Overall Reflection of the Book:

There is much truth to what M. R. Covey says in this book, both about how trust changes everything and how to increase your "trust" quotient in life and in the office. It is also interesting how the principles in this book apply to virtually everything in life: marriage, church, family, relationships between nations, etc. "This book is well worth your time!" shares Iowa ASCD Director and AEA 267 school improvement consultant Kym Stein shares. Below is her outline of the key elements in The Speed of Trust.

The one thing that changes everything . . .  

There is one thing that is common to every individual, relationship, team, family, organization, nation, economy, and civilization - one thing which if removed will destroy the most powerful government, the most influential leader, the greatest friendship, the strongest character, the deepest love.  That one thing is trust.  Trust impacts us 24/7/365.  Trust is a pragmatic, tangible, actionable asset that you can create must faster than you probably think possible.

Nothing is as fast as the speed of trust . . .  

We can increase trust much faster than we might think, and doing so will have a huge impact, both in the quality of our lives and in the results we're able to achieve.  Learning how to establish, grow, extend, and restore trust, we can positively and significantly alter the trajectory of this and every future moment of our lives.

So what is trust?  Simply put, trust means confidence.  When you trust someone you have confidence in them - in their integrity and in their abilities.  As we look at trust in education, a study shows that schools with high trust had more than three times greater the chance of improving test scores than schools with low trust.  We need to realize trust is hard.  It's real.  It's quantifiable.  It's measurable.

When looking at trust, we need to examine "5 Waves of Trust." 

• Core 1 - Integrity: To most people this means "honesty." While integrity includes honesty, it's much more. It's interestedness. It's walking our talk. It's being congruent, inside and out. It's having the courage to act in accordance with our values and beliefs. Interestingly, most massive violations of trust are violations of integrity.
• Core 2 - Intent: This has to do with our motives, our agendas, and our resulting behavior. Trust grows when our motives are straightforward and based on mutual benefit. In other words, when we genuinely care not only for ourselves, but also for the people with whom we interact, lead or serve. When we suspect a hidden agenda from someone or we don't believe they are acting in our best interests, we are suspicious about everything they say and do.

Both integrity and intent are matters of character.

• Core 3 - Capabilities: These are the abilities we have that inspire confidence - our talents, attitudes, skills, knowledge, and style. They are the means we use to produce results. Capabilities also deal with our ability to establish, grow, extend, and restore trust.
• Core 4 - Results: This refers to our track record, our performance, our getting the right things done. If we don't accomplish what we are expected to do, it diminishes our credibility. On the other hand, when we achieve the results we promised, we establish a positive reputation of performing, of being a producer.... And our reputation precedes us.

Both capabilities and results are matters of competence.

Wave 2:  Relationship is about how to establish and increase the "trust accounts" we have with others. The key principle underlying this wave is consistent behavior.  

There are 13 key behaviors common to high trust leaders around the world.  These behaviors are based on the principles that govern trust in relationships.

