Slice of Trust: The Leadership Secret with the Hot & Fruity Filling [Hardcover]

David Hutchens (Author), Barry Rellaford (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2011

Learn how to become an amazing leader!

A Slice of Trust by David Hutchens and Barry Rellaford teaches managers and leaders of all levels how companies that develop trust within the workplace can increase their value, efficiency, and innovation.

This delightful fable follows Simon the Pieman who isn't as simple as everyone thinks. He serves pie to his customers along with his trust, one slice at a time. Trusting wisely and weighing the risks against the opportunities, Simon succeeds in his business, teaching an old dog, Sebastian, some new tricks along the way.

Inspired by Simon's trust, Sebastian learns a valuable lesson about the importance of extending trust, weighing out risks to exercise "smart trust," and the importance trust plays in leadership.

With a forward written by Stephen M.R. Covey, author of The Speed of Trust, A Slice of Trust is the secret to building the necessary leadership skills needed to maintain a working environment that spurs creativity and collaboration.

Chapters include:

• In Which a Pieman Adopts an Unusual Business Strategy
• The Fruits of Trust
• Into The Marketplace
• Sebastian's Trust Experiment

David Hutchens has made a career of delivering big ideas to broad audiences in compelling ways. He has helped create groundbreaking learning solutions for IBM, Walmart, Sam's Club, The Coca-Cola Company, Eli Lilly, Merck, Nike, BellSouth, and Booz Allen Hamilton. He is creator and author of The Learning Fables—a series of books, published by Pegasus Communications (Waltham, MA), which teach organizational structures, strategy, learning, and leadership as well as corporate responsibility and business ethics. The globally popular series includes the titles Shadows of the Neanderthal, The Lemming Dilemma, Listening to the Volcano and the perennial favorite Outlearning the Wolves. The unique combination of clever stories, sound business theory, and delightful illustrations have made the books a hit in corporate boardrooms, MBA programs, and even among groups of schoolchildren. The Learning Fables have sold more than 200,000 copies and have been published in more than a dozen languages.

David developed The Speed of Trust Simulation, an engaging discovery learning experience that is co-branded with Stephen M.R. Covey and based on his best-selling book, The Speed of Trust. He also developed The Speed of Trust Meeting in a Box. David's programs have been recognized with distinctions such as ASTD's Excellence in Practice award, and HR Magazine's Training Product of the Year.

David lives just outside of Nashville, Tennessee, with his wife, Robbie, a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. Together they founded and operate Signet House LLC, a counseling center that serves the middle Tennessee area. They have two children, Emory and Ollie. They all like pie.

www.DavidHutchens.com

Barry Rellaford is a leadership development expert. He founded GreatWork, which helps clients reach their goals by focusing on the strengths and passions of individuals, teams, and organizations to perform meaningful work. His clients include Procter & Gamble, Microsoft, Toyota, Intel, Nike, and the University of Texas Medical Branch, among others.

Barry is a co-founder of CoveyLink, the predecessor to FranklinCovey's Global Speed of Trust practice. Today he balances his trust work with his own practice, GreatWork, where he inspires individuals and organizations to perform meaningful and purposeful work. As an international speaker and consultant, he has shared transformational ideas about leadership and trust with people from over 100 countries. His clients include Procter & Gamble, Boeing, the Defense Finance & Accounting Service, LEGO, the City of Miami Beach, and the US Veterans Administration.

Barry currently serves as the chair of the Storytelling in Organizations special interest group of the National Storytelling Network and continues to bring meaning into play with organizations and leaders. Barry is a key faculty member of the Purpose Project Guild, based in the University of Minnesota's Center for Spirituality and Healing.

Barry and his wife, Lorilee, met in France and now live in Utah with their children. They, too, like pie. Barry's interests outside of work include family activities, music, reading, people development, and the American West.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Dazzling...and true! It took me many years to discover the power of trust. With A Slice of Trust, you will understand so much more—and in only a few hours!"
— Carlos Tavares, Chairman, Nissan Americas

(Nissan Americas 20110317)

"Brilliant! In a world starving for authenticity, A Slice of Trust demonstrates beautifully that gaining and giving trust are indispensable skills. Do you know how to win the trust of the people you serve? Do you know when to give your trust and when not to? Read this book!"
— Matthew Kelly, New York Times bestselling author of The Dream Manager

(Kelly Matthew, New York Times bestselling author of The Dream Manager 20110316)

"A Slice of Trust masterfully tells a story that is really quite simple; if you give trust you will grow trust and be trusted. David and Barry deliver a message that every leader should hear and embrace."
— Stephen DerManuelian, Vice President, Associate & Business Services, OfficeMax

(OfficeMax 20110317)

From the Inside Flap

Foreword
by Stephen M. R. Covey, Author, The Speed of Trust

I'll never forget an experience several years ago when our company had been working with two distinct suppliers to provide the same product for our business. On paper, the suppliers looked similar. Both had good people and reputations. We started off trusting them both. But while one supplier consistently performed, the other one didn't. Our trust in the one grew and in the other shrank. We had to put in place redundant inspection processes for the supplier that was inconsistent, which cost us extra time and money, causing our product costs to rise. We ultimately decided to drop that supplier and just go with the one we trusted.

