The Trust Edge
How Top Leaders Gain Faster Results, Deeper Relationships, and a Stronger Bottom Line
David Horsager is a business strategist, entrepreneur, professor and author who researches and speaks on the bottom-line impact of trust. His clients range from Toyota, Verizon, and the New York Yankees to FedEx, Nationwide, and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. As per the inside front flap of the book, David tells us that the foundation of genuine success is TRUST. In the book, he walks us through the 8 Pillars of Trust. As you’d expect, the book is PACKED with Big Ideas and, as always, I’m excited to share some of my favorites so let’s jump straight in!
Big Ideas
- The 8 Pillars of TrustClarity. Compassion. Character. Competency. Commitment. Connection. Contribution. Consistency.
- Trust DefinedHow to Forge Antifragile Confidence.
- Pillar 1: ClarityIt All Starts Here.
- Return on CharacterHow’s Your “Behavior Integrity.”
- Stressed? Here’s How to Deal With it...Here’s How to Address It.
“Top leaders left individuals and organizations measurably better than they found them. What made these leaders and organizations unique? They all had one common trait—trust. I found that trust is not a soft skill. It is a measurable competency that brings dramatic results. It can be built into an organization’s strategy, goals, and culture.
My experience, fueled by this fresh research, led me to a fascination with the bottom-line impact of trust. I began a journey to research the commonalities of the most trusted leaders and organizations. The journey has resulted in this book, based on research, but made very practical with stories, anecdotes, and simple practical steps to help you gain the trust edge. ...
No matter what your role is, trust affects your influence and success. It has an impact at every level of business, from Fortune 500 leaders to a family-owned general store. It affects teaching outcomes and political votes. Those who are trusted are effective.
Though we will discuss trusting others later in the book, helping individuals and organizations become trusted is the main point. Resist the urge to think about others and whether or not they deserve to be trusted. Take responsibility for yourself. When you focus on increasing your own trust edge, you will enjoy greater success and impact. When you change yourself, you have the best chance of affecting your organization, your family, your relationships, and even your world.”
~ David Horsager from The Trust Edge
I got this book on the very strong recommendation of my friend, Captain Daryle Cardone—the Commanding Officer of the USS RONALD REAGAN.
Daryle had recommended a book by his mentor, Admiral Mike Manazir’s Learn How to Lead to Win which was amazing (check out those Notes!). So, when he recommended this one I immediately got it, read it, loved it, and here we are. (Get a copy here.)
As per the inside back flap of the book, David Horsager is a business strategist, entrepreneur, professor and author who researches and speaks on the bottom-line impact of trust. His clients range from Toyota, Verizon, and the New York Yankees to FedEx, Nationwide, and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
As per the inside front flap of the book, David tells us that the foundation of genuine success is TRUST. In the book, he walks us through the 8 Pillars of Trust.
He tells us that: “The trusted leader is followed. From the trusted salesperson, people will buy. From the trusted brand, people will pay more, come back, and tell others. Trust, not money, is the currency of business and life!”
As you’d expect, the book is PACKED with Big Ideas and, as always, I’m excited to share some of my favorites so let’s jump straight in!
Download MP3
Download PDFTrust, not money, is the currency of business and life.
Get the BookThe 8 Pillars of Trust
“If you visit the Roman ruins or the synagogue in Capernaum, you will see that many parts of the structures have crumbled, but the pillars still stand. Pillars hold something up. They are strong, solid, and lasting. In the years I’ve spent studying the underlying connection between success and trust, I’ve identified eight key areas that are best described as pillars. They hold up, or support, the trust edge. These pillars are significant for anyone interested in building support for genuine success.”
Pillars.
Go tour any ancient Roman ruin and you’ll often see that, after many parts of the structures have crumbled, you’ll still see them standing.
It’s funny because I JUST created a Note on John Wooden’s great book Wooden on Leadership. He used another ancient structure to make his point: The Great Pyramid of Giza. Whatever metaphorical ancient structure you want to use, there are key building blocks to excellence.
