Trust & Inspire: How Truly Great Leaders Unleash Greatness in Others

Covey argues that traditional Command & Control leadership has become obsolete in a rapidly changing world. He identifies five emerging forces that have fundamentally altered the landscape of work and leadership: technological disruption creating unprecedented change, the shift toward knowledge-based collaborative work, dispersed and hybrid workplaces, an increasingly diverse and multi-generational workforce, and the explosion of choice in career opportunities.

These forces create what Covey calls two “epic imperatives” that organizations must achieve: building high-trust cultures that attract and retain talent and fostering collaboration and innovation to remain competitive. Traditional carrot-and-stick motivation, rooted in industrial-age thinking, proves insufficient for addressing these imperatives. Covey contrasts this approach with Trust & Inspire leadership, which focuses on unleashing people’s intrinsic potential rather than controlling their behavior through external rewards and punishments.

The author’s framework builds upon decades of motivational theory, particularly author Daniel Pink’s work distinguishing between extrinsic and intrinsic motivation in works like Drive (2009). The emphasis on moving beyond transactional relationships toward transformational ones reflects contemporary organizational psychology’s understanding of employee engagement.

Covey illustrates his points through contrasting examples: Microsoft’s transformation under Satya Nadella, who shifted the company from internal competition to collaborative innovation, and a school principal who energized teachers by demonstrating trust rather than micromanagement. These cases demonstrate that leadership style can dramatically impact organizational culture and performance, independent of other structural factors.

Similarly, the chapter’s treatment of leadership as choice rather than position broadens the book’s applicability beyond formal management roles. Covey gives the examples of Gandhi, Malala Yousafzai, and Colombian activist Pedro Medina to illustrate how individuals can act as leaders and create significant change without an official title.

Chapter Lessons

• Five emerging forces demand new leadership approaches: Technological disruption, knowledge-based work, dispersed workplaces, workforce diversity, and expanded choice have made traditional Command & Control methods increasingly ineffective for modern organizations.
• Intrinsic motivation surpasses extrinsic control. Moving beyond carrot-and-stick approaches to tap into people’s inherent drive for autonomy, mastery, and purpose creates more sustainable engagement and innovation than external rewards and punishments.
• Leaders must demonstrate humility, authenticity, and a growth mindset to shift organizational culture from competition and control toward collaboration and empowerment.
• Formal titles and positions are not prerequisites for creating meaningful change; individuals can exercise Trust & Inspire principles within their circles of influence regardless of their role.

Reflection Questions

• When you think about the leaders who have influenced you most positively, what specific behaviors did they demonstrate that made you feel trusted and inspired rather than simply managed or motivated?
• In what areas of your life—whether professional, personal, or community-based—might you currently be relying too heavily on external motivation rather than connecting with others’ intrinsic drives and potential?

Covey argues that Command & Control leadership has become fundamentally obsolete in today’s workplace. Drawing from historian Arnold Toynbee’s observations about civilizations, Covey contends that organizations often respond to new challenges with outdated solutions that once worked but are no longer relevant.

The Blockbuster case study exemplifies this pattern. At its 2000 peak, Blockbuster operated 9,000 stores with 84,000 employees and $6 billion in revenue, serving 65 million customers worldwide. However, when Netflix introduced mail-order DVDs and then streaming services, Blockbuster remained anchored to its brick-and-mortar model and late fees system. The company’s protective stance prevented adaptation to technological shifts, ultimately reducing it to a single remaining store while Netflix dominated the streaming revolution.

Covey presents two imperatives driving the need for Trust & Inspire leadership. First, organizations must win in the workplace by creating high-trust cultures that attract and retain talent. The second imperative involves winning in the marketplace through collaboration and innovation. Covey argues that Command & Control stifles these essential capabilities because fear prevents risk-taking and genuine collaboration. People under such systems coordinate rather than truly collaborate, withholding creative contributions due to concerns about failure or betrayal. In contrast, Trust & Inspire environments foster what innovation expert Robert Porter Lynch describes as a “collision of differences in an environment of trust” (48), enabling breakthrough thinking and calculated risk-taking.

Covey acknowledges that while management thinking has evolved since the industrial age—progressing through human relations movements, quality initiatives, and emotional intelligence—these represent changes in degree rather than kind. Most organizations remain rooted in Command & Control paradigms, with research showing that only 8% of studied organizations practice self-governance (Trust & Inspire), while 92% operate under various forms of Command & Control.

Covey explains that the persistence of outdated leadership styles stems from three primary factors. First, people remain unconsciously immersed in industrial-age language, systems, and practices derived from military terminology. Second, intellectual understanding of better leadership principles doesn’t automatically translate into behavioral change. Third, inaccurate paradigms can persist indefinitely—similar to how bloodletting remained common medical practice for over 3,000 years despite contrary evidence—because social, economic, and intellectual pressures maintain established approaches.

Covey’s analysis reflects broader organizational behavior literature, particularly Clayton Christensen’s work on disruptive innovation and why established companies struggle to adapt, the subject of his 1997 work, The Innovator’s Dilemma. The timing of Covey’s work proves particularly relevant as organizations grapple with remote work challenges, talent shortages, and rapid technological change—conditions that demand the flexibility and employee engagement that Trust & Inspire leadership promises to deliver.

Chapter Lessons

• Previously effective strategies may hinder adaptation to new challenges, requiring leaders to abandon what once worked in favor of approaches suited to current realities.
• Fear-based leadership prevents the risk-taking, collaboration, and innovation necessary for organizational success in dynamic markets.
• Moving from Command & Control to Trust & Inspire demands fundamental changes in thinking, not merely incremental improvements to existing management practices.
• Organizations that genuinely trust and inspire employees achieve superior performance, retention, and market responsiveness compared to those relying on traditional control mechanisms.

Reflection Questions

• Consider your current workplace or a previous organization. What specific policies, systems, or practices reflect Command & Control thinking, and how might they be limiting performance or employee engagement?
• When facing high-stress situations or tight deadlines, do you tend to revert to more controlling behaviors—even if you believe in collaborative approaches? What triggers this shift, and how might you maintain Trust & Inspire principles during challenging times?