After this experience, I found myself noticing everywhere the same phenomenon: that the economic implications of trust were as great as, if not greater than, the social implications. I ran with this simple insight and began to see the impact of trust—or the lack thereof—everywhere. I found that when I consciously focused on trusting and being trusted, it brought great success—and when trust was neglected or ignored, I paid the price. I eventually concluded that trust is the one thing that changes everything, and today I am only more convinced that is true. This conviction, along with empirical data and a personal sense of passion for this topic, led to the development and publication of my book, The Speed of Trust: The One Thing that Changes Everything.

Because trust is such a simple idea, it is typically underestimated, assumed and taken for granted. It seems we only appreciate it after we lose it. Yet this oft-neglected subject of trust has yielded untold layers of depth as our company has explored its many uses and applications among individuals, teams, organizations, and society. Most fascinating, even with all the work we've done in dozens of countries, I believe we've only just scratched the surface. There is much more work to do, and that's what excites me most. That is why I am so pleased to have on my team practitioners like Barry Rellaford and David Hutchens, who help our trust approach come to life. Barry has served as one of the chief architects and global advocates for our approach, while David has developed learning tools and products that even today are helping our practice lead a transformation of trust all around the world.

These authors understand trust. Barry, more than anyone, helped me shape and mold the ideas and terms in The Speed of Trust. He has been a constant supporter and expert advisor for the work we're doing. Most significantly, he has been an insightful coach and facilitator in working with client organizations throughout the world, particularly with executive teams, in teaching and helping them implement the Speed of Trust on their teams and in their organizations in order to achieve sustained superior performance.

David, in turn, has paid the price to master our content, which, coupled with his innate gifts of writing and storytelling, has given him the ability to convey key messages in a way that is both simple and profound. He understands how people and organizations learn, and he's created tools and processes to enable and accelerate that learning. The combination of Barry and David in producing this wonderful book is an illustration of the speed of trust in action!

When they first approached me about this project, I must admit I was a bit skeptical. I'm typically not a big fan of fables—many of them aren't very well told or the stories often get in the way of the message or they come across as naively simplistic. But because I trusted the authors, I agreed to read their story and was delightfully surprised. As well as I know the topic of trust and what we've learned together in taking this message to individuals and organizations everywhere, I was still captivated by the characters and flow of the narrative—and laughed as I read about Simon's and Sebastian's choices and the consequences of the subsequent actions. Every time I found myself worrying about the message possibly missing an important idea, the authors had anticipated that very point, which would soon manifest itself as the story continued in greater depth. I was pleased-and impressed.

A Slice of Trust depicts the purposeful balance of choice, analysis, emotion, judgment and personal courage required for exercising trust. As you join Simon the Pieman on his adventures in trust, I invite you to reflect on how you have extended trust in your organization, your relationships, your family, your world. After all, the most important story is your story. It's a story that you create every day as you explore opportunities for trust. And it's a story whose telling is brought to life every time you extend your trust to another, one slice at a time.

So, welcome to this conversation on trust down a different- yet parallel-path from The Speed of Trust. As you experience the Speed of Trust in your world, we'd like to hear from you. Tell us your challenges in practicing "Smart Trust." Let us know where your journey is taking you and how we might help you take the next step. Along the way, I am confident that you will discover, as I have, that nothing is as fast as, more inspiring than, more satisfying than, or more filling than a simple slice of trust.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 112 pages
• Publisher: Gibbs Smith (April 1, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1423621182
• ISBN-13: 978-1423621188
• Product Dimensions: 5 x 0.6 x 7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #877,560 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A fun and effective way for grown-ups to learn! April 14, 2011

By Hootiepatootie

Format:Hardcover

I love this! More books should be written this way! It's quick and fun to read and paints such a clear picture of the concept. But don't let the fun fool you, the lesson about trust in the workplace is huge. It is truly the basis of great management and is missed by too many leaders. I trust you will benefit.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Gets Covey's Blessing on This One! April 9, 2011

By K. H. Wilson

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Our organization is licensed to conduct training based on Stephen M.R. Covey's bestselling business book, The Speed of Trust. I know how well-guarded proprietary titles and concepts are. So when this little book came out, advertised as written in parable format, it caught my attention. When I saw that Stephen M.R. Covey himself endorses this book, I bought it.

David Hutchens does an entertaining little parable using a familiar fairy tale character to illustrate the powerful concepts of Covey's Speed of Trust. Easy to read and understand, this little book can serve as an excellent introduction and overview to The Speed of Trust. It doesn't bog the reader down with all the details, yet gets the main ideas across.

It will not, however, replace Covey's bestseller if you want to dive into the content and learn the core attributes and behaviors of trustworthy and trusting leaders.

This was my first encounter with David Hutchens as an author who takes business concepts and lays them out in an easy-to-read-and-understand format. The parable method of writing invites even the busiest people to spend a few minutes as page after page provides key insights and learning.

In this primer on Speed of Trust, the reader will get some ideas on how to extend "smart trust" and build relationships. From business standpoint, Covey says, "Nothing is as fast as the speed of trust." The story illustrates how a simple idea more than doubled business with no added cost! Who can't use THAT these days?

And the reader will also be surprised and laugh a little. I was delighted to read this little story, and get introduced to Hutchens parables. I'm sold on Hutchens as much as I'm sold on Covey's Speed of Trust.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A fitting fable April 8, 2011

By See-Dub

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Here's a fable for these uncertain times. In this quick read, Hutchens and Rellaford have made the importance of trust easy to understand. Leaders in all kinds of organizations can benefit from these ideas. Those in business will certainly find applications, but as a classroom teacher, I can see how this allegory also applies to interactions with students. My only complaint? Je veux maintenant parler français et à manger à tarte. (Pardon my French!)