7
OPINION
Speed of trust
I s your firm trapped in a slow-motion saga, dragging its heels on even the most promising initiatives? Does navigating internal politics feel like wading through molasses? If so, you’re not alone. Low trust in workplaces incurs a hidden cost, hindering efficiency, innovation, and collaboration.
Many companies unknowingly pay a hefty “trust tax,” a hidden cost inflicted by low-trust work environments. As Stephen M. R. Covey explains in his excellent book The Speed of Trust , this lack of trust creates friction, grinding down efficiency and innovation. When team members don’t trust each other communication is ineffective, extra process steps are required, and back-channel politics thrive. TRUST DEFINED. Normally when we think of whether we trust someone, we default to an analysis of their character. We often picture smiling faces and firm handshakes. But true trust goes deeper, reaching beyond superficial gestures. It’s about feeling confident in someone’s character, intentions, skills, and track record. With that, it’s important to understand that true trust requires confidence in four primary domains:
1. Integrity. This is probably the easiest to analyze because it’s the default character analysis we’re used to performing. However, even beyond traits like honesty, true integrity requires that your words and deeds are in alignment with each other. Do you walk the talk? Do you have the courage to do the right thing even when it’s difficult? 2. Intent. This is all about motive. Why do you do what you do? For people to trust each other, they need to believe that the other person has their interests and well-being in mind. To foster trust with those around us, we need to start from a place of gracious interpretation to avoid the “fundamental attribution error.” Simply put, the “fundamental attribution error” is when we
Morgan Stinson
See MORGAN STINSON, page 8
THE ZWEIG LETTER FEBRUARY 26, 2024, ISSUE 1526
Made with FlippingBook flipbook maker