Behavior that Builds or Maintains Trust #1: Talking Straight

Rule #1 from Covey, The Speed of Trust (2006, p. 137): "Tell the truth and leave the right impression."

Covey says we need not only to tell the truth, but tell it in a way that people believe you. So we need to be honest with people, but we need to be honest with them in a way that they believe us.

Bill Clinton, for example, when he was President, said: "I did not have sex with that woman." He was prosecuted for lying under oath. But did he really lie?

It all depends. If you equate sex with intimate fondling and kissing, yes. But if you equate sex with intimacy that includes penetration, he may have been telling the truth depending on what they really did. But whether it was or was not "true" it sure sounded like a lie. From then on, you were never sure whether he was telling the truth or not.

Here's how Covey sums it up on p. 143:

Be honest. Tell the truth. Let people know where you stand. Use simple language, Call things what they are. Demonstrate integrity. Don't manipulate or distort facts. Don't sping the truth. Don't leave false impressions.

The simple truth is that it's always easier to tell the truth than to lie. Really.

What do you do to build or maintain trust with others?

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