Trust:: The Secret Weapon of Effective Business Leaders author: Kathy Bloomgarden asin: 031234984X

It is funny how certain topics seem to pop up in the business genre. Currently, a hot area is the subject of trust. Stephen Covey writes about the "Speed of Trust," Cynthia Wall on the "Courage to Trust," and J. Y. Morgan on "Learning to Trust," but probably the best of the new batch of books on the subject is Kathy Bloomgarden’s, "Trust: The Secret Weapon of Effective Business Leaders" (St Martin’s Press, Feb 2007).

What separates Bloomgarden’s book from the others is that it seems to be in touch with the real world of business. She conducted interviews with dozens of top business leaders, but also weaves in a number of anecdotes and practical situations that illustrate her points exceptionally well. Further, this book relates the importance of trust to overall strategic management that is tied in with strongly-held values.

Trust is one of the six core competencies of leadership capital in the Ideal Leadership Model, and research has shown that frighteningly few business leaders truly understand that trust is the absolutely essential element in all interpersonal interactions. Warren Bennis probably said it best when he wrote that “the accumulation of trust is a measure of the legitimacy of leadership.” For those who need to grow in this area, Bloomgarden’s book is a good place to go for help.