The Speed of Trust

Do you trust your immediate supervisor? What about the next level of supervision? Do you trust your chief, sheriff, or colonel? Do they trust you? Do your followers trust you and do you trust them? Does it matter? Does trust between people within an organization act as a lubricant that leads to all parts working together effectively and efficiently for the betterment of all and the achievement of individual and organizational goals? If you believe it does, as I do, then we must believe that the absence of trust must have the opposite effect. Lack of trust causes friction within an organization that tends to slow down all the moving parts and thus slows down the entire system. The result is the individual and the organization fail to meet their established mission and goals or at best, fail to accomplish them effectively and efficiently. Listen to the quote by Stephen R. Covey from the foreword section of his son’s (Stephen M. R. Covey) book titled The Speed of Trust: The One Thing that Changes Everything (2006).



Stephen M. R. Covey





Stephen R. Covey



Low trust causes friction, whether it is causes by unethical behavior or by ethical but incompetent behavior (because even good intentions can never take the place of bad judgment). Low trust is the greatest cost in life and in organizations, including families. Low trust creates hidden agendas, politics, interpersonal conflict, interdepartmental rivalries, win-lose thinking, defensive and protective communication-all of which reduce the speed of trust. Low trust slows everything-every decision, every communication, and every relationship.

Does your organization suffer these above mentioned ailments of low trust?


Covey makes the point in his book that trust means confidence and the opposite of trust is suspicion. When we work with people we trust we do not have to filter through the muck and mud before moving forward with our duties. Not so with those we do not trust. Dealing with those whom we do not trust and hold in suspect we have to wade through all sorts of clutter before we march forward. Think of it this way; our mission is to march from one destination to another. Marching with those we trust is akin to walking along an already cleared, straight and level path. You can begin immediately without any hindrances in your path. Not so with those you mistrust. Your path, in this situation, is cluttered with vines, rocks, cliffs and gullies. For you southern country folk reading this it is similar to walking uphill across a kudzu field. You either proceed forward slowly or you take precious time to clear the path and then proceed forward. Either way you choose it is much slower that traversing the clear path of trust. Edward Marshall says it best in that “Speed happens when people truly trust each other.” Jack Welch states, “If you’re not fast, you’re dead.” All very true!


Covey explains in his book that trust is a matter of economics. As the speed of trust evaporates speed decreases and cost increases. The opposite is true in that as trust increases, speed increases and cost decrease. The formula Covey uses is as follows:

↓ Trust = ↓ Speed ↑ Cost

↑ Trust = ↑ Speed ↓ Cost

Since we, in the law enforcement profession, are not in the profit creating business this model has limited value to us, except for those at the pinnacle of the organization who handle budgeting. The majority of us at the bottom and middle of the organization are more concerned with reducing crime, preventing collisions, and saving lives. We live and work where the rubber meets the road. Therefore our formula might look more like this:

    ↓Trust = ↓ Speed ↑ Crime    

↑Trust = ↑ Speed ↓ Crime

or

  ↓Trust = ↓ Speed ↑ Collision
    
    ↑Trust = ↑ Speed ↓ Collisions

or

   ↓Trust = ↓ Speed ↑ Fatalities 
   
   ↑ Trust = ↑ Speed ↓ Fatalities

Think about the things within your organization that you have to do most days before you get to the “real police work.” I am talking about the things, the paperwork, and the bureaucracy that is in place because of low trust. When I was a district first sergeant and captain I was always urging those under my command to maximize preventive patrol time. Preventive patrol time, the seeing and being seen part, and the taking of proper enforcement action were the collision reducing and life saving part of our jobs. It was the central mission and primary goal of our organization. But too often the supervisors and troopers were “stuck” in the office or elsewhere doing paperwork or other low impact things. There were always non-mission centric demands upon their time; always something to do which took away from preventive patrol time, from saving lives. Time away from preventive patrol equated to an increase in collisions and personal injuries and fatalities.


There were many examples of “slowing down” the mission that we had to contend with. One primary example I will mention here is that there were forms and reports upon forms and reports that had to be written and forwarded up the chain of command. Reports that had to go through so many hands that it was virtually impossible to get a report through the first or even the second try. Because of a lack of trust within the organization the reports themselves were cumbersome and burdensome and slow down our efforts to prevent collisions and save lives. The fact that some had to be completed at all and others had to go through so many people and before so many boards were the result of a lack of real trust within the organization. I am not against report writing; it is a necessary part of every job, but should be managed carefully. I understand the managerial and legal necessities of reports. But when they are based upon a lack of trust and slows down the organization so that the mission and goals of the organization are detrimentally affected (fatalities and injuries increase), then I question their value as used. I suspect many organizations can identify with this dilemma if they are truthful and have a realistic self perspective.


Lack of trust also leads to micromanagement within an organization. Cohen quotes G. K. Chesterton, the famous British author as saying, “When you break the big laws you do not get liberty; you do not even get anarchy. You get the small laws.”  Often a member of an organization will make an error in judgment and something negative happens. It happens in every organization. Too often administrators overreact and immediately jump in before thinking through the long term consequences of their actions. They demonstrate a lost and lack of trust in everyone by sending down the chain of command new and burdensome actions to prevent a recurrence. New policies, reports, and procedures that only slow the organization down more. Too often it amounts to killing a flea with fire hose. This micromanagement becomes, over time, the way of doing business. Trust evaporates and organizational goals become difficult to reach. If your organization micromanages in this manner, it is a sure sign that there is a lack of trust present and that speed and efficiency is absent. If this is the case, then you can be sure it is affecting the true mission and bottom line of the organization.


The gold nugget take away from this post is to find ways within your circle of influence to build trust. Eliminate all the things you control that diminish trust and create suspicion. Eliminate the things that slow down your ability to get to the front lines quickly and effectively. Search out and eliminate anything that negatively affects the outcome of your mission.


Have a great and safe week. LeaderUp!


Esse Quam Videri!


Carpe Diem


Arete'