaucratie) en tot hoge kosten, door allerlei regels en contracten. Laag vertrouwen frustreert ook de energie in je bedrijf, de werknemers verliezen hun motivatie en betrokkenheid. Ze durven geen afwijkende meningen meer te ventileren, en dat gaat ten koste van de innovatie, die juist gedijt bij verschillen en ‘schuren’. En tenslotte gaat laag vertrouwen ten koste van geluk, zo blijkt uit onderzoeken van Gallup uit 2009. Kijk je op landniveau, dan zijn de landen met mensen die vertrouwen zeggen te hebben in anderen, ook het gelukkigst. In de top staan Denemarken, Finland en Nederland, onderaan bungelen Israël en Portugal.
Maar er is een derde positie: slim vertrouwen. Het uitgangspunt hiervan is vertrouwen, maar geen blind vertrouwen, want we voegen er analyse, goede oordeelsvorming aan toe. Slim vertrouwen leidt daarmee tot welvaart, energie en geluk. Die analyse valt uiteen in kansen (waar gaat het over, wat is de situatie, welke beslissing moet je nemen), risico’s (wat kunnen de resultaten zijn, we nemen minder risico met een nucleaire onderzeeër dan met een krantenkiosk) en geloofwaardigheid (van de tegenpartij). Die geloofwaardigheid bestaat uit karakter én competenties.
En het fijne aan slim vertrouwen is dat vertrouwen wederkerig is. Als jij iemand vertrouwen geeft, krijg je dat terug, direct of later, bij een volgende transactie. Het vertrouwen wordt waargemaakt.
Hoe werkt slim vertrouwen?
Covey onderscheidt 5 stappen, dat wat ‘high trust’ personen, teams en organisaties gemeen hebben.
*Ervoor kiezen om in vertrouwen te geloven. Je moet bewust van je wantrouwende houding afstappen, ongeacht je (slechte) ervaringen of je beroep (advocaat, ook accountant denk ik). Je moet geloven in het nut van vertrouwen, dat de meeste mensen deugen en dat vertrouwen schenken een beter manier van leiden is.
*Beginnen met jezelf. Wees betrouwbaar, en heb ook vertrouwen in jezelf, vertrouw erop dat je dingen ook echt zult doen.
*Je bedoeling uitspreken en geloven dat de ander ook een positieve bedoeling heeft. We beoordelen onszelf naar onze bedoeling, en de ander naar het gedrag dat hij vertoont. En de ander kijkt ook naar jouw gedrag. Daarom is het belangrijk je bedoeling expliciet uit te spreken. Die bedoeling kan ad-hoc zijn, bij een transactie, of permanent, als een missiestatement of een eed.
*Doen wat je zegt, je beloften houden. Doen wat ‘juist’ is, is heel subjectief. Verschillende culturen hebben daar een verschillend beeld bij. Maar doen wat je belooft, is voor iedereen objectief meetbaar én is in alle culturen belangrijk. Een belofte doen creëert hoop, en je eraan houden creëert vertrouwen. De combinatie is daarom veel krachtiger dan niets beloven en wel iets (goeds) doen.
*Het voortouw nemen in het ‘anderen met vertrouwen tegenmoet treden’. Als leider denk je al snel aan delegeren. Maar iemand vertrouwen geven is niet hetzelfde als iemand verantwoordelijkheid geven zonder de bevoegdheden en de hulpmiddelen. Het is ook niet zeggen dat je iemand vertrouwt en die persoon daarna micro-managen.
Dit is een interessant boek met name door de vele voorbeelden. Die zijn wel beperkt tot de VS (een enkele uitzondering daargelaten) en soms wat gedateerd. Grappig is dat hiertussen wel Mohammad Yunus en zijn Gameen bank en Tony Hsieh van Zappos zitten, waar ik onlangs óók de boeken van las. Verder staan er nog persoonlijke voorbeelden in van Covey zelf, en redelijk veel voorbeelden uit de sportwereld.
Hierin volgt de auteur de schrijfstijl van zijn vader, Covey sr., hoewel er verder niet of nauwelijks wordt gerefereerd aan het gedachtengoed van De 7 eigenschappen. Natuurlijk gaat het in dit boek impliciet over win-win en de emotionele bankrekening, maar deze termen worden niet gebruikt. De nadruk ligt op het concept vertrouwen; de analyse, die er slim vertrouwen van maakt, komt veel minder aan bod, hoewel uit de anekdotes soms wel is af te leiden waar de risico-analyse uit bestond.
