"Self-trust is the first secret of success..."

I want to re-visit the book The Speed of Trust: The One Thing That Changes Everything by Stephen M.R. Covey, former CEO of the Covey Leadership Center.  Covey's main argument is that building trust is a key leadership competency that confers a major strategic advantage.  I introduced the topic in a post last November, "Change happens at the speed of trust..."

Covey compares trust to the well-known ripple effect, in which waves start out small at the center and become larger and more powerful as they move and expand outward.  He describes five "waves of trust" to drive home the point that trust begins with oneself and expands outward to relationships, organizations, the market, and society.  I'll cover the first wave of trust today, and I will discuss the remaining waves in subsequent posts.  

The first wave, Self Trust, deals with the confidence we have in ourselves and our abilities.  It addresses our ability to set goals, keep commitments, "walk our talk", and inspire trust in others.  We can't build trust with each other unless we first trust ourselves.  As Jean François Paul de Gondi, who served as the Cardinal of Paris from 1654 to 1662 said, "A man who doesn't trust himself can never really trust anyone else."  The American philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "Self-trust is the first secret of success...the essence of heroism."

Covey emphasizes that the key to Self Trust is Credibility, which comes from the Latin word root credere, meaning to believe.  He suggests that Self Trust is built on four Cores of Credibility - Integrity (being honest), Intent (having good motives), Capabilities (being competent), and Results (delivering on promises).  

1. Integrity

Integrity is about being honest, both with yourself and with others.  It is defined by the Merriam-Webster online dictionary as the quality of being honest, having strong moral principles, and consistently adhering to ethical standards, regardless of who is watching.  Covey says, "The problem in organizations is that many 'ethics' solutions focus on compliance.  The compliance definition of 'ethics' is not one of integrity or interrelatedness; it is a watered-down, devalued definition that essentially means 'follow the rules'."  Integrity is more than just simply following the rules.  As Alan Greenspan, former Chair of the Federal Reserve of the United States said, "Rules cannot take the place of character."

Covey suggests that there are three components to Integrity - Congruence, Humility, and Courage.  Congruence means that someone acts in harmony with their beliefs and values.  These leaders are authentic - "what you see is what you get" and does not depend upon the situation.  These leaders always do the right thing, even when no one else is watching.  Mahatma Gandhi said, "To believe in something, and not to live it, is dishonest."

The leadership expert Jim Collins talks a lot about a concept that he calls "Level 5 Leadership".  He writes, "These leaders [the Level 5 Leaders] are a paradoxical blend of personal humility and professional will.  They are more like Lincoln and Socrates than Patton and Caesar."  He goes on to say, "Level 5 leaders display a powerful mixture of personal humility and indomitable will. They're incredibly ambitious, but their ambition is first and foremost for the cause, for the organization and its purpose, not themselves."  Confidence is okay - and more than acceptable, we often want our leaders to be confident.  However, Humility is so important that I often combine the two sentiments into one critical leadership characteristic, Confident Humility.  Level 5 Leaders are "humbly confident" (see my post, "The Four C's of Leadership" and "The ignorance of arrogance") - they have the self-confidence to step up and lead, yet they also have the Humility to know that they don't know everything and will seek help when appropriate.  They care more about what is right than being right, more about building the team than getting credit, and more about principles than their own self-interest.

Courage (see my posts, "The Four C's of Leadership" and "Benjamin Franklin's thirteen necessary virtues...") is the last component to Integrity.  Courage is not the absence of fear, but acting despite it. The word Courage derives from the Latin word cor, which means heart.  To say that someone has heart or showed heart is to suggest that they were courageous.  The author Brené Brown said, "Courage is a heart word. The root of the word courage is cor – the Latin word for heart. In one of its earliest forms, the word courage meant To speak one’s mind by telling all one’s heart. Over time, this definition has changed, and today, we typically associate courage with heroic and brave deeds. But in my opinion, this definition fails to recognize the inner strength and level of commitment required for us to actually speak honestly and openly about who we are and about our experiences – good and bad. Speaking from our hearts is what I think of as ordinary courage."  Leaders with Courage "speak their heart" by telling the truth and standing up for what is right, even when it is difficult (or even dangerous) to do so.

2. Intent

According to Covey, Intent encompasses Motive ("your reason for doing something"), Agenda ("what you intend to do"), and Behavior ("what you do").  People will judge you on what you do, rather than what you say.  When a leader's Motive shows genuine concern for others, he or she will build trust.  Similarly, when a leader's Agenda is to find solutions that are mutually beneficial to all, he or she will engender trust.  Finally, a leader whose Behavior acts in the best interest of others will foster trust.  The Prussian philosopher Immanuel Kant said, "In law, a man is guilty when he violates the rights of another.  In ethics, he is guilty if he only thinks of doing so."    

3. Capabilities

Covey uses the acronym TASKS to explain the various dimensions that comprise our Capabilities.  Talents are our natural gifts and strengths.  Attitudes explain our way of viewing events that happen in the world.  Skills are the things that we do well.  Knowledge explains what we have learned, as well as our insight, understanding and awareness.  Finally, Style represents our own unique approach and personality.  A leader's Capabilities are what will build confidence that he or she is competent to do the job of leading.  Remember, at least one side of the "Trust Triangle" is that our teams are confident that we can lead them.

4. Results

Covey says, "My motto is: Whenever possible, finish, and finish strong."  A leader who does not produce results will have no credibility.  Without credibility, there is no trust (see my comment above on the "Trust Triangle").  Everyone - including even ourselves - will judge credibility based on what you have done in the past, what you are producing now, and what you can do in the future.  If trust depends upon delivering on our promises, there's perhaps no better way of doing so than producing the results that we say we are going to produce.

The first wave of trust (there are five total) is perhaps the most important.  Going back to Covey's analogy of the well-known ripple effect, the bigger the first wave, the bigger the ripple!  And if change happens at the speed of trust, the speed of trust depends first and foremost on trusting yourself.  Look out for the remaining four waves of trust in future posts.