Covey's Speed of Trust 12: 3rd & 4th Behaviors

We continue reviewing Stephen M. R. Covey’s book The Speed of Trust. I recommend you buy it. He teaches so many things to improve.

Here is a great example about Right Wrongs. A leader of a global nonprofit organization worried he had offended people in the past. He personally visited each person, apologized, and asked their forgiveness. His actions significantly increased trust in his leadership.

Behavior 3: Create Transparency

Covey states “Behavior 3—Create Transparency—is about being open.

• “It’s about being real and genuine and telling the truth in a way people can verify. It’s based on the principles of honesty, openness, integrity, and authenticity”
• “The opposite of Create Transparency is to hide, cover, obscure, or make dark. It includes hoarding, withholding, having secrets, and failing to disclose”
• “The counterfeit of transparency is illusion. It’s pretending, “seeming”, rather than “being,” making things appear different than they really are”

Here’s an ironic example of a trust tax paid for obscurity. A leader in a global organization asked his staff to read The Speed of Trust. Unbeknownst to him, executives were splitting the organization in two: giving international operations to one department, and domestic operations to another. The announcement, especially coinciding with the reading, decimated trust.

Behavior 4: Right Wrongs

Covey continues “Behavior 4—Right Wrongs—is more than simply apologizing; it’s also making restitution.”

• “It’s making up and making whole. It’s taking action. It’s doing what you can to correct the mistake…and then a little more.”
• “Right Wrongs is based on the principles of humility, integrity, and restitution. It’s opposite is to deny or justify wrongs, to rationalize wrongful behavior, or to fail to admit mistakes until you’re forced to do so.”
• “The counterfeit of Right Wrongs is to cover up. It’s trying to hide a mistake, as opposed to repairing it.”

“Even when you’re on the other end—when someone else has wronged you—there are important things you can do to help Right Wrongs and build trust.  By being forgiving, for example, you enable others to more easily apologize and make restitution to you.

Monday we explore behaviors 5 Create Transparency, 6 Right Wrongs