Al met al een interessant boek, met name het stuk over je bedoeling kenbaar maken. Mijn bedoeling met mijn recensies? Je voldoende informatie geven om zelf te beslissen of je het betreffende boek gaat lezen of niet. Daarom meestal veel over de inhoud en minder over mijn mening.
Maar hier dan toch mijn mening:
Ik gaf het boek 3 ½ *
Slim vertrouwen begint met te stellen dat we over het algemeen maar vanuit twee posities handelen: vertrouwen of wantrouwen. Vertrouwen kan de vorm aannemen van blind vertrouwen, en dat kan ons flink schade toebrengen, denk aan een Ponzi-scheme. Ook wantrouwen kan schade opleveren. Mooie voorbeelden van wantrouwen zijn die van de zonnebrillenwinkel, die wel 5% omzet verloor door diefstal van de probeer-monturen. Die monturen mochten voortaan niet meer gepast worden. Tja, geen klant die een bril koopt zonder het montuur te passen, de omzet kukelde met 50% achteruit. Een ander voorbeeld is de SoX-regelgeving, die Enron-achtige debacles moet voorkomen. De kosten hiervan zijn enorm hoog stelt Covey: 2 miljoen per bedrijf!
Laag vertrouwen (wantrouwen) leidt tot een lage snelheid bij samenwerking (veel bureaucratie) en tot hoge kosten, door allerlei regels en contracten. Laag vertrouwen frustreert ook de energie in je bedrijf, de werknemers verliezen hun motivatie en betrokkenheid. Ze durven geen afwijkende meningen meer te ventileren, en dat gaat ten koste van de innovatie, die juist gedijt bij verschillen en ‘schuren’. En tenslotte gaat laag vertrouwen ten koste van geluk, zo blijkt uit onderzoeken van Gallup uit 2009. Kijk je op landniveau, dan zijn de landen met mensen die vertrouwen zeggen te hebben in anderen, ook het gelukkigst. In de top staan Denemarken, Finland en Nederland, onderaan bungelen Israël en Portugal.
Maar er is een derde positie: slim vertrouwen. Het uitgangspunt hiervan is vertrouwen, maar geen blind vertrouwen, want we voegen er analyse, goede oordeelsvorming aan toe. Slim vertrouwen leidt daarmee tot welvaart, energie en geluk. Die analyse valt uiteen in kansen (waar gaat het over, wat is de situatie, welke beslissing moet je nemen), risico’s (wat kunnen de resultaten zijn, we nemen minder risico met een nucleaire onderzeeër dan met een krantenkiosk) en geloofwaardigheid (van de tegenpartij). Die geloofwaardigheid bestaat uit karakter én competenties.
En het fijne aan slim vertrouwen is dat vertrouwen wederkerig is. Als jij iemand vertrouwen geeft, krijg je dat terug, direct of later, bij een volgende transactie. Het vertrouwen wordt waargemaakt.
Hoe werkt slim vertrouwen?
Covey onderscheidt 5 stappen, dat wat ‘high trust’ personen, teams en organisaties gemeen hebben.
*Ervoor kiezen om in vertrouwen te geloven. Je moet bewust van je wantrouwende houding afstappen, ongeacht je (slechte) ervaringen of je beroep (advocaat, ook accountant denk ik). Je moet geloven in het nut van vertrouwen, dat de meeste mensen deugen en dat vertrouwen schenken een beter manier van leiden is.
*Beginnen met jezelf. Wees betrouwbaar, en heb ook vertrouwen in jezelf, vertrouw erop dat je dingen ook echt zult doen.
*Je bedoeling uitspreken en geloven dat de ander ook een positieve bedoeling heeft. We beoordelen onszelf naar onze bedoeling, en de ander naar het gedrag dat hij vertoont. En de ander kijkt ook naar jouw gedrag. Daarom is het belangrijk je bedoeling expliciet uit te spreken. Die bedoeling kan ad-hoc zijn, bij een transactie, of permanent, als een missiestatement of een eed.
*Doen wat je zegt, je beloften houden. Doen wat ‘juist’ is, is heel subjectief. Verschillende culturen hebben daar een verschillend beeld bij. Maar doen wat je belooft, is voor iedereen objectief meetbaar én is in alle culturen belangrijk. Een belofte doen creëert hoop, en je eraan houden creëert vertrouwen. De combinatie is daarom veel krachtiger dan niets beloven en wel iets (goeds) doen.
