The Speed Of Trust: The One Thing that Changes Everything

Research a prominent leader who is known for their high level of trustworthiness (other than Stephen M. R. Covey). How have their behaviors and actions built and sustained trust in their leadership? What lessons can be drawn from this leader’s approach to trust?

Research an organization known for its high-trust culture. How does the organization’s commitment to trust influence its operations, relationships, and overall success?

Consider your own experiences or a specific scenario within an organization. How has the presence or absence of trust impacted the organization’s culture, productivity, and morale? Using Covey’s work, describe what the organization did well and what improvements you would suggest.

In the book, Covey presents four “cores” of credibility as well as a numerical framework for assessing one’s own credibility. Discuss how this framework embodies the 13 behaviors of high-trust leaders Covey discusses later in the work.

Choose a character from fiction who you think embodies high-trust leadership. Why do you believe this character exemplifies trustworthiness? How does their trustworthiness impact their decisions and relationships in the narrative? Support your ideas with evidence from Covey’s book.

Explore Covey’s assertion that societal trust can have far-reaching impacts. What historical or contemporary factors does Covey identify as contributing to societal distrust? How is his work a response to these factors?

Consider the work’s title. What does Covey claim about trust’s “speed,” and how does conceptualizing trust in this way support his goals?

Consider Covey’s stylistic and structural choices—e.g., his use of rhetorical questions, epigraphs, visuals, etc. How do these choices contribute to the work?