For Wooden, there were 15 virtue-blocks in his Pyramid of Success.
Here’s a quick look at each...
“INDUSTRIOUSNESS. Work hard. Worthwhile things come only through hard work.
FRIENDSHIP. Mutual esteem, camaraderie, and respect create great bonds of strength.
LOYALTY. To yourself and to all those depending on you.
COOPERATION. Be interested in finding the best way, not in having your own way.
ENTHUSIASM. You must truly enjoy what you are doing.
SELF-CONTROL. Practice self-discipline and keep emotions under control.
ALERTNESS. Be observant and eager to learn and improve.
INITIATIVE. Summon the courage to make a decision and take action.
INTENTNESS. Stay the course. Concentrate on your objective with steely resolve.
CONDITION. Mental—Moral—Physical. Moderation must be practiced.
SKILL. Be able to execute all aspects of your job. Keep learning.
TEAM SPIRIT. An eagerness to sacrifice personal interest for the welfare of all.
POISE. Stay calm under fire. Avoid pretense or posturing. Just be yourself.
CONFIDENCE. Proper preparation creates the right kind of confidence.
COMPETITIVE GREATNESS. Be at your best when your best is needed. Love the battle.”
For Horsager, there are 8 Pillars of Trust.
Here’s a quick look at each...
“1. CLARITY. People trust the clear and mistrust the ambiguous.
2. COMPASSION. People put faith in those who care beyond themselves.
3. CHARACTER. People notice those who do what is right over what is easy.
4. COMPETENCY. People have confidence in those who stay fresh, relevant, and capable.
5. COMMITMENT. People believe in those who stand through adversity.
6. CONNECTION. People want to follow, buy from, and be around friends.
7. CONTRIBUTION. People immediately respond to results.
8. CONSISTENCY. People love to see the little things done consistently.”
Of course, in the book, Horsager walks us through how to cultivate EACH of those 8 Pillars of Trust. We’ll take a quick look at a few in a moment.
For now...
If you feel so inspired, pause for a moment and think about how you’re doing with each of those qualities so essential to forging the trust that is so essential to your leadership success.
Clarity. Compassion. Character. Competency. Commitment. Connection. Contribution. Consistency.
What’s working? What needs work?
And...
Most importantly...
How will you get a little stronger TODAY?
Do you wish to rise? Begin by descending. You plan a tower that will pierce the clouds? Lay first the foundation of humility.
The quality of a leader is reflected in the standards they set for themselves.
Great leaders are almost always great simplifiers who can cut through the argument, debate, and doubt to offer a solution everybody can understand.
Trust Defined
“Trust is a confident belief in someone or something. It is the confident belief in an entity:
To do what is right
To deliver what is promised
To be the same every time, whatever the circumstances
Trust implies being reliable, dependable, and capable. Think of the chair you are sitting on as an example. You have a confident belief that it can and will hold you. You don’t need to waste time checking its capacity. You don’t worry that it will take advantage of you or drop you. The trust your chair has earned has affected the speed, consistency, and loyalty of your doing ‘business’ with it.
You are trusted to the degree that people believe in your ability, your consistency, your integrity, and your commitment to deliver. Do people believe in you? To the degree that they do, you are trusted.”
That’s from Chapter #1: “The Trust Edge” in which Horsager introduces us to the science behind his ideas and defines trust.
As you know if you’ve been following along, the word confidence comes from two little Latin words: con + fidere. The word LITERALLY means “to have intense trust.”
How do you build trust in ANY relationship? Well, as The Leadership Challenge guys put it, you “Do What You Say You Will Do.” Or... DWYSYWD for short.
Now... Here’s what’s interesting.
Horsager uses the metaphor of a chair to make his point. You “trust” your chair to do what it “says” it will do and hold you up when you sit on it. (Right?)
As we’ve discussed, Phil Stutz uses the metaphor of a chair as well. He tells us that in the “material” world, that chair you built and sat on today will be there tomorrow. But... He tells us that in the “spiritual” world, we need to REBUILD that chair EVERY SINGLE MORNING.