*Het voortouw nemen in het ‘anderen met vertrouwen tegenmoet treden’. Als leider denk je al snel aan delegeren. Maar iemand vertrouwen geven is niet hetzelfde als iemand verantwoordelijkheid geven zonder de bevoegdheden en de hulpmiddelen. Het is ook niet zeggen dat je iemand vertrouwt en die persoon daarna micro-managen.
Dit is een interessant boek met name door de vele voorbeelden. Die zijn wel beperkt tot de VS (een enkele uitzondering daargelaten) en soms wat gedateerd. Grappig is dat hiertussen wel Mohammad Yunus en zijn Gameen bank en Tony Hsieh van Zappos zitten, waar ik onlangs óók de boeken van las. Verder staan er nog persoonlijke voorbeelden in van Covey zelf, en redelijk veel voorbeelden uit de sportwereld.
Hierin volgt de auteur de schrijfstijl van zijn vader, Covey sr., hoewel er verder niet of nauwelijks wordt gerefereerd aan het gedachtengoed van De 7 eigenschappen. Natuurlijk gaat het in dit boek impliciet over win-win en de emotionele bankrekening, maar deze termen worden niet gebruikt. De nadruk ligt op het concept vertrouwen; de analyse, die er slim vertrouwen van maakt, komt veel minder aan bod, hoewel uit de anekdotes soms wel is af te leiden waar de risico-analyse uit bestond.
Al met al een interessant boek, met name het stuk over je bedoeling kenbaar maken. Mijn bedoeling met mijn recensies? Je voldoende informatie geven om zelf te beslissen of je het betreffende boek gaat lezen of niet. Daarom meestal veel over de inhoud en minder over mijn mening.
Maar hier dan toch mijn mening:
Ik gaf het boek 3 ½ *
Want to read
February 21, 2012I just won a copy from Goodreads. Looking forward to reading it. Thank you.
August 9, 2017
Okay, so I agree with his premise. But I think that he doesn't pay enough attention to the behavioural evidence on how trust works and why it is necessary to how humans function. Also, this mostly felt like an attempt to refute critics of "The Speed of Trust", which I think is a better and more useful book.
December 11, 2017
The book was another good book filled with useful information. It is the second from these two leaders and I can recommend both with no issues. This book builds extremely well on the previous and compliments Covey’s fathers book as well. A must read for anyone who wishes to trust people in a better smarter way.
March 26, 2019
It's a pure Covey book. I'm only lukewarm to his stuff. Much of the book says the same thing over and over again and much of it is common sense...walk the walk, talk the talk, you need to trust in yourself to get others to trust you...and on and on. It's a good book, not a great one. If you're a Covey fan, you'll like it.
September 8, 2020
As with its predecessor, The Speed of Trust, this is a book to read once a month for a few years.
Can you imagine a world where trust was the default starting point for any relationship, both personal and professional, instead of the current default of hatred and distrust we see played out nightly on the news?
Can you imagine a world where trust was the default starting point for any relationship, both personal and professional, instead of the current default of hatred and distrust we see played out nightly on the news?
December 21, 2019
The story-telling part is incorporates the entertaining element from fictional stories while the content itself is non-fictional. Lots of fun reading and enjoying the book while learning ideas from their perspectives.
October 18, 2018
In my line of work (Talent Development), clients always ask me to recommend a Leadership book. This is what I suggest each time. There is no culture or relationship that can thrive without Trust.
July 8, 2019
A great book to read, giving a good explanation and examples as well
July 15, 2020
Easy read; discusses intelligently trusting people and being accountable to others to increase teamwork and productivity. Recommend.
October 4, 2020
Excellent; a must read for leadership.
January 23, 2022
Goede boodschap waar ik helemaal achter kan staan, maar er worden wel erg veel voorbeelden gegeven. Had de helft dunner kunnen zijn.
April 4, 2024
Not bad but abit boring and repetitive. Quite practical knowledge though.
January 11, 2025
Good book...
October 27, 2021
This review was originally posted over at my website.
I read this book for three reasons. First, I enjoy and learn from reading in the leadership/management development popular literature. Second, I had an interest in learning more about trust. Third, and most of all, I have benefited much from the author's dad's writing and hoped to get a feel for the son's work. Stephen R. Covey (as opposed to M. R.) wrote the classic Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, a book that has had a significant impact on my life. But alas, that's not the book I'm reviewing.
