Lack of trust is a problem in society, causing friction in personal relationships, careers, politics and more, says author Stephen Covey. Dr. Oz talks with Stephen about his book The Speed of Trust: The One Thing That Changes Everything and explores why trust is so important.
Stephen says trust is often described as a feeling, but the definition of trust is all about confidence. "Trust means confidence," he says. "I trust someone when I am confident in them. The opposite of that—distrust—is suspicion. I don't trust someone when I am suspicious about their agenda or their motive or their integrity."
Stephen outlines five types of trust, and says they are all related:
Self-trust: You trust yourself, then you give others a person they can trust.
Relationship trust: You work directly with other people to build trust. You behave in ways that build trust and avoid behaviors that deplete it.
Organizational trust: You build a culture of trust in a company, working on teams and with managers.
Market trust: You build trust with your external stakeholders, such as customers of your company.
Societal trust: You operate with the society at large though your relationships, co-workers and clients and do your part to build trust within society as a whole.
Stephen says many people mistakenly think when trust is broken, it can never be restored. He says in many cases—particularly as it relates to relationships with people close to us—it's possible to restore trust. "It's not easy, it takes time, but you do it through your behavior, not just things you say," he says. When it comes to rebuilding trust, Stephen says actions always speak louder than words. "You can't talk yourself out of a problem you behaved yourself into," he says.
