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

Covey establishes modeling as the “first stewardship” of Trust & Inspire leadership, arguing that authentic leadership influence emerges from who leaders are rather than what they say or do. The chapter opens with an anecdote about a CEO who voluntarily submitted himself to an anonymous company-wide vote of confidence after one year in his role, receiving an extraordinary 97% approval rating. This example illustrates Covey’s central thesis: that genuine leadership authority stems from credibility and moral authority, not formal position.

Covey distinguishes between the two types of authority that effective modeling requires. First, credibility combines both character and competence; leaders need moral integrity and the ability to deliver results. Second, moral authority differs from formal authority in that it must be earned through consistent behavior and cannot be granted through title or position alone.

The chapter identifies three specific virtue pairs that Trust & Inspire leaders must model: humility and courage, authenticity and vulnerability, and empathy and performance. Covey argues that these pairs work in dynamic tension: Each virtue balances and strengthens the other. For humility and courage, the author notes that leaders high in humility but low in courage often avoid difficult conversations, while those high in courage but low in humility may speak without adding value. The emphasis on vulnerability aligns with contemporary research by scholars like Brené Brown, author of works including Daring Greatly (2012) and Atlas of the Heart (2021), though Covey’s integration of performance metrics provides a more business-oriented application.

Chapter Lessons

• Both moral integrity and the ability to deliver results are necessary for leadership influence; neither alone is sufficient to inspire others effectively.
• Unlike formal authority that comes with titles, moral authority develops when leaders consistently demonstrate trustworthy actions that align with their stated values.
• Public, private, and inner lives must be congruent for leaders to build sustainable trust and avoid the exhaustion of maintaining different personas.
• Humility balances courage, authenticity enables vulnerability, and empathy enhances performance, creating more effective leadership than any single virtue alone.

Reflection Questions

• Consider a leader who has influenced you positively. Which of the three behavioral virtue pairs (humility and courage, authenticity and vulnerability, empathy and performance) did they demonstrate most consistently, and how did this impact your willingness to follow their leadership?
• Reflecting on your own leadership style, which of your “three lives” (public, private, inner) might be most misaligned, and what specific steps could you take to bring them into greater congruence?

Chapter 6 establishes trusting as the “second stewardship” of Trust & Inspire leadership and distinguishes between “being trustworthy” and actively extending trust to others. Covey argues that while most leaders consider themselves trustworthy, research reveals a significant gap: Leaders rate themselves 277% higher on extending trust than their employees rate them. This exposes a critical leadership disconnect.

The chapter introduces a foundational equation: “Trustworthiness × Trusting = Trust” (130). This framework challenges the traditional Command & Control mindset that views trust as something to be earned, instead positioning trust as something leaders must proactively give.

Implementing trusting requires two critical behaviors: clarifying expectations and practicing accountability. Covey emphasizes that these are not contradictory to trust but essential for “smart” trust. Leaders must establish clear, mutually agreed-upon expectations up front to mitigate risk. Meanwhile, practicing accountability requires leaders to hold themselves accountable first before holding others accountable. This sequence matters significantly; self-accountability models the behavior and creates credibility for holding others accountable.

Covey argues that when leaders extend trust, people rise to perform better, develop new capabilities they didn’t previously possess, and reciprocate trust back to the leader and extend it to others. These outcomes create what he terms a “virtuous upward cycle” of trust and performance (145). Examples range from Zappos’ unscripted customer service approach to KFC’s franchise revitalization under David Novak’s leadership, demonstrating how trust-based approaches consistently outperform control-based alternatives.

Covey’s arguments in this chapter draw significantly on his own prior work—most notably, his 2006 book The Speed of Trust, which introduced his concept of “smart trust.” However, where The Speed of Trust offers a more comprehensive overview of trust in various relationships and situations, Trust & Inspire pulls back to situate Covey’s ideas about trust within a broader leadership paradigm.

Chapter Lessons

• Most leaders significantly overestimate how much trust they extend to others, creating a disconnect between their self-perception and their employees’ experience.
• Being trustworthy alone is insufficient for effective leadership; leaders must actively and skillfully extend trust to others through clear expectations and mutual accountability.
• Extending trust to others produces three measurable outcomes—improved performance, capability development, and trust reciprocation—creating sustainable organizational improvement.
• Effectively extending trust requires upfront clarity about expectations and mutually agreed-upon accountability processes.

Reflection Questions

• Think about leaders who have extended meaningful trust to you in your career or personal life. How did receiving that trust change your behavior, motivation, or performance compared to situations where you felt micromanaged or doubted?
• Consider your current leadership style or influence with others (colleagues, family members, team members, etc.). Where might you be unknowingly withholding trust due to your own discomfort with risk, and what specific steps could you take to extend more strategic trust while maintaining appropriate expectations?

Chapter 7 establishes inspiration as the “third stewardship” of Trust & Inspire leadership, arguing that leaders must move beyond traditional motivation to genuinely inspire others through authentic connection. Covey contends that inspiration operates through two primary mechanisms: connecting with people and connecting to purpose.

