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Building trust from the inside out

13 November 2019

Stephen M. R. Covey, Trust Expert, Executive Thought Leader and #1 Bestselling Author (USA) encouraged us to adopt new ways of looking at trust in his keynote presentation. He suggested three lenses through which to look at trust: firstly through yourself, next through your team and thirdly through the trust we can increase in our industry and society. This is how we build trust from the inside out.

Trust, he said, must be the highest value in your organisation.

Covey described the business and leadership benefits of trust, reminding us that trust is a learnable skill – a competency.

To demonstrate its power, Covey encouraged us to think of a colleague we trust. To consider what it’s like to work with someone we trust? How fast we can get things done? What results can be achieved?

Alternatively, he asked us to recall a colleague of who you have a low trust relationship. What is it like to work with someone you don’t trust? How fast can you get things done? What results can you achieve?

Comparing and contrasting those two relationships is like night and day, he said, and demonstrates how every dimension is affected by the level of trust.

Play that out as a leader, between teams and out to the company. Trust changes everything in profound ways.

Covey urged leaders to “get good at declaring intent”, extending trust to others, such as your team, and watch it come back to us. Extending trust to others can change lives, he said.

Covey spoke of the power of genuine caring. If people feel that you care, they tend to trust you. It is true of consumers and true of your team, he said.

Credibility and trust is built when we act in the best interest of customers versus self-interest. “Getting good at this matters at every level,” he said.

Covey said it’s essential to improve intent and recommended ‘declaring your intent.’ He advised to always give the “why” when you are explaining something to your team. Be transparent. When you don’t declare your intent, it leaves people guessing.

If you are reluctant to declare your intent, then you need to re-examine your motive.