Barnes & NobleTrust and Inspire- How Truly Great Leaders Unleash Greatness in Others by Stephen M. R. Covey

A spiritual approach to life that unleashes all

Today’s leadership, as practiced, often includes an approach borrowed from the Industrial Age and popularized by Frederick Winslow Taylor’s “scientific management.” It seeks to have a leader in complete “command and control” of all aspects of production. However, in the postmodern age, interdisciplinary knowledge workers often conduct every step along the way, and any leader does not and cannot know every step of the journey. Coupled with human nature, command and control tactics inhibit productivity often and limit creativity to one mind. Instead, leadership expert Stephen Covey suggests a paradigm of “trust and inspire” take its place. It promises to unleash creative contributions in all a team, not just one authoritarian leader. He illustrates and extrapolates what that spiritual approach looks like in every domain of professional and family life. I first experienced “trust and inspire” leadership techniques at a church while in college 25 years ago. It changed how I approach work and life. I intuitively grasped the approach, but the church never explicitly taught the principles. In independent reading since, I’ve learned how to apply this mindset, popular in contemporary leadership guides, to many elements of my life. Books like this one give me more concrete images to embody this approach to those around me. Covey places “command and control” tactics as a relic of a prior age. I somewhat agree. While Taylor’s “scientific management” broke new ground in his time during the early 20th century, it is not the only source of “command and control.” In many ways, the journey consists of overcoming human nature, not just an older set of habits. Overcoming that type of tactics takes a lifetime of practice. Despite my best intentions, I find myself getting lazy at moments in life by treating people as things to manage. Books like this prod me towards a better way. To Covey, everyone has the opportunity to be a leader, not just those in positions of authority. Even those in highly regulated jobs can influence the attitudes of those around them. For him, “trust and inspire” leadership is a spiritual approach for every individual. Therefore, this book is for the broad audience of the general public. He’s not super-fuzzy as in religious spirituality, but he certainly maintains that this relational approach can benefit each one of us. I certainly have found its benefit in my life and would encourage anyone to explore giving it a go.