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

Covey’s (The SPEED of Trust) latest describes the management practice Trust and Inspire as a new way to lead by unleashing employees’ talent and potential and inspiring them, in a world that’s changing as rapidly as the nature of work and the workplace. Covey writes that in the face of these changes, organizations must create high-trust and empowering cultures for their employees. His book uses case studies to illustrate the success of Trust and Inspire in companies like Microsoft and reminds readers stagnation (or devotion to outdated management styles) can lead to organizational failure; Trust and Inspire is contrasted here with the management practice Command and Control, whose aim is to motivate employees instead of inspiring them. Finally, Covey’s book explains how to break down the obstacles to implementing Trust and Inspire management—among them, pessimism, leadership or employee aversity to change, fear of losing control, and fear of not getting credit. The book includes notes and references pointing to further reading.