By Jack Krasula
November 20, 2008
Stephen Covey Jr. has recently written a best seller entitled The Speed of Trust: The One Thing That Changes Everything. As I think back to situations in my life where I didn’t trust another person, I recall that I spent so much wasted time and negative energy guarding myself, protecting myself and watching my back.
Conversely, whenever I trust a person, all of our time and energy is focused on positive initiatives. Tasks are accomplished so much quicker and with little or no mental strain. Trust is earned through integrity, consistency, character and humility.
A recent guest on the radio show I host, “Anything is Possible,” Jerry Campbell, CEO of HomeBanc and Pinnacle Race Course, is so honest that I would shoot craps with him over the telephone. Being a partner in a number of businesses with such a man of integrity is a blessing and so valuable toward being successful in business and being fair to employees, customers and shareholders. His philosophy incorporates this principle: You must be willing to be honest and do the right thing even when it hurts you personally in the short run. It never hurts you in the long run.
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Another recent guest, Alonzo McDonald, who served as chief of staff under President Jimmy Carter and is a former managing partner of McKinsey & Company, teaches a seminar throughout the world entitled, “When No One is Looking.” He believes that circumstances don’t make the man, they expose the man. He also points out that when you sow a thought, you reap a habit. When you sow a habit, you reap a character. When you sow a character, you reap a destiny. You don’t inherit character, you acquire character and it is continually under attack. Character is one of the few things in life that no one can take away from you - only you can. Character, leadership and judgment trump experience every time. My observations show that people with great character are at peace with themselves and are healthy.
As I think back to people that I haven’t trusted, one thing they all lack is humility. When you peel the onion back on these people, everything is me, me, me. It is very hard, or impossible, for them to say, “I made a mistake, I am wrong and I am sorry.”
Many extremely intelligent people, as opposed to just bright people, are humble because they realize how little they truly know.
One of the many blessings of hosting “Anything is Possible” these past 3-1/2 years has been to listen and learn from incredible people that live “The Speed of Trust.”
You can listen to any of the past shows online at www.anythingispossible.biz and click on the archived shows.
I truly believe that with God, Anything is Possible.
Jack Krasula is president of Trustinus, LLC, an executive search firm, and host of “Anything is Possible,” airing on Sundays at 6 p.m. on WJR-AM 760, “The Great Voice of the Great Lakes.” He can be contacted at [email protected].