Smart Trust is, it seems, a sequel of sorts to the earlier The Speed of Trust. Without having read the original book, it seems the basic idea of that first book is that the sooner you can develop trust, the more effective and efficient your dealings with others will be. The concept in Smart Trust could be summed up in three words: Trust... but verify.
The authors place "smart trust" in the centre of a continuum in which one extreme is distrust and the other is blind trust. The argument is simply that since high trust in a business setting leads to higher speeds and lower costs, we should learn to automatically trust... but also verify.
The ups
First, the general concept is helpful, and the decision model on p. 215 is an excellent way of assessing trust decisions. For those of us who think of ourselves as realists (sometimes read "pessimists"), there is a valuable lesson here to be learned.
Second, the content is well presented and easy to read.
Third, like Stephen R. Covey, these authors seek to focus on character rather than "leadership techniques." For example, "You can't talk yourself out of a problem you behaved yourself into. The only way out is to behave your way out" (p. 137).
The downs
First, the message of the book really is that simple: Trust... but verify. It simply doesn't warrant two hundred and fifty plus pages. The point could have (and should have) been made in one hundred odd pages.
Second, the book is better presented than profound. The leadership book formula is followed perfectly, but the concepts are loose; not fully nailed down. The ideas are poorly thought-out. Basically coherent? Yes. But the crisply cogent clarity I hoped for was lacking for the most part.
Third, dozens of stories seem to be intended to illustrate the points, but often do so quite loosely and with dubious validity. I found trudging through this page-fill wearisome in the end. It was almost as if someone thought they needed lots of stories to keep people reading.
Conclusion
While I've been rather hard on the authors, my comparison with the first author's father sets the bar impossibly high. This book is a worthwhile read for leaders and managers who want to reap the rewards of a high-trust environment in the organisations they lead.
I read this book for three reasons. First, I enjoy and learn from reading in the leadership/management development popular literature. Second, I had an interest in learning more about trust. Third, and most of all, I have benefited much from the author's dad's writing and hoped to get a feel for the son's work. Stephen R. Covey (as opposed to M. R.) wrote the classic Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, a book that has had a significant impact on my life. But alas, that's not the book I'm reviewing.
Smart Trust is, it seems, a sequel of sorts to the earlier The Speed of Trust. Without having read the original book, it seems the basic idea of that first book is that the sooner you can develop trust, the more effective and efficient your dealings with others will be. The concept in Smart Trust could be summed up in three words: Trust... but verify.
The authors place "smart trust" in the centre of a continuum in which one extreme is distrust and the other is blind trust. The argument is simply that since high trust in a business setting leads to higher speeds and lower costs, we should learn to automatically trust... but also verify.
The ups
First, the general concept is helpful, and the decision model on p. 215 is an excellent way of assessing trust decisions. For those of us who think of ourselves as realists (sometimes read "pessimists"), there is a valuable lesson here to be learned.
Second, the content is well presented and easy to read.
Third, like Stephen R. Covey, these authors seek to focus on character rather than "leadership techniques." For example, "You can't talk yourself out of a problem you behaved yourself into. The only way out is to behave your way out" (p. 137).
The downs
First, the message of the book really is that simple: Trust... but verify. It simply doesn't warrant two hundred and fifty plus pages. The point could have (and should have) been made in one hundred odd pages.
Second, the book is better presented than profound. The leadership book formula is followed perfectly, but the concepts are loose; not fully nailed down. The ideas are poorly thought-out. Basically coherent? Yes. But the crisply cogent clarity I hoped for was lacking for the most part.
Third, dozens of stories seem to be intended to illustrate the points, but often do so quite loosely and with dubious validity. I found trudging through this page-fill wearisome in the end. It was almost as if someone thought they needed lots of stories to keep people reading.
Conclusion
While I've been rather hard on the authors, my comparison with the first author's father sets the bar impossibly high. This book is a worthwhile read for leaders and managers who want to reap the rewards of a high-trust environment in the organisations they lead.
March 7, 2012
I received the book for free through Goodreads First Reads. My initial interest in it was not for myself....when I saw the book in the giveaway, I thought of my father-in-law and husband, who both enjoy Stephen Covey's books. When the book showed up in my mailbox, I decided to start the book the next day. Although I am in education, not business, I realized that many of the principles this book discusses can be applied in the business world, in the education world, and in life at home.
