Stephen M. R. Covey asserts that when trust is high, speed increases and costs decrease. He also asserts when trust goes down, then speed decreases and costs increase. I concur with Covey. Let me share an example I recently witnessed.
Decreasing Trust
Recently, I attended a conference involving employees of one division of the same corporation. The division director requested the field employees read Stephen M. R. Covey’s book The Speed of Trust. The conference theme dealt with rebuilding trust in the division’s brand.
The corporation spent three years prior to the conference in a strategic transition study. Executives frequently implied major changes for this division, including rumors they would close all the operations for this division. Employees who retired or left were not replaced.
Five months before the conference the rumors ceased. A new director reassured employees the division survived. He worked to rebuild the brand and restore confidence of the employees. He wanted the conference to restore trust and set a long-term direction. That’s why he asked them to read The Speed of Trust.
The week before the conference, corporate executives spun the international operations off to a completely different group. They merged the US and Canadian operations under a competing division in the company. The director went with the international operations.
Not a Lot of Trust in this Room
The remaining division headquarters staff continued with the conference, including the themes of the previous director. Half the domestic division heard the presentations before the split and half had not. They didn’t want the division to receive different messages. They also could not forecast changes the merger would create.
As the headquarters staff tried to present, the field staff did not engage. They answered questions, case studies, and discussions with stony silence. It was painful. During a break, one of the field employees commented “There’s not a lot of trust in that room.”
The lack of trust slowed the communications to a standstill.
Wednesday we share an example how misunderstood intent lowers trust
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