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THE TRUST EDGE:

How Top Leaders Gain Faster Results,
Deeper Relationships, and a Stronger
Bottom Line

By David Horsager
“Trust is the most important fundamental between leaders and among people. This book shows you
exactly how to build the eight pillars of trust and how to apply them for maximum effectiveness.”
—Dr. Nido Qubein, chairman, Great Harvest Bread Company; and president, High Point University

In the 21st century, trust is an increasingly elusive asset. A recent Gallup poll shows that America’s confidence in
nearly every major societal institution is declining. Collectively, we no longer trust major corporations, banks,
government, the media, public schools, nor organized religion. Doing business in this suspicious climate is
extraordinarily difficult, and the degree to which people trust you and your organization is quite literally the
difference between success and failure. Trust—not money—is the primary currency of doing business today.

Business strategist David Horsager learned firsthand how the world’s most successful people gain and keep the
trust of their customers and colleagues. As a speaker, David has shared this knowledge on four continents, to
audiences ranging from Fortune 500 executives to the armed forces to professional sports teams. He also turned it
into a self-published book that was sold through his speaking events and website. Now Free Press brings this
essential business read to a wider audience with a new trade edition, THE TRUST EDGE: How Top Leaders
Gain Faster Results, Deeper Relationships, and a Stronger Bottom Line (October 9, 2012/$25.99
hardcover/978-1-4767-1137-9)—the ultimate guide to earning, maintaining, and even rebuilding trust, which
Horsager considers the most critical factor of every business relationship.

Trust—defined by Horsager as a confident belief in someone or something to do what is right, deliver what is
promised, and to be the same every time, in spite of circumstances—is more than a convenient luxury; it is a clear
competitive advantage in today’s brutal marketplace.
“We are in a trust crisis, and organizations are slow to realize the bottom line implications,” says Horsager.
“From massive fraud in business to scandals in politics and athletics, the headlines point to a persistent problem of
modern life and business—we’re lacking in trust.”

In THE TRUST EDGE, Horsager argues that organizations—and individuals—are trusted only to the degree that
people believe in their ability, consistency, integrity, and commitment to deliver. Horsager calls this advantage
“the trust edge,” and organizations that have the edge are also characterized by higher employee engagement,
greater customer loyalty, lower costs, a stronger bottom line, and greater chance of recovery when something goes
wrong. What’s more, the research backs Horsager’s claims about the economic impact of trust. A Watson Wyatt
study showed that high-trust organizations generated three times the number of shareholder returns compared to
low-trust organizations; while John O. Whitney of the Columbia Business School found that “mistrust doubles the
cost of doing business.” Far from a soft issue, trust wields an increasing impact on the bottom line of every
organization.

Trust has the ability to accelerate or destroy any business, organization, or relationship, according to Horsager.
The trusted leader is followed; from the trusted sales person, people will buy; for the trusted brand, people will
pay more, come back, and tell others. And, while some might mistake trustworthiness as an innate trait, Horsager
believes it can indeed be learned and practiced. Drawing on case studies from Warren Buffett and John Mackey to
Caribou Coffee and IBM, along with Horsager’s first-hand experience observing the world’s most successful
people gain and keep the trust of their customers and colleagues, Horsager offers leaders and organizations
tangible steps for capitalizing on the quality that is as valued as it is scarce. He calls these the Eight Pillars of
Trust:

• Clarity: People trust the clear and mistrust the ambiguous.

• Compassion: People put faith in those who care beyond themselves.
• Character: People notice those who do what is right over what is easy.
• Competency: People have confidence in those who stay fresh, relevant, and capable.
• Commitment: People believe in those who stand through adversity.
• Connection: People want to follow, buy from, and be around friends.
• Contribution: People immediately respond to results.
• Consistency: People love to see the little things done consistently.

In THE TRUST EDGE, Horsager explains how to establish trust by intentionally building these eight pillars.
“Trust can’t be built overnight,” writes Horsager. “Trust requires time, effort, diligence, and character. Inspiring
trust is not slick or easy to fake.” Rich with actionable advice for how build trust, carefully extend trust to others,
rebuild trust when it’s been lost, and navigate the choppy waters of suspicion in a global and increasingly
interconnected world, Horsager illuminates how sharpening the trust edge will provide leaders and organizations
with the foundation for lasting success.

