Stephen M. R. Covey: Trust & Inspire

Stephen M. R. Covey is a New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestselling author and former CEO of Covey Leadership Center. He led the strategy that propelled his father’s book, Dr. Stephen R. Covey’s The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, to become one of the two most influential business books of the 20th Century, according to CEO Magazine. He’s the author The Speed of Trust and more recently Trust & Inspire: How Truly Great Leaders Unleash Greatness in Others*.

Despite everything we know about good leadership, a lot of places still operate in a command and control mindset. In this conversation, Stephen and I explore the key ways to shift from command and control to trust and inspire.

Key Points

• In spite of all progress, most leaders today are still operating from a command and control mindset.


• The carrot and stick approach still dominates most organizational cultures and tactics.


• The biggest barrier to becoming a Trust & Inspire leader is when we think we already are one.


• People are whole people. The best leaders care for the body, heart, mind, and spirit.


• There is enough for everyone. Trust & Inspire leaders elevate caring above competition.


• Enduring influence is created from the inside out. The job of the leader is to go first.


• All people have greatness inside them. Trust & Inspire leaders work to unleash potential, not control it.

Resources Mentioned

• Trust & Inspire: How Truly Great Leaders Unleash Greatness in Others* by Stephen M. R. Covey

Interview Notes

Download my interview notes in PDF format (free membership required).

Related Episodes

• How to Build Psychological Safety, with Amy Edmondson (episode 404)


• Leadership Means You Go First, with Keith Ferrazzi (episode 488)


• The Starting Point for Repairing Trust, with Henry Cloud (episode 626)

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