By Mindy Farry, BCHF School Improvement and Accountability Representative
When I saw Stephen Covey’s book, Trust and Inspire at a little local bookstore I love in New York City, I couldn’t resist. In this book, he makes a strong case for making a systemic shift in leadership styles. He stresses that the world has changed, but that in most cases, leadership has not. The antiquated model of “command and control,” which focuses on compliance and supervision does not fit with today’s workplace. Younger generations are more purpose-driven and collaborative and expect a leadership style to match. Covey advocates for a “Trust and Inspire” model which is authentic, trustworthy, and inspires commitment.
To be honest, no generation wants to be “managed,” and especially not “micromanaged.” Leaders who develop trust and inspiration make people feel valued, empowered, and motivated to go above and beyond mere compliance.
This vision aligns with Amy Edmondson’s (2019) research on psychological safety, which shows that when employers develop trust and a willingness to listen, employees feel safe to take risks, without fear of consequences. Workplaces that lack psychological safety often tamp down creative thoughts—exactly what Covey warns against when leaders return to command and control.
Similarly, Simon Sinek’s (2011) work on leadership underscores the importance of purpose-driven inspiration. Sinek says we are not motivated by what a company/school does, but by why it exists. Covey’s Trust and Inspire model parallels this idea, calling on leaders to connect people’s daily work to a larger sense of meaning.
I especially connected to the chapters in the book highlighting the five barriers to becoming this kind of leader. Overriding all these barriers is the mindset that says, “Oh, I am already this kind of leader!” This thinking leads to believing that the problems are outside of us and everyone else is the problem.
Barrier #1: “This won’t work here.” There is always an excuse… “But you don’t know my school.” “My boss wouldn’t go for this.” The solution is to start with oneself. Model the expectations and work on the systems. Instead of “This can’t work here!” strive for “How could this work here?”
Barrier #2: “Fear of the What if…?” What if it doesn’t work? What if I lose control? The solutions are to maximize the possibilities and to walk away from formulas that haven’t worked in the past. We tell our students not to fear mistakes. We should take that same advice.
Barrier #3: “I don’t know how to let go.” This is difficult, especially if you have let go in the past and someone let you down or didn’t do it the way you would have done it. Trust and Inspire leaders must model the trust to delegate and then help lead and mentor those we’ve trusted.
Barrier #4: “I’m the smartest one in the room.” Trust and Inspire leaders are multipliers. They understand that the solutions to any problem are so much clearer when shared leadership is involved…when all opinions matter. “The person sitting at the apex of the intelligence hierarchy is the genius maker, not the genius.” -Liz Wiseman in Multipliers
Barrier #5: “This is who I am.” We’ve heard all of these: “I can’t change who I am.” “It is what it is.” This barrier leads to stagnation and top-down leadership. The organization’s power is scripted and unable to move forward.
Awareness of the barriers allows us to consciously choose to adopt new behaviors to move from managing people to engaging them in the process. The world is rapidly changing, and the ability to uncover the talents in our schools is more important than the processes we are holding onto. Our schools can become places where all persons thrive: students, teachers, leaders.
References
Covey, S. M. R. (2022). Trust and inspire: How truly great leaders unleash greatness in others. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster.
Edmondson, A. C. (2019). The fearless organization: Creating psychological safety in the workplace for learning, innovation, and growth. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
Sinek, S. (2011). Start with why: How great leaders inspire everyone to take action. New York, NY: Portfolio/Penguin.
Wiseman, L., & McKeown, G. (2010). Multipliers: How the best leaders make everyone smarter. Harper Business.