THE TRUST EDGE:

How Top Leaders Gain Faster Results, Deeper Relationships, and a Stronger Bottom Line
Author: David Horsager
Publisher: Free Press, a division of Simon & Schuster
Publication Date: October 9, 2012
Hardcover; $25.99; 368 pages; 978-1476711379
Visit www.DavidHorsager.com for more information

To download high-resolution digital images of Free Press covers, authors and selected interior illustrations, as well as press
releases, author bios, and excerpts of current and recent titles, please visit www.simonandschuster.biz.
 About the Author

David Horsager is an author, business strategist, and keynote speaker.

Through his book and programs, he shares the secrets of using trust to
impact the bottom line. Combining humor, illustrations, and memorable
stories with research and insight, David sheds light on the confusion and
misconceptions surrounding the cornerstone of personal and professional
success.

Through his graduate research, experience as Director of K-Life Inc., and

founding partner of Special Delivery Productions, David learned firsthand
how the world’s most successful people gain and keep the trust of their
customers and colleagues. He takes that knowledge and breaks it into
tangible steps that anyone can incorporate in their daily lives.

As a Certified Speaking Professional, David has delivered life-changing

presentations on four continents, with audiences ranging from Fortune 500
executives to the armed forces and professional sports teams. He also
turned his message into a self-published book that has sold more than
20,000 copies exclusively through his speaking events and website. Now
Free Press brings this essential business read to a wider audience with a
new trade edition.

When he’s not speaking or writing, David continues to research and consult through Horsager Leadership. He
also serves as an Adjunct Professor of Organizational Leadership for Bethel University’s graduate program. He
lives in St. Paul, MN with his wife, Lisa, and their four children.
 Suggested Interview Questions for David Horsager, author of
THE TRUST EDGE

Q: What inspired you to write this book?

A: I had been speaking and producing events around the world on a broad scope of topics. As I visited many
different types of companies, I began to wonder what the greatest of these companies and leaders had in common.
What I noticed was the universal impact of trust on both leadership and the bottom line – no matter the company,
organization or location of the business. With great interest, I began my graduate research on this topic and
realized that being trusted really is the greatest asset of any leader or organization. My passion grew as I
researched organizations and uncovered the characteristics that led them to become trusted institutions.
Meanwhile, the political and economic climate in our country had worsened, making this topic even more
relevant to all industries. My passion in this topic resulted in The Trust Edge, a book based in research, but written
as a practical guide for today’s leaders, managers, small business owners, or CEOs. My hope is that people will be
able to put the ideas to immediate use in a way that will benefit their teams and companies in a practical way. We
have seen sales teams triple sales, companies increase productivity, families find new ways to communicate, and
teams learn how to share their vision.

Q: In the book, you argue that trust is not a soft skill. What do you mean by that?

A: Many think trust is a soft idea that does not directly affect the bottom line. This simply isn’t true. Consider the
impact of Tiger Woods’ behavior off the golf course. His breeches of trust lost him millions of dollars in just a
matter of weeks. If you have a loan on your home, your mortgage payment is based on your credit score, which is
essentially a trust score. The more the bank trusts you, the higher the score, the less you pay over the course of the
loan. Because of a lack of trust, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act was put into place, costing companies millions of dollars
in compliance costs. Working with a supplier you don’t trust costs you time and stress in double-checking,
creating paperwork, and following-up. In fact, research from a study of 453 buyer-supplier relationships of
automakers in Japan, South Korea, and the U.S. found that transaction costs were five times higher with the least
trusted supplier than with the most trusted one. Trust impacts the bottom line.

Trust is both tangible and measurable. Sales people get caught up in seeking the newest sales tactic or closing
technique, but without trust, they won’t even get in the door. When organizations acquire The Trust Edge, it
shows in every relationship, and eventually is demonstrated by a growing bottom line. A lack of trust is your
biggest expense, and it doesn’t matter if it is at home with your family, at work, or in your community.