The premise of this book is declared right away (incorporating the authors’ own suggestion to declare intent): “They [people and companies] can sense that their lives would be a lot better, their jobs a lot more fulfilling, and their personal relationships a lot more joyful if they could only operate in an environment of high trust” (page 3). The book is divided into three parts to address this issue. The first section sets up the problem with statistics and examples of low trust. The question is posed regarding if a lack of trust hurts companies and countries economically. This section also introduces Smart Trust: “a competency and a process that enables us to operate with high trust in a low trust world. It minimizes risk and maximizes possibilities. It optimizes two key factors: (1) a propensity to trust and (2) analysis” (page 57). The next section discusses how individuals and companies can enact Smart Trust, giving multiple examples of companies and individuals who did just that. The final section challenges readers to establish Smart Trust as well as summarizes the previous two parts.
Throughout the book, the text is broken up by graphs, images, and key quotes. The graphs, images, and a few quotes are helpful. However, I found that most of the quotes only served to disrupt the flow of my reading, and I eventually started skipping those quotes all together. Since I am sure the authors purposely chose those quotes, I would suggest that perhaps the quotes at the end of the section would be more beneficial. On the other hand, I liked the anecdotes from the authors’ personal experiences that were placed throughout the book, even if they interrupted the text.
This book would probably be a great book for a small group within a company to read, meet, discuss, and implement actions suggested in the book. Each chapter ends with insightful questions that could lead to business-altering (and life-altering) reflection and answers.
Overall, this book managed to capture and keep my attention. I was left with the desire to personal reflect on the ideas presented within the book. What can I do to build a culture of Smart Trust?
The premise of this book is declared right away (incorporating the authors’ own suggestion to declare intent): “They [people and companies] can sense that their lives would be a lot better, their jobs a lot more fulfilling, and their personal relationships a lot more joyful if they could only operate in an environment of high trust” (page 3). The book is divided into three parts to address this issue. The first section sets up the problem with statistics and examples of low trust. The question is posed regarding if a lack of trust hurts companies and countries economically. This section also introduces Smart Trust: “a competency and a process that enables us to operate with high trust in a low trust world. It minimizes risk and maximizes possibilities. It optimizes two key factors: (1) a propensity to trust and (2) analysis” (page 57). The next section discusses how individuals and companies can enact Smart Trust, giving multiple examples of companies and individuals who did just that. The final section challenges readers to establish Smart Trust as well as summarizes the previous two parts.
Throughout the book, the text is broken up by graphs, images, and key quotes. The graphs, images, and a few quotes are helpful. However, I found that most of the quotes only served to disrupt the flow of my reading, and I eventually started skipping those quotes all together. Since I am sure the authors purposely chose those quotes, I would suggest that perhaps the quotes at the end of the section would be more beneficial. On the other hand, I liked the anecdotes from the authors’ personal experiences that were placed throughout the book, even if they interrupted the text.
This book would probably be a great book for a small group within a company to read, meet, discuss, and implement actions suggested in the book. Each chapter ends with insightful questions that could lead to business-altering (and life-altering) reflection and answers.
Overall, this book managed to capture and keep my attention. I was left with the desire to personal reflect on the ideas presented within the book. What can I do to build a culture of Smart Trust?
January 23, 2013
I read this book as the monthly selection of the Credit Union Leaders Book Club group on LinkedIn.
This is an expansion of the last chapter in the author’s prior book “The Speed of Trust.” It contains numerous examples in each chapter along with many great quotes and extensive notes at the end of the book.
The first chapter deals with The Paradox. The authors raise some interesting issues in regards to a crisis of trust in the world and its overall impact using different examples and quotes. It also presents hope for building trust.
Chapter two deals with Blind Trust or Distrust and addresses the dangers of blind trust (being too trustful) and distrustful (not being trustful enough). The authors discuss how society causes blind trust or distrust to develop within individuals and the net impact it can have going forward. The chapter contains a table that you can use to determine how you see others and the cost of your view.
Chapter 3 begins the discussion of Smart Trust, the alternative to blind trust and distrust. Smart Trust is judgment and boils down to how to trust in a low trust world. The two key factors for Smart Trust are a propensity to trust and analysis. The propensity to trust is about leading out with trust. Analysis is about not getting burned in a low trust world. The analysis involves 3 components: Opportunity, Risk and Credibility. The authors use these components to launch into a discussion of the Smart Trust Matrix citing a number of examples. The chapter ends with examples of the reciprocity of trust.
