Stephen M.R. Covey’s latest book, “Trust & Inspire: How Truly Great Leaders Unleash Greatness in Others,” proposes a new model of leadership that focuses on trust and inspiration instead of traditional “command and control” methods.
Covey explains how this approach aligns with modern sensibilities and fulfills the pressing need for effective corporate management. The book explores how leaders can inspire and unleash the greatness in others rather than using a “carrot-and-stick” motivation approach. Covey shares five key insights in the book that can help leaders adopt this new model of leadership.
The book provides a new leadership model that focuses on building trust and inspiring greatness in others. The book explores the benefits of this model, the drawbacks of traditional “command and control” leadership methods, and provides practical advice for leaders looking to adopt this new model.
The fundamental beliefs of a trust & inspire leader
Command-and-control leaders have a narrow, restrictive view of people and of leadership. Their beliefs about others are limited, deficient, and outdated—relying instead upon labels—and their actions usually match those beliefs.
By contrast, Trust & Inspire leaders have an expansive view of people and of leadership. Their beliefs are rooted in enduring principles of human effectiveness, and their actions match those beliefs. Their behavior flows from a deep well of beliefs that are part of who they are as a person.
#3rd Stewardship: Inspiring, or ‘Connecting to Why’
Nike: Athletic apparel
To bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world.
If you have a body, you are an athlete.
Starbucks: Coffee shop retail chain
To inspire and nurture the human spirit—one person, one cup, and one neighborhood at a time.
Disney: Media and entertainment
Creating happiness through magical experiences.
Connecting to purpose, connecting to why it matters! The potential for meaning is there all along; people just have to see it and then connect to it. Once they do, inspiration follows.
The fundamental beliefs contd.
Each of us can become a Trust and Inspire leader by understanding and acting on the following fundamental beliefs:
- People have greatness inside them… So my job as a leader is to unleash their potential, not control them.
- People are whole people, so my job as a leader is to inspire, not merely motivate.
- There is enough for everyone… So my job as a leader is to elevate caring above competing.
- Leadership is stewardship, so my job as a leader is to put service above self-interest.
- Enduring influence is created from the inside out. So my job as a leader is to go first.
#1st Stewardship: Modeling, or ‘Who You Are’
To become a Trust & Inspire leader, you must continually self-evaluate and work on yourself. You can’t fake being something you’re not. Focus on improving your character and competence, not just your skills or tactics. You can start working on these behavioral virtues today. You can choose to model humility and courage, authenticity and vulnerability, empathy, and performance.
The 3 Stewardships of a Trust & Inspire Leader
The fundamental beliefs of a Trust & Inspire leader are based on timeless and powerful principles. As with all principles, these beliefs are not surprising. In fact, you’ll likely find that many of them you agree with, or at least hope for. What makes these beliefs powerful is that Trust & Inspire leaders don’t simply agree with them intellectually—they consistently live them.
A fundamental belief of a Trust and Inspire leader is that leadership is stewardship. Put another way, leaders are stewards. Stewardship is a responsibility that implies the highest level of trust, or being entrusted. When we have a stewardship mindset, we have been given a job to do and have been entrusted to see it through.
#2nd Stewardship: Trusting, or ‘How You Lead’
Trusting starts with the belief that there’s greatness inside each person and that our job as a leader is to unleash that potential. Trusting also acknowledges that the power is in the seed, not in the gardener.
As with a seed, we don’t create the potential; we merely nurture what is already there by creating the right conditions for the seed to flourish.
Trust creates the right conditions. Trust ignites people by waking them up and inspiring them to be better than before. It helps the team, the organization, and the family. How much more willing will children be to help with chores if they help design how chores are shared? Giving trust to people, even children, gives them the opportunity to grow while resulting in better ideas and outcomes than you could have produced on your own.
The new way to lead in a new world
As the walls that separate our public, private, and inner lives are becoming increasingly thin, the premium on how we lead cannot be overstated. While leadership is a choice, the reality is that all of us are being called on to lead, regardless of whether we seek leadership. We lead at work, we lead at home, we lead in our communities, and we lead ourselves.
Becoming a Trust & Inspire leader is first about becoming a Trust & Inspire person. That’s applying the inside-out process to ourselves. We begin by recognizing there is greatness in people—including in ourselves—and that people surround us in every dimension and aspect of our lives.
The 3 Stewardships contd.
The three stewardships of a Trust and Inspire leader are:
- Modeling—Who You Are
- Trusting—How You Lead
- Inspiring—Connect to Why
Many leaders are one-dimensional. They might do well on one of these stewardships but fall short on the others. Many good leaders are two-dimensional. They offer a more complete style or picture, but one that is nonetheless incomplete. People are looking for leaders who embody all three stewardships: leaders who model, leaders who trust, and leaders who inspire.
Children have never been very good at listening to their elders, but they have never failed to imitate them.