In other words... We need to REBUILD THE TRUST we created yesterday TODAY. As the U.S. Navy SEALs say, we need to “Earn Our Trident Every Day.”
Want to FORGE ANTIFRAGILE CONFIDENCE? Know who you are at your very best, create a checklist-protocol of those behaviors you engage in when you’re at your best AND DO THOSE THINGS ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU FEEL YOUR WORST.
Horsager echoes this wisdom in the chapter on “Character” in which he tells us: “Do what needs to be done, when it needs to be done, whether you feel like it or not.”
It’s hard to have a more precise definition of discipline and/or a more precise process through which we can develop TRUE, unbreakable trust in ourselves than that gem.
I repeat: “Do what needs to be done, when it needs to be done, whether you feel like it or not.”
When? TODAY.
P.S. The great Zen therapist David Reynolds echoes this wisdom in his classic book Constructive Living in which he tells us: “The mature human being goes about doing what needs to be done regardless of whether that person feels great or terrible. Knowing that you are the kind of person with that kind of self-control brings all the satisfaction and confidence you will ever need. Even on days when the satisfaction and confidence just aren’t there, you can get the job done anyway.”
Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.
The shortest and surest way to live with honor in the world is to be in reality what we would appear to be.
In reading the lives of great men, I found that the first victory they won was over themselves… Self-discipline with all of them came first.
Indecision is the thief of opportunity.
Pillar 1: Clarity
“Without a clear plan, employees are confused and become ineffective. Without a clear product choice, prospects won’t buy. It’s difficult to have faith in someone who has fuzzy plans and unclear expectations. People trust the clear and distrust the ambiguous. Confusion breeds fear, frustration, and lack of focus.
For the trusted leader, clarity starts with honesty. In an extensive study by Forum Corporation, hundreds of salespeople from eleven companies in five industries were investigated. The aim was to find the difference between top and average producers. The fascinating results revealed that the difference was not charisma, ability, or knowledge. The unique trait of top producers was nothing other than honesty! Honest communicators build trust.
Clarity is also increased when a message is heard or seen frequently. According to one significant global survey, people need to hear information about a company three to five times in order to believe the information. In order to establish clarity, make sure the communication is honest and repeated.”
Those are the first words from the fourth chapter on “Pillar 1: Clarity.”
It ALL starts with CLARITY.
This makes me think of Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner (The Leadership Challenge guys!) again. It also makes me think of Jim Collins and what he tells us is the #1 responsibility of a leader.
First, Kouzes and Posner. They echo the importance of HONESTY. In fact, they tell us that HONESTY is THE #1 virtue we ALL look for in those we want to follow.
For the record, after honesty, the other top virtues include the fact that leaders are “Forward-looking, Competent, and Inspiring.” Those four characteristics provide stability to the foundation of leadership: Credibility.
An exemplary leader is Honest. We can trust them. An exemplary leader is Forward-looking. They have a vision of the future that inspires us. An exemplary leader is Competent. They know what they’re doing and get results. An exemplary leader is Inspiring. They breathe life into us—believing in and showing us how to reach our potential.
How about YOU? Are you honest? Forward-looking? Competent? Inspiring?
What’s working? What needs work? How will you +1 TODAY?
As I read that passage, I also thought of Jim Collins. In Beyond Entrepreneurship 2.0, he tells us: “The function of leadership—THE number-one responsibility of a leader—is to catalyze a clear and shared vision for the company and to secure commitment to and vigorous pursuit of that vision. This is a universal requirement of leadership, and no matter what your style, you must perform this function.”
With that wisdom in mind, my dear friend and fellow leader...
What’s YOUR vision for your Energy, Work, and Love?
Remember the importance of CLARITY. It’s Pillar #1.
However beautiful the strategy, occasionally you should look at the results.
Always be in a state of becoming.
Return on Character
“Integrity and good morals join together to form character, a necessary ingredient for the trust edge. Like any element of trust, character takes time, intentionality, selflessness, and discipline. We all know that one can get to the top on talent but find continued success there only because of character. This happens in sports all the time. A great player has a short career because of character deficiencies. In recent years we have seen talented people climb to the top of their companies and even churches and nonprofits, only to see them fall because of a lack of integrity and moral character.
