Review by: Angela Fieler, MPA, CMQ/OE, Senior Consultant
Book by David Horsager
Trust has been on my mind lately. I’ve heard the word a lot at healthcare facilities I’ve visited. Trust is one of those words, like quality. It’s hard to define, but relatively easy to tell when it’s absolutely absent. When asked what trust means, people often reply something along the lines of, “I know if when I see it.” As a consultant working with organizations who are trying to build trust, I often wonder if it’s possible to teach people how to build trust or is it more likely that you teach leaders specific behaviors that over time will build trust.
In his book, The Trust Edge: How Top Leaders Gain Faster Results, Deeper Relationships, and a Stronger Bottom Line, David Horsager takes on the task of helping leaders develop both the skills and the mindset to build a culture of trust. He begins by making a case for trust, moves into what he calls the eight pillars of trust – what an individual leader needs to do to become more trustworthy, and then talks about what organizations need to do to either build or regain trust.
I found the book easy to read, rich in stories and examples, and thought-provoking. There is no doubt in my mind that if every leader and every organization took Horsager’s advice to heart, trust would not be an issue. I also found his honesty refreshing. Horsager ends the book saying that building the pillars and gaining trust takes courage, discipline, and diligence, which many people aren’t willing to do. I think he’s done a good job of structuring the book so that you could start small and build.
Is trust an issue in your organization? If you know it is, spend a few hours reading The Trust Edge and then decide how much effort you are willing to put into making the necessary changes. If you aren’t sure, contact the Baird Group for a Culture Assessment. If there are trust issues in your organization, be confident that we will identify them for you, and get you on the road to making meaningful change.
