--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Above all, success in business requires…" description: "\"“Above all, success in business requires two things: a winning competitive strategy, and superb organizational execution. Distrust is the enemy of both..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f1d/stephen-m-r-covey-33678_business_above-all-success-in-business-requires-t_2010635.jpg" --- # Above all, success in business requires two things: a… ![“Above all, success in business requires two things: a winning competitive strategy, and superb organizational execution. Distrust is the enemy of both. I submit that while high trust won't necessarily rescue a poor strategy, low trust will almost always derail a good one.” quote by Stephen M.R. Covey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f1d/stephen-m-r-covey-33678_business_above-all-success-in-business-requires-t_2010635.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f1d/stephen-m-r-covey-33678_business_above-all-success-in-business-requires-t_2010635.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f1d/stephen-m-r-covey-33678_business_above-all-success-in-business-requires-t_2010635.jpg) > ““Above all, success in business requires two things: a winning competitive strategy, and superb organizational execution. Distrust is the enemy of both. I submit that while high trust won't necessarily rescue a poor strategy, low trust will almost always derail a good one. ”” [Stephen M.R. Covey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-m-r-covey/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Success needs a strong strategy and flawless execution; trust is essential, as low trust can ruin even good plans. **In simple terms:** Strategy and execution succeed with trust; lack of trust can ruin them. Key Takeaway Build and maintain high trust in teams. Themes trust strategy execution leadership business Mood cautious optimistic Type advisory strategic When to use this quote - project management - startup growth - corporate mergers - leadership training - performance reviews Key Concepts organizational behavior risk management team dynamics Questions to Reflect On - How can trust be measured? - What actions build trust in an organization? A Different Perspective High trust alone cannot fix a bad strategy. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) [Competitive Strategy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/competitive-strategy-3587817/) [Distrust Enemy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/distrust-enemy-3587818/) [High Trust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/high-trust-795416/) [Strategy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strategy/) [Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/) [Success In Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success-in-business-2/) [Trust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trust/) ## Related quotes > [Disruptive innovation is competitive strategy for an age seized by terror.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-lepore/disruptive-innovation-is-competitive-strategy-for-an-age-seized-by/) [Jill Lepore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-lepore/) > [Competitive strategy is about being different. It means deliberately choosing a different set of activities to deliver a unique mix of value.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-porter/competitive-strategy-is-about-being-different-it-means-deliberately/) [Michael Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-porter/) > [“Information is a significant component of most organizations’ competitive strategy either by the direct collection, management, and interpretation of business information or the retention…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-iia-research-foundation/information-is-a-significant-component-of-most-organizations/) [The IIA Research Foundation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-iia-research-foundation/) > [Every time I see high-trust cultures, I see a lessening of adversarialism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-covey/every-time-i-see-high-trust-cultures-i-see-a-lessening-of/) [Stephen Covey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-covey/) > [When trust is high, the dividend you receive is like a performance multiplier, elevating and improving every dimension of your organization and your life……](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-covey/when-trust-is-high-the-dividend-you-receive-is-like-a-performance/) [Stephen Covey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-covey/) > [With high trust, success comes faster, better, and at lower cost.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-neeleman/with-high-trust-success-comes-faster-better-and-at-lower-cost/) [David Neeleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-neeleman/) > [“Jonathan Haidt, a social psychologist at the NYU Stern School of Business, made the case for why in an essay in The American Interest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-l-friedman/jonathan-haidt-a-social-psychologist-at-the-nyu-stern-school-of/) [Thomas L. 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Put others frst in all you do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/varsha-sharma/the-secret-to-success-in-business-and-in-life-is-to-serve-others-put/) [Varsha Sharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/varsha-sharma/) > [Success in business hinges mostly on the ability to get the important things done.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-feather/success-in-business-hinges-mostly-on-the-ability-to-get-the-important/) [William Feather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-feather/) > [No man is a success in business unless he loves his work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/florence-scovel-shinn/no-man-is-a-success-in-business-unless-he-loves-his-work/) [Florence Scovel Shinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florence-scovel-shinn/) ## More by Stephen M.R. Covey > [“If we can't trust ourselves, we'll have a hard time trusting others.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-m-r-covey/if-we-can-t-trust-ourselves-we-ll-have-a-hard-time-trusting-others/) [Stephen M.R. Covey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-m-r-covey/) > [“It’s been my experience that the people who gain trust, loyalty, excitement, and energy fast are the ones who pass on the credit to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-m-r-covey/it-s-been-my-experience-that-the-people-who-gain-trust-loyalty/) [Stephen M.R. Covey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-m-r-covey/) > [“we judge ourselves by our intentions and others by their behavior. This is why, as we’ll discuss later, one of the fastest ways to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-m-r-covey/we-judge-ourselves-by-our-intentions-and-others-by-their-behavior/) [Stephen M.R. Covey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-m-r-covey/) > [“The best time to plant a tree is twenty years ago. The second best time is today.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-m-r-covey/the-best-time-to-plant-a-tree-is-twenty-years-ago-the-second-best/) [Stephen M.R. 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Covey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-m-r-covey/) > [“The success of big business and the well-being of the world have never been more closely linked. Global issues cannot be removed from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-m-r-covey/the-success-of-big-business-and-the-well-being-of-the-world-have/) [Stephen M.R. Covey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-m-r-covey/) > [“The ability to establish, grow, extend, and restore trust with all stakeholders—customers, business partners, investors, and coworkers—is the key leadership competency of the new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-m-r-covey/the-ability-to-establish-grow-extend-and-restore-trust-with-all/) [Stephen M.R. Covey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-m-r-covey/) > [ “(S × E)T = R (\[Strategy times Execution\] multiplied by Trust equals Results)” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-m-r-covey/s-e-t-r-strategy-times-execution-multiplied-by-trust-equals-results/) [Stephen M.R. Covey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-m-r-covey/) > [“Trust, but verify. —RONALD REAGAN”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-m-r-covey/trust-but-verify-ronald-reagan/) [Stephen M.R. Covey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-m-r-covey/) > [“We judge ourselves by our intentions and others by their behaviour.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-m-r-covey/we-judge-ourselves-by-our-intentions-and-others-by-their-behaviour/) [Stephen M.R. Covey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-m-r-covey/) > [“A humble person is more concerned about what is right than about being right, about acting on good ideas than having the ideas, about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-m-r-covey/a-humble-person-is-more-concerned-about-what-is-right-than-about/) [Stephen M.R. Covey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-m-r-covey/) [Explore all 14 Stephen M.R. Covey quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-m-r-covey/) ## More Business quotes > [Companies with cultures that celebrate diverse opinions and encourage the exchange of ideas have an advantage when solving difficult problems. 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It's like whatever I do business wise, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/snoop-dogg/i-m-a-business-first-and-foremost-so-whatever-my-business-is-it-s/) [Snoop Dogg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/snoop-dogg/) > [Many early-stage entrepreneurs make one simple mistake: Describing this 'big picture' in vague concepts and words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunil-nagaraj/many-early-stage-entrepreneurs-make-one-simple-mistake-describing/) [Sunil Nagaraj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunil-nagaraj/) > [Nobody has a crystal ball, and part of evolving a business plan is to say, 'I might have said we're going left, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-kavanaugh/nobody-has-a-crystal-ball-and-part-of-evolving-a-business-plan-is-to/) [Ryan Kavanaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-kavanaugh/) > [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. 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