Tony Simmons, PhD, of Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration, found a significant link between trust, integrity and profits. He surveyed staff members at seventy-six hotels using a 1-to-5 scale. The study showed that an increase in just 1/8 of a point in ‘Behavioral Integrity’ could increase profit by 2.5 percent. That means a normal hotel increased profits by more than $250,000 per year by having a staff with only a slightly higher character. According to Dr. Simmons, organizations that conduct training on integrity maximize profits and earn a lasting competitive advantage.”
That’s from a chapter on Pillar #3: Character—sub-section “The Two Sides” in which Horsager tells us that, to have character, we need BOTH integrity (being consistent in thoughts, words, and actions) AND good morals (having a high sense of what’s right and wrong).
He uses Hitler as an example. Hitler had “tremendous consistency of character” and an equally horrendous LACK of moral goodness.
For the purposes of this discussion, I want to highlight the ASTONISHING data that shows how a TINY (!) increase in “Behavioral Integrity” can lead to a SIGNIFICANT increase in profitability.
In case you haven’t gotten the memo... Helping you get CLARITY (Pillar #1!) on who you are and what you do when you are at your best and then helping you move from Theory to Practice to Mastery so you actually DO THOSE THINGS SUCH THAT YOU CAN INCREASE YOUR BEHAVIORAL INTEGRITY is what Heroic is all about.
Increase your Behavior Integrity by just a fraction of a point and you’ll SIGNIFICANTLY increase your “Profit” in life—measured by your level of Energy, Productivity, and Connection!
This is why the data from the rigorous (randomized control trial!) scientific study we’ve run on our app shows that it works. The Heroic app is VERY EFFECTIVE at helping you increase your BEHAVIORAL INTEGRITY. Hit just ONE Target in the app and you’ll be 23% more Energized.
This is ALSO why I’m so excited to serve organizations—whether that’s large corporations, the U.S. military, elite sports teams, or schools. If we can help increase Behavioral Integrity, we can change the world. One person at a time. Together. Starting with you and me and all of us. TODAY.
With that in mind...
What’s one TINY thing you KNOW you can do to optimize YOUR “Behavior Integrity” TODAY? Get on that. And reap the eudaimonic rewards of a strong character.
Trusted relationships trump clever closing techniques every time.
I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.
Stressed? Here’s How to Deal With it...
“Many people want to know how to reduce stress. Let me share something that is true in my own life. Procrastination multiplies stress. The number one cause of worrying, stress headaches, and stomach knots is failing to do what needs to be done when it needs to be done. We put off that phone call because we are stressed about it. This leads to more stress. We put off writing the report because it seems impossible to complete. This leads to more stress. Can you think of something you are putting off? Is it actually creating more stress in your life? I know it is not always easy, but if you commit to meeting your difficult tasks head-on, you will have much less stress in your life. Having the character to do the important tasks first is critical for productivity.”
That’s another Big Idea from Pillar #3 on Character.
It’s also the paragraph that preceded the quote we talked about above.
I repeat: “Do what needs to be done, when it needs to be done, whether you feel like it or not.”
Yep. That’s the ticket. Want to FORGE ANTIFRAGILE CONFIDENCE in yourself and in your ability to meet any and all of life’s challenges WHILE becoming the type of person that *other people* trust such that YOU experience all the eudaimonic joy that comes with The Trust Edge?
→ “Do what needs to be done, when it needs to be done, whether you feel like it or not.”
With that in mind, I ask you, Dear Hero...
What little or big thing have you been putting off that you KNOW needs to get done?
Remember... Heroes don’t AVOID challenges. WE APPROACH them—using it all as fuel for our next-level growth.
It’s Day 1. We’re ALL IN. Let’s go!
To be really great in little things, to be truly noble and heroic in the inspired details of everyday life, is a virtue so rare as to be worthy of canonization.
About the author