The next several chapters deal with the five Smart Trust Actions:
• Choose to Believe in Trust: The authors delve into the three beliefs of trust:
1. A belief in being worthy of trust.
2. A belief that most people can be trusted.
3. A belief that extending trust is a better way to lead.
• Start with Self: Based on the principles of responsibility and creditability.
• Declare Your Intent and Assume Positive Intent in Others: Stating what we want to do and why we want to do it.
• Do What You Say You Are Going To Do
• Lead Out in Extending Trust to Others: It produces results, it increases trust and it elicits reciprocity.
The authors end with a chapter on how one person can make a change.
My recommendation is that while this book can stand on its own, the reader will get more out of it by reading the author’s prior book “The Speed of Trust” first.
This is an expansion of the last chapter in the author’s prior book “The Speed of Trust.” It contains numerous examples in each chapter along with many great quotes and extensive notes at the end of the book.
The first chapter deals with The Paradox. The authors raise some interesting issues in regards to a crisis of trust in the world and its overall impact using different examples and quotes. It also presents hope for building trust.
Chapter two deals with Blind Trust or Distrust and addresses the dangers of blind trust (being too trustful) and distrustful (not being trustful enough). The authors discuss how society causes blind trust or distrust to develop within individuals and the net impact it can have going forward. The chapter contains a table that you can use to determine how you see others and the cost of your view.
Chapter 3 begins the discussion of Smart Trust, the alternative to blind trust and distrust. Smart Trust is judgment and boils down to how to trust in a low trust world. The two key factors for Smart Trust are a propensity to trust and analysis. The propensity to trust is about leading out with trust. Analysis is about not getting burned in a low trust world. The analysis involves 3 components: Opportunity, Risk and Credibility. The authors use these components to launch into a discussion of the Smart Trust Matrix citing a number of examples. The chapter ends with examples of the reciprocity of trust.
The next several chapters deal with the five Smart Trust Actions:
• Choose to Believe in Trust: The authors delve into the three beliefs of trust:
1. A belief in being worthy of trust.
2. A belief that most people can be trusted.
3. A belief that extending trust is a better way to lead.
• Start with Self: Based on the principles of responsibility and creditability.
• Declare Your Intent and Assume Positive Intent in Others: Stating what we want to do and why we want to do it.
• Do What You Say You Are Going To Do
• Lead Out in Extending Trust to Others: It produces results, it increases trust and it elicits reciprocity.
The authors end with a chapter on how one person can make a change.
My recommendation is that while this book can stand on its own, the reader will get more out of it by reading the author’s prior book “The Speed of Trust” first.
January 11, 2016
It is probably not fair to compare this book to the one that preceded it, but I just cannot give this one four stars when The Speed of Trust was such a life-changing revelation. I wanted the same lift, the same sense of epiphany, and am therefore disappointed. I was glad for an opportunity to spend more time thinking about the all-important subject of building and maintaining trusting relationships, and in fairness there was some solid new stuff in here. I have even used some of the new material to help a client group I have been working with. But what might have been an excellent journal article was stretched out to 258 pages and that makes for some dull reading.
I can appreciate the challenge Rebecca Merrill (the actual writer) had, crafting a book out of very little material. In fact, I think the book gains from her regular repetition of the phrase "prosperity, energy, and joy" because it is an ever-present reminder of why we should work so hard to earn and extend trust. She does well with that. It's all the examples and stories that don't really contribute much that I struggled to slog through. I don't say this very often, but in this case I will: I recommend reading The Speed of Trust itself but the two-page summary of Smart Trust I will soon post to www.whatiscathyreading.com is all you'll need to get the full value of this one.
One important take away for me comes in the form of another Covey matrix with four quadrants. It is helpful to understand how lower or higher levels of a propensity to trust combine with more or less analysis of a specific person or situation to produce no trust, blind trust, distrust, or Smart Trust. We learned in The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (by Stephen M. R. Covey's father) that a whole lot of the sweet life is found in Quadrant 2 and so it is with Smart Trust as well. I want to think about every situation and I want to extend trust where and when I can. If I am successful with that then prosperity, energy, and joy are sure to follow.
