Page 60 - The Apple Experience

behaviors in their teams. “The ability to establish, grow, extend, and restore
trust with all stakeholders is the key leadership competency of the new,

global economy,” writes Covey.
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According to research cited in Covey’s book, only 51 percent of

employees have trust and confidence in senior management, and only 36

percent believe their leaders act with honesty and integrity. A low-trust

environment is a recipe for disaster. “Low trust causes friction, whether it is

caused by unethical behavior or by ethical but incompetent behavior,” says
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Covey. “Low trust is the greatest cost in life and in organizations. Low trust

creates hidden agendas, politics, interpersonal conflict, interdepartmental

rivalries, win-lose thinking, defensive and protective communication. Low

trust slows everything—every decision, every communication, and every

relationship.”

Apple managers work hard at building and maintaining trust and, yes,

restoring trust when it is lost. Managers strive to create a trusting
environment where employees feel confident giving and receiving feedback

and making their customers feel valued. Here are Covey’s thirteen trust

behaviors with explanations and how they apply to the Apple experience. If

you do not practice these behaviors as a leader in your organization, you

might want to start. You will never develop an exceptional customer service

strategy without developing trust.

Talk Straight

Straight-talking managers let employees know where they stand, and they
use simple, clear directions. Remember the question that hiring managers at

Apple ask themselves: can this person go toe-to-toe with Steve Jobs? Jobs

appreciated creative ideas. His first response might have been “It’s shit”; but

after thinking about it, Jobs would come around to good ideas. Isaacson