Trust in Leadership: Lessons from World War II and "The Speed of Trust"
Quick answer: How do World War II leaders illustrate The Speed of Trust?
Stephen M.R. Covey argues trust rests on character and competence. John shows both in World War II leaders: Audie Murphy and John Basilone at the tactical level, Desmond Doss as an unarmed medic, George C. Marshall in strategy and the postwar recovery, and Third Army intelligence officer Oscar Koch, who warned of the German Ardennes offensive.
John starts with a Forbes article by Tracy Brower citing Edelman Trust Barometer data on how few people now trust business, government, and media leaders to tell the truth. He pairs it with Stephen M.R. Covey's The Speed of Trust, which argues that trust is a function of character and competence, and that when trust is low, speed goes down and cost goes up. Then he looks for proof in World War II. Audie Murphy's men followed him because he stood his ground at Holtzwihr. Desmond Doss refused to carry a weapon and won his unit's trust by carrying the wounded off Hacksaw Ridge. John Basilone, the only enlisted Marine of the war to receive both the Medal of Honor and the Navy Cross, earned respect with his presence and accessibility. George C. Marshall built trust at the highest level through competence and integrity. Colonel Oscar Koch, Patton's intelligence officer, kept tracking the warning signs that helped Third Army anticipate the German Ardennes offensive. John's prescription for today's leaders follows Covey: talk straight, keep commitments, confront reality, and extend trust first.
Why it matters for leaders: People trust leaders whose competence they have seen and whose word they have watched them keep.
Q: What are Covey's two components of trust?
A: Character and competence. A leader needs both to be trusted.
Q: Who was Oscar Koch?
A: Third Army's intelligence officer (G-2) under George Patton, whose analysis helped Third Army anticipate the German offensive in the Ardennes in December 1944.
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By John Fenzel, founder and CEO of Heroes' Path Foundation