I can appreciate the challenge Rebecca Merrill (the actual writer) had, crafting a book out of very little material. In fact, I think the book gains from her regular repetition of the phrase "prosperity, energy, and joy" because it is an ever-present reminder of why we should work so hard to earn and extend trust. She does well with that. It's all the examples and stories that don't really contribute much that I struggled to slog through. I don't say this very often, but in this case I will: I recommend reading The Speed of Trust itself but the two-page summary of Smart Trust I will soon post to www.whatiscathyreading.com is all you'll need to get the full value of this one.
One important take away for me comes in the form of another Covey matrix with four quadrants. It is helpful to understand how lower or higher levels of a propensity to trust combine with more or less analysis of a specific person or situation to produce no trust, blind trust, distrust, or Smart Trust. We learned in The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (by Stephen M. R. Covey's father) that a whole lot of the sweet life is found in Quadrant 2 and so it is with Smart Trust as well. I want to think about every situation and I want to extend trust where and when I can. If I am successful with that then prosperity, energy, and joy are sure to follow.
August 13, 2012
I finished my reading of “Smart Trust.” When I first read “Speed of Trust” in 2006 I was profoundly impacted by the structure that was added to a relatively elusive topic. I keep a small paper with the thirteen behaviors of a High Trust Leader on my desk and refer to it often. “Smart Trust” seems like the natural follow up to all the HOW questions that were generated by “Speed of Trust.”
The five Smart Trust actions that this book teaches make a clear outline of how to generate trust in a team, family, or other organization. Simple, but not to a fault, these five actions make it easy to understand. They are, Choose to Believe in Trust, Start with Self, Declare Your Intent, Do What You Say, and Lead Out in Extending Trust. While they sound straight forward on the surface, the book explores valuable examples and insights that help create a framework of putting it all together in a clear action plan.
The order of the five actions is not an accident. I suspect that I will need to go back to the book often to continue my journey in implementing trust in the various arenas of life as I move through the action steps.
The biggest take away from this book is a continuation of the first. Simply put, trust changes everything. It plays the biggest part in the bottom line and success of any relationship or organization. Creating a vocabulary around the principle allows us to discuss it among ourselves in terms that we all understand. These authors have done that and I believe that this is part of the revolution of restoring trust in our families, relationships, work places, communities, and countries.
The five Smart Trust actions that this book teaches make a clear outline of how to generate trust in a team, family, or other organization. Simple, but not to a fault, these five actions make it easy to understand. They are, Choose to Believe in Trust, Start with Self, Declare Your Intent, Do What You Say, and Lead Out in Extending Trust. While they sound straight forward on the surface, the book explores valuable examples and insights that help create a framework of putting it all together in a clear action plan.
The order of the five actions is not an accident. I suspect that I will need to go back to the book often to continue my journey in implementing trust in the various arenas of life as I move through the action steps.
The biggest take away from this book is a continuation of the first. Simply put, trust changes everything. It plays the biggest part in the bottom line and success of any relationship or organization. Creating a vocabulary around the principle allows us to discuss it among ourselves in terms that we all understand. These authors have done that and I believe that this is part of the revolution of restoring trust in our families, relationships, work places, communities, and countries.
November 9, 2015
AFTER MY OWN FAILURES (shuttering my national magazine at age 26) and my many personal ones: breakups, bankruptcy, divorce — and back again — I relate first-hand to the high costs (emotional and financial) of a breakdown of trust.
But we forget that for people in the trenches facing massive failure, they face perhaps an even more debilitating blow. With the realization of our worst fears about the future and our place in it, then depression swept in and left me feeling defeated, tiny... ��impotent! How does one recover from such devastating blows?
When trust has been broken, can you really ever learn to trust again?
Author and motivational entrepreneur, the late Stephen Covey, thought so. (Covey, you might remember, authored "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.” I find it pretty fascinating that he chose in his final work, to focus entirely on TRUST. He considered this his legacy work Even worse than feeling burned, he argues, is going through life and/or business with low (or no) trust. While released a few years ago, the book stands the initial test of time, because the truths unearthed are perennial.
I found the information on self trust the most important of the entire book. "Self trust" he writes, "is like the tide, it moves all of the boats." What a beautiful metaphor. The book is a must read for anyone who has been through the fire of broken agreements. Bottom Line: There is everything to be gained from learning to trust again, but trusting smart.
But we forget that for people in the trenches facing massive failure, they face perhaps an even more debilitating blow. With the realization of our worst fears about the future and our place in it, then depression swept in and left me feeling defeated, tiny... ��impotent! How does one recover from such devastating blows?
