Book Review: The Speed of Trust by Stephen M.R. Covey: Understanding the power of trust

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“Trust has never been lower than it is today”. This is a statement by Covey from his bestselling book, The Speed of Trust, and he goes on to explain that trust has virtually disappeared from business, politics and even our personal lives. Yet trusting others is an integral aspect of any career or relationship and it can bring wonderful rewards for everybody. The Speed of Trust discusses why we struggle to trust others and what we can do to rebuild those bonds. Covey is an American writer and public speaker, and co-founded CoveyLink Worldwide, which provides consulting and training for organisations across the United States. 

This book review and analysis is perfect for: 
•Anyone who wants to trust others but are not sure where to begin
•Anyone looking to build trust within their team 
•Anyone who wishes to gain the trust of their clients

About 50MINUTES.COM | BOOK REVIEW
The Book Review series from the 50Minutes collection is aimed at anyone who is looking to learn from experts in their field without spending hours reading endless pages of information. Our reviews present a concise summary of the main points of each book, as well as providing context, different perspectives and concrete examples to illustrate the key concepts. 

• Language: English
• Publisher: 50Minutes.com
• Release date: May 24, 2017
• ISBN: 9782806280145

Book preview

Trust

A valuable factor of performance

In 1997, Stephen M. R. Covey became the head of the Covey Leadership Center, the company founded by his father, and led a merger with the Franklin Quest cabinet. He says:

I had failed to focus on establishing trust with the newly merged company, believing that my reputation and credibility would already be known. But they weren't, and, as a result, half the people trusted me and the other half didn't. […] Some who had no idea of my track record and results had assumed that the only reason I was in my position of leadership was simply that I was Stephen R. Covey's son […] As a result of all this, I'd had to make decisions much more slowly. […] This was wasting enormous amounts of time, energy, and money. (p. 23)

The manager defines this event as the most formative he has experienced in terms of increasing his trust. Indeed, even though the time was characterised by a devastating crisis of trust at all levels of society, both in the public and private spheres, the world specialist in leadership intends to demonstrate that trust is the development factor of performance that organisations and individuals cannot live without.