• Straight Talk: Be honest. Tell the truth. Let people know where you stand. Use simple language. Call things what they are. Demonstrate integrity. Don't manipulate people or distort facts. Don't spin the truth. Don't leave false impressions.
• Demonstrate Respect: Genuinely care for others. Show you care. Respect the dignity of every person, especially those who can't do anything for you. Show kindness in the little things. Don't fake caring. Don't attempt to be "efficient" with people.
• Create Transparency: Tell the truth in a way people can verify. Get real and genuine. Be open and authentic. Err on the side of disclosure. Operate on the premise of "What you see is what you get." Don't have hidden agendas. Don't hide information.
• Right Wrongs: Make things right when you're wrong. Apologize quickly. Make restitution where possible. Practice "service recoveries." Demonstrate personal humility. Don't cover things up. Don't let pride get in the way of doing the right thing.
• Show Loyalty: Give credit freely. Acknowledge the contributions of others. Speak about people as if they were present. Represent others who aren't there to speak for themselves. Don't bad-month others behind their backs. Don't disclose others' private information.
• Deliver Results: Establish a track record of results. Get the right things done. Make things happen. Accomplish what you're hired to do. Be on time and within budget. Don't over promise and under deliver. Don't make excuses for not delivering.
• Get Better: Continuously improve. Increase your capabilities.   Be a constant learner. Develop feedback systems - both formal and informal. Act on the feedback you receive. Thank people for feedback. Don't assume today's knowledge and skills will be sufficient for tomorrow's challenges.
• Confront Reality: Take issues head on, even the "undiscussables." Address the tough stuff. Acknowledge the unsaid. Lead courageously in conversation. Remove the "sword from their hands."  Don't bury your head in the sand.
• Clarify Expectations: Disclose and reveal expectations. Discuss them. Validate them. Renegotiate them if needed and possible. Don't violate expectations. Don't assume that expectations are clear or shared.
• Practice Accountability: Hold yourself accountable. Hold others accountable. Take responsibility for results. Be clear on how you'll communicate how you're doing - and how others are doing. Don't avoid or shirk responsibility. Don't blame others or point fingers when things go wrong.
• Listen First: Listen before you speak. Understand. Diagnose. Listen with your ears - and your eyes and heart. Find out what the most important behaviors are to the people with whom you're working. Don't assume you know what matters most to others. Don't presume you have all the answers - or all the questions.
• Keep Commitments: Say what you're going to do, then do what you say you're going to do. Make commitments carefully and keep them. Make keeping commitments the symbol of your honor. Don't break confidences. Don't attempt to "PR" your way out of a commitment you've broken.
• Extend Trust: Demonstrate a propensity to trust. Extend trust abundantly to those who have earned your trust. Extend trust conditionally to those who are earning your trust. Learn how to appropriately extend trust to others based on the situation, risk and credibility. Don't withhold trust because there is risk involved.

Wave 3: Organized Trust deals with how leaders can generate trust in all kinds of organizations. The key principle underlying this wave, alignment, helps leaders create structures, systems, and symbols of organizational trust. 

Wave 4: Market Trust is a level at which almost everyone clearly understands the impact of trust. The underlying principle behind this wave is reputation. It's about your company, which reflects the trust customers, investors, and others have in you. Everyone knows that brands powerfully affect customer's behaviors and loyalty. 

Wave 5:  Societal Trust is about creating value for others and for society at large. The principle underlying this wave is contribution.   By contributing or "giving back" we counteract the suspicion, cynicism, and low-trust within our society. We also inspire others to create value and contribute, as well.  

In Speed of Trust financial terms are used as a concrete way to convey the cost of low trust and the benefit of high trust, describing the former as a trust tax and the latter as a trust dividend.  The quickest way to make a withdrawal, Covey insists, is to violate a behavior of character, and the quickest way to make a deposit is to demonstrate a behavior of competence.  He goes on to detail seven low-trust taxes (i.e., redundancy, bureaucracy, politics, disengagement, turnover, churn, fraud) and seven high-trust dividends (i.e., increased value, accelerated growth, enhanced motivation, improved collaboration, stronger partnering, better execution, heightened loyalty).  

Check out this book to develop trust in your life and with the lives of others.  

Rethinking Principal Evaluation:  A New Paradigm Informed by Research and Practice is a set of policy recommendations and practical guidelines designed to help states and districts adopt a new paradigm including the institution of multiple and meaningful measurement systems of principal and assistant principal effectiveness.

Developed by practicing principals, the report reflects the best of their expertise and knowledge about principal evaluation and:

• Identifies six key domains of school leadership
• Professional Growth and Learning
• Student Growth and Achievement
• School Planning and Progress
• School Culture
• Professional Qualities and Instructional Leadership
• Stakeholder Support and Engagement   
• Describes essential features of comprehensive evaluation systems
• Created by and for principals
• Systemic support
• Flexibility
• Relevance
• Accuracy, validity, reliability
• Fairness   
• Utility  
• Offers a roadmap for policymakers to follow in the development of these systems
• Consider context
• Incorporate standards that can improve practice
• Use evaluation to build capacity
• Focus on multiple measures of performance data

Check out the Executive Summary or the Full Report on Iowa ASCD web site.