I have been reading a spectacular book, The Speed of Trust, written by Stephen M.R. Covey, son of the late Stephen Covey of Seven Habits of Highly Effective People fame. To say that the reading of this book has changed my life would be an understatement. It has changed how I look at myself, my company, and truly my place in this world.

The book has to do with your personal 4 cores of credibility that are the foundation of all trust and how to build it. It then goes into the 13 behaviors that build or destroy trust. From there it talks about the 5 waves of trust: personal trust, trust with others, trust in the organization, market trust, and societal trust.

I really enjoyed the section of market trust and the building of your brand. The Lake Group of Companies is working to build a branding strategy for Lake, so I guess that is why it resonated with me. But what I really like was a small section regarding your own personal brand.

Now we all know of brands and their respective icons that we respect: Nikes swish, EBay’s’ funny little colorful letters and we know of companies that violated our trust: Enron’s’ tilted E, WorldCom’s star and slash. My question to you is simply: What do you think of when you see the brand Douglas Sterling Cain? What do you think of your brand when you look in the mirror? What do others think when they see your face, hear your voice or read your name? How are you treated? Do you get the benefit of the doubt in a tough situation? Do people listen and respect your opinion? Do your clients respect your point of view in negotiations? At home, do your children respect you and really listen to you when you speak. Does your bride trust your instincts when the two of you are debating about purchasing a new home, moving the kids to a private school, or how much money to save per month?

On every level, in every relationship, whether or not you are truly trusted makes all the
difference in the world. Remember when there is trust, costs go down and speed goes up.

Until next week………………