By: Amanda Damon
On Wednesday, October 30th, author Stephen Covey gave a presentation in the Orvis Auditorium about trust. His book The Speed of Trust has been translated into 22 languages and has sold 2 million copies worldwide. He discussed how trust is a career critical skill that is necessary for everyone, no matter what they do in life. Mr. Covey touched on the many ways that trust can improve social and business relationships.
Mr. Covey’s presentation had three big ideas. The first was that “trust is an economic driver, not merely a social virtue”. As an example of how simply extending trust to someone can have positive economic effects, Mr. Covey talked about Muhammad Yunus and the Grameen Bank. Yunus had seen many people in poverty in Bangladesh and wanted to help them. As they didn’t qualify for loans at traditional banks, Yunus started the Grameen Bank by giving people microloans so they could start their own businesses. Instead of forming binding paper contracts, Yunus simply trusted these people to pay back the loans, which 99% of them did. Yunus was able to lift millions of people out of poverty just by showing them a bit of trust.
The second big idea Mr. Covey discussed was the importance of trust to leadership. As he explained, “trust is the #1 competency of leadership needed today”. Trust includes both character and competence. Everyone, including college students, can be leaders of something. trust people is a show of confidence. Those who are trustworthy are often deemed “good” people. By showing these skills, someone is more likely to earn the trust of those around them. You have to extend trust to receive trust, as relationships are a two-way street that are built on a foundation of trust.
The last big idea that Mr. Covey shared was that trust is a learnable skill. Trust can be built if someone is able to see the value in changing their habits to become a more trustworthy and trusting person. To demonstrate this principle, Mr. Covey handed out Trust Action Cards to provide a streamlined way to develop, maintain, and rebuild trust. The cards include 4 Cores of Credibility and 13 Behaviors of High Trust. These cards provide a framework that can be useful as simple daily reminders or a fully planned schedule of action.
This presentation was a valuable experience. Students learned the importance of character and competence in every aspect of life. In an effort to be career ready, it is important to keep in mind just how large a role trust plays in both social and business relationships. The smallest actions can determine how someone views you and Alfred State students strive to always present the best versions of themselves.
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