When trust has been broken, can you really ever learn to trust again?
Author and motivational entrepreneur, the late Stephen Covey, thought so. (Covey, you might remember, authored "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.” I find it pretty fascinating that he chose in his final work, to focus entirely on TRUST. He considered this his legacy work Even worse than feeling burned, he argues, is going through life and/or business with low (or no) trust. While released a few years ago, the book stands the initial test of time, because the truths unearthed are perennial.
I found the information on self trust the most important of the entire book. "Self trust" he writes, "is like the tide, it moves all of the boats." What a beautiful metaphor. The book is a must read for anyone who has been through the fire of broken agreements. Bottom Line: There is everything to be gained from learning to trust again, but trusting smart.
June 13, 2012
I got this book for free through Goodreads' first reads.
I'm not sure what I expected, but this book wasn't really it. I felt a lot like someone was trying to sell me something, which I didn't really like, although the premise totally makes sense. Assume that people are inherently good but still make logical decisions about how and how much to trust them. Good advice.
I'm pretty sure I got an advance copy because they had the same trust equation twice, when it was supposed to be opposite, and a lot of the arguments seemed a bit circular. I guess it's just the nature of the beast, though. I'm glad someone's reminding us to trust each other, and they gave a lot of examples I never would have come across otherwise.
Thanks for picking me!
I'm not sure what I expected, but this book wasn't really it. I felt a lot like someone was trying to sell me something, which I didn't really like, although the premise totally makes sense. Assume that people are inherently good but still make logical decisions about how and how much to trust them. Good advice.
I'm pretty sure I got an advance copy because they had the same trust equation twice, when it was supposed to be opposite, and a lot of the arguments seemed a bit circular. I guess it's just the nature of the beast, though. I'm glad someone's reminding us to trust each other, and they gave a lot of examples I never would have come across otherwise.
Thanks for picking me!
March 7, 2015
"Smart Trust is the ability to extend trust wisely in a world that seems to be saying you can't trust anyone, and it leads to a virtuous upward cycle of prosperity, energy, and joy."
We do this by choosing to believe in trust, starting with our own trustworthiness. We debate our intent and assume positive intent in others. We do what we've said we're going to do and we give trust to others.
The content of this book is really good and very important. The book itself could have been a lot shorter as it felt repetitive. Lots of stories and quotes from people who are already practising and embodying the principles within.
We do this by choosing to believe in trust, starting with our own trustworthiness. We debate our intent and assume positive intent in others. We do what we've said we're going to do and we give trust to others.
The content of this book is really good and very important. The book itself could have been a lot shorter as it felt repetitive. Lots of stories and quotes from people who are already practising and embodying the principles within.
June 24, 2012
That trust which is a fucntion of two things: character and competence,.. i have alwasy known that in order a person to be trusted, he has to have a character, honesty and integrity, but i have the other paft which is comptency, which is if a person doe not have the necessary skill to perform a task, we can not entrust him with that taks, no matter how good he is, or the level of his charachter or his integrity...in order a person to be a trustworthy he has to have both...character and comperence.
July 3, 2012
One of my favorite parts is the child's story on page 85 of the empty pot. Another part I really identified with was the "The bun lady" story on Cordia Harrington story on page 103. Maybe because it is about a single woman over coming tough circumstances by being doggedly persistent and not just succeeding but dominating her situation. I am about to reread it. Trust is the hidden variable in all relationships both personal and professional. If you can change the trust in a relationship, than you can change the relationship and that's information I need.
April 5, 2013
I found this book very inspiring and full of insights of how to use trust as a way to improve business relationships. Strong trust relationship in business help to do business more efficiently. The author, Stephen MR Covey was my LDS Bishop during my final year at BYU. He is coming to Minneapolis on Apr 18, to share a keynote address regarding this book and I am going to attend. I'm excited and look forward to re-acquainting myself with Stephen MR Covey. This is a must-read and a nice follow up to his first book, The Speed of Trust, which is also a recommended read.
December 20, 2013
Covey's sequel to The Speed of Trust rehashes the concepts from the first book and pads a lot of pages with fluff. His core concepts are: Choose to believe in trust, Start with self, Declare your intent, Do what you say, and Lead out in extending trust. All of these were covered in Speed of Trust. The book has a good message and I'm not upset that I read it (it's always good to revisit solid concepts to remind yourself to do them), but it could have been 150 pages shorter and gotten the same message across.
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