Q: The latest “Confidence in Institutions” Gallup poll shows that American trust is decreasing across the
board. What do you think is the root cause?

A: Pull out any newspaper and you’ll see countless examples of how trust is violated every day. We continue to
be let down, lied to, and misled by leaders around us. There is low accountability and more barriers to trust than
ever before – rising litigation, conflicts of interest, decreasing customer loyalty, media coverage of scandals, fear,
negative experiences, and a desire for instant gratification. These barriers cause stress and frustration, and
ultimately lead to a lack of trust. Paradoxically, the primary focus of most trust research is about how trust is
destroyed, versus how to build it up. If we’re going to solve this trust crisis, we need to turn our attention to ways
in which well-intentioned people can earn and maintain the trust of the people they do business with.

Q: In the book, you identify eight pillars of trust. Why did you decide to call them pillars, and which one is
the most important?
A: If you visit the Roman ruins or the synagogue in Capernaum, you will see that many parts of the structures
have crumbled, but the pillars still stand. The pillars are the foundation for holding something up – they are
strong, solid, and lasting. In the years I’ve spent studying the underlying connection between success and trust,
I’ve identified eight key areas that are best described as pillars. The most successful organizations and leaders
have all eight pillars of trust, and they are all interconnected. At first, one might think Character is most
important. However, if one is not Competent, I will not trust him or her. For example, I might trust you to babysit
my kids because of your character, but I wouldn’t trust you to give me a root canal because of your lack of
competency. Still, there is one pillar that is the most important of them all—Consistency. Without it, all the other
pillars will fall. Inconsistent compassion does not show that you care. Inconsistent clarity is ambiguous.
Inconsistent character is no character at all. Consistency is king of the pillars of trust.

Q: Tell us about the risks and rewards of extending trust to others who may not have earned it yet.

A: It is critical to extend trust with wisdom and discernment. Trust always involves a risk, so be prepared to
accept unpredictable results. I have found that how much you give should be dependent on how much you think
they can handle. Start by extending a little trust, and let things grow from there. However, in most situations,
people step up when trust is extended. When you decide to trust someone, your expectations of them meld
together with your belief in them, which inspires success. What is expected of a person will likely be what they
aspire to. When you extend trust to others, greater motivation, efficiency, and effectiveness often follow.
Believing in people and letting them know they have your confidence often gets the best out of them. In the case
of trust, the greater the risk, the greater the reward.

Q: You compare trust to a forest – something that takes years to grow, and which can be taken down in the
flash of a careless match. Is it possible for leaders and organizations who are dealing with a forest fire of
lost trust to rebuild it?

A: Absolutely! We have seen it happen, and it all depends on the decisions you make immediately following the
breach of trust. Look at BP, who many thought would have to completely rebrand itself. Yet after the biggest
manmade disaster of our time, they have largely rebuilt trust. Compare that with the reputation earned by
corporations like State Farm Insurance, who faced a lawsuit from more than 700 Gulf Coast homeowners over
State Farm’s refusal to honor claims against losses by Hurricane Katrina. Their decision sent the message that
their policies are more important than people, and that destroyed their trust. So, how does one begin to rebuild
trust? It starts with a sincere apology – not lip service, but a genuine and honest apology. After that, the only way
to rebuild trust – to regrow the forest – is to plant new seeds by making and keeping small promises. Whether the
breach of trust was your fault or not, move forward with consistency and integrity.

Q: What do you hope readers will take away from The Trust Edge?

A: My hope is that people will see the clear importance and value of this topic as well as a clear way to gain The
Trust Edge in their lives, businesses, and brands. By using the eight pillar frame work, I hope people will
understand that trust begins with individuals, and it’s not the responsibility of your organization or anyone else.
Your courage to take action and become trustworthy will be the invitation for others to follow. Make building
trust your highest priority and first order of business. When you do, you will enjoy the foundation of all genuine
and lasting success, The Trust Edge.