The chapter begins by distinguishing inspiration from charisma, asserting that anyone can become inspiring regardless of natural charm or exceptional abilities. This democratization of inspirational leadership represents a significant departure from charismatic authority models described by sociologist Max Weber, making the concept more broadly accessible.

Covey structures his approach around three levels of connection: connection to oneself, connection through relationships, and connection to a team. At the self level, leaders must discover their own “why” through authentic self-reflection before they can help others find meaning. This mirrors Simon Sinek’s Start With Why framework but extends it into practical application. At the relationship level, leaders demonstrate caring through empathy and compassion, moving beyond transactional interactions to genuine concern for others’ well-being. The team level focuses on creating belonging and inclusion, transforming groups into cohesive units united by shared purpose.

The chapter’s emphasis on purpose over traditional mission statements reflects contemporary workplace trends toward meaning-driven employment. Covey argues that while mission, vision, and values statements serve organizational functions, they often remain superficial unless connected to deeper purpose, meaning, and contribution.

Covey’s discussion of moving from “success to significance” aligns with Abraham Maslow’s later amendments to his hierarchy of needs (164), where self-transcendence replaced self-actualization as the highest human motivation. This psychological framework validates the chapter’s central premise that people require meaning and contribution, not merely achievement or accumulation.

Chapter Lessons

• Inspiration differs fundamentally from charisma; anyone can learn to inspire others through authentic connection and genuine care, even without exceptional personality traits or achievements.
• Effective inspiration requires sequential connection at three levels: discovering one’s own authentic purpose, building caring relationships with individuals, and fostering team belonging.
• People across all generations seek significance over mere success, wanting their work to contribute to something larger than themselves rather than simply provide financial security or status.
• Organizations can embed purpose into virtually any role by helping individuals understand how their specific contributions connect to broader meaningful outcomes, transforming routine work into significant service.

Reflection Questions

• How clearly can you articulate your own “why” or personal purpose, and in what ways might this clarity (or lack thereof) affect your ability to inspire others in your current role or relationships?
• When considering the three levels of connection Covey describes—self, relationships, and team—which level presents the greatest challenge, and what specific steps could help strengthen that connection in order for you to become more inspiring to others?

Covey presents “stewardship agreements” as a practical tool that resolves the false dichotomy many leaders face between completing tasks and building relationships. Rather than treating these as competing priorities, Trust & Inspire leaders recognize that their method of achieving results determines both task outcomes and relationship quality. When leaders view themselves as stewards rather than owners, they approach their roles with greater responsibility and commitment while fostering similar qualities in others. This perspective flows from what Covey calls an “abundance mentality”—the belief that people possess inherent greatness and that there are sufficient opportunities for everyone to succeed.

The five elements of effective stewardship agreements provide a structured framework: desired results (what outcomes are sought), guidelines (operating boundaries and principles), resources (available support and tools), accountability (evaluation methods and check-in processes), and consequences (positive and negative outcomes). This systematic approach transforms traditional top-down management into horizontal partnerships, shifting from external evaluation to self-assessment and from micromanagement to self-governance. 

Covey illustrates stewardship agreements by recalling his father’s “green and clean” example from the Introduction, in which seven-year-old Stephen was given responsibility for yard care with clear expectations (to keep the lawn “green and clean”), guidelines (use any method except “painting the grass” [187]), available resources (his father’s help when available), accountability measures (his father would check in with weekly walks around the yard), and natural consequences (pride, skill development, increased responsibility). This simple framework demonstrates how stewardship agreements can work across various contexts, from parent-child relationships to complex organizational structures.

This approach proves particularly relevant in 21st-century work environments. The chapter addresses the dramatic shift to remote work following COVID-19, when traditional oversight methods became impractical. While many organizations responded with surveillance technologies—essentially attempting to micromanage from a distance—successful companies adopted approaches aligned with stewardship agreements. This contextual relevance strengthens Covey’s argument, though his focus primarily addresses knowledge work environments rather than operational roles requiring direct supervision.

The chapter acknowledges that stewardship agreements require strong trust relationships as prerequisites yet also suggests that they can help build trust. This apparent contradiction reflects the complex, iterative nature of trust-building in organizations.

Chapter Lessons

• Stewardship agreements resolve the false task-versus-relationship dichotomy by demonstrating that how leaders achieve results simultaneously impacts both outcomes and relationships.
• The five-element framework provides structure for distributed leadership through desired results, guidelines, resources, accountability, and consequences, enabling effective management in remote work environments while fostering self-governance rather than external control.
• Self-accountability produces superior outcomes when built on clear agreements and high trust, as individuals tend to evaluate their own performance more rigorously than external managers, leading to increased commitment and better results.
• A stewardship mindset transforms leadership from ownership to service, encouraging leaders to view themselves as temporary custodians responsible for developing others’ potential rather than controlling their actions.

Reflection Questions

• Consider a current working relationship where you feel torn between completing tasks efficiently and maintaining a positive connection. How might restructuring this dynamic around clear expectations and mutual accountability change both the outcome and the relationship quality?
• Reflect on your comfort level with allowing others to evaluate their own performance against agreed-upon standards. What fears or concerns arise, and how might these reflect your underlying beliefs about human nature and motivation?