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When you’re rushing around trying to get things done, it’s inevitable that you’ll make some mistakes.

In business, instead of finding out that “haste makes waste,” you find that “haste leads to lost trust,” which is much worse.

Recently I had a very busy week (I know, who doesn’t?), and I made some stupid mistakes.  That led to one client leaving us, and another client seriously questioning our abilities.

Our firm had worked hard to create a relationship of trust with these clients. Then it all disappeared in a minute.

I decided to re-read a book I had read recently by Stephen Covey’s son, Stephen M.R. Covey, titled The Speed of Trust. The book covers how trust affects relationships.

It’s a great book, and I decided to look it over in hopes of finding ways to fix my mistakes.  I got to the chapter on “Restoring Trust When It Has Been Lost”.  Here are some points from the chapter:

• Though it can be difficult, in most cases, lost trust can be restored, and often enhanced
• By using the 4 cores and 13 behaviors, you can work to restore trust:

4 cores:

Congruence, intention, capabilities and results

13 behaviors:

Talk straight, demonstrate respect, create transparency, right wrongs, show loyalty, deliver results, get better, confront reality, clarify expectations, practice accountability, listen first, keep commitments, extend trust to others

I will be using these ideas to try to restore trust in these damaged relationships.  I hope these ideas will help you, too.