Customer Reviews
A Description of the Advantages of Forming Trust, the Psychology of Trust, and How to Build Trust - By: Donald Mitchell, 22 Nov 2007 
Trust can make things easier, & 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 & green" & did neither at first. Dr. Covey writes the foreword for this book & 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, & societal trust based on the principle of contribution). Most of the book is taken up with examining those five waves & 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, & extend trust). Each section of the book comes with ways to check on your performance & to create plans for improvement.
This book is by far the best development of the subject of creating & restoring trust that I have read. That makes the book an essential reference. I congratulate & 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 & 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 alll) 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 & 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 & arguments rather than cleanly bringing across the authors' trust-related points.
3. The book's structure & 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 & what not to do. That's fine if you already have a well-defined sense of how trust is formed & 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 & boring. The major exceptions are the examples drawn from Mr. Covey's own family. I found those examples to be fresh & interesting.
After you finish this book, I suggest that you think about those who have gained your trust & distrust. What did they do? Examining those personal examples will add a lot of depth to the general ideas presented here.
Interesting examination of trust - By: Rolf Dobelli, 30 Jan 2007 
Stephen M.R. Covey's book provides a framework for understanding trust, & a set of guidelines for building & restoring trust. Abundant anecdotes illustrate its lessons. An impressive array of business leaders, gurus & authorities lent their names to blurbs for this book, most of them endorsing the proposition that trust is good for the bottom line of any business. It would be hard to argue with that. If the book's style reminds you of "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People," there's a reason. The author is the son of 7 Habits' guru Stephen R. Covey, & the same writer, Rebecca R. Merrill, was involved in both books. While this solid book may not be quite as intensely focused as 7 Habits (but then, what is?), we recommend it to readers seeking confirmation of perennial truths about the importance of trust & its application in business.
