Alan writes – two of the waves of trust seem particularly pertinent to Christian faith and the future shape of the church. The first is – the inner wave of self trust.
Covey suggests that this first wave is where we ask ourselves ‘Am I credible?’ ‘Am I congruent?’ ‘Do I have integrity’, ‘Do I trust myself?’ and ‘Am I someone others can trust’. Covey argues that our answer to these questions determines the degree of trust we will have in all other spheres of life. If we can’t trust ourselves then who can? This is the root of the tree of trust and I would suggest the essence of our faith and ability to contribute to the shape and future of Christian communities.
“The good news”, he says, “is that every time we do make and keep a commitment to ourselves or set and achieve a meaningful goal, we become more credible. The more we do it, the more confidence we have that we can do it, that we will do it. The more we trust ourselves (p46).”
He quotes the third round of the 2005 Italia Masters tennis tournament in Rome to illustrate his point. In this match the champion, Andy Roddick, was playing against Fernando Verdasco from Spain:
“It was match point in favor of Roddick. When Verdasco hit his second serve, the line judge called the ball “out,” and the crowd began to cheer for Roddick. Verdasco moved toward the net to shake hands, as if the match were over. But Andy Roddick didn’t accept the point. Instead, he said that the ball was “in” and called the umpire’s attention to a slight indentation on the clay court which showed that the ball had landed on-not beyond – the line. Surprised, the umpire allowed Roddick to overrule him and the point was awarded to Verdasco. Everyone was amazed. . .” Though Andy Roddick went on to loose the game, “he gained something far greater. He gained credibility. He gained trust. How did this display of integrity give him credibility? Look at it this way: How are the umpires going to respond the next time Andy Roddick challenges a call? Most likely they will treat his challenge with the utmost respect. His reputation was known; his credibility will precede him.” (p60).
This kind of integrity and self trust is the core – the root of all other relationships and life. In the end as Albert Camus said, ‘integrity has no need of rules’.
In defining integrity he draws on three themes – Congruence, humility and courage:
Congruence – to act seamlessly. Where there is no gap between intent and behavior. “People who are congruent act in harmony with their deepest values and beliefs. They walk their talk. When they feel they ought to do something, they do it.”
Humility – drawing on Jim Collins book Good to Great he identifies that their study on leadership showed that – “we were surprised, shocked really, to discover the type of leadership required for turning a good company into a great one. Compared to high-profile leaders with big personalities who make headlines and become celebrities, the good-to-great leaders seem to have come from Mars. Self-effacing, quiet, reserved, even shy – these leaders are a paradoxical blend of personal humility and professional will.”
Courage – the courage to do the right thing. This is the kind of courage that Andy Roddick displayed (above).
When it comes to increasing our integrity? Covey suggests three repeated steps:
- Make and keep commitments to Yourself – through this we increase our self-confidence. We build our reserves and we enlarge our capacity to make and keep greater commitments, both to ourselves and to others.
- Stand for something – ‘to believe in something, and not to live it, is dishonest’ Mahatma Gandhi
- Be Open – to be open inspires credibility and trust; to be closed fosters suspicion and mistrust.
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