How to Create Leaders in Your Organization by Wes Mast

“Nothing creates dependency faster than Command & Control, while nothing drives or lights the fire within like Trust & Inspire.”

— Stephen M. R. Covey, Trust & Inspire

That one sentence captures the heartbeat of this entire leadership shift, outlined in Stephen M. R. Covey's book, Trust & Inspire. I took away a lot of deep insights, as well as confirmation of what I've been learning and writing about in my blog series Lead, Don't Rescue.

If you’ve ever wondered why your team hesitates to take ownership…
If you’ve ever felt stuck in a cycle of hand-holding and heroics…
If you’ve ever sensed that you’re the only one driving the mission forward…

You’re not alone. And it’s not a people problem—it’s a leadership problem.

The Problem with Command & Control (as Covey calls it)

Command & Control leadership is rooted in:

• Position
  
  
• Power
  
  
• Compliance
  
  
• Short-term efficiency
  
  

And yes—it can work. It creates order, fast decisions, and clear direction.

But it also creates:
🚫 Passive people
🚫 Surface-level compliance
🚫 A culture of waiting instead of owning

Why? Because people don’t feel trusted, they feel managed. Nothing kills initiative faster.

Why Trust & Inspire Works

Trust & Inspire leadership does something different.

It says:

• “I believe in you.”
  
• “I see your potential.”
  
• “You’re not just here to do a job—you’re here to grow, lead, and make an impact.”
  
  

It prioritizes:
✅ People and potential
✅Relationship over rigidity
✅ Belief over control
✅ Ownership over obedience

It’s not soft- it’s strong. It requires clarity, accountability, and courage.

The results:

🔥 People take initiative.
🔥 They catch and live the vision, mission, and values of the company.
🔥 They rise to the responsibility they've been entrusted with.

Lead, Don’t Rescue. Trust, Don’t Control.

This is where Lead, Don’t Rescue and Trust & Inspire collide.

When you rescue, you reinforce dependency, but when you trust and develop, you unleash growth.

You stop being the fixer and you become the fire-starter.

Reflection Questions for Leaders

• Am I giving clear direction but holding too tightly to control?
  
  
• Do I create safe space for ownership and even failure?
  
  
• Am I unintentionally creating dependency through micro-management?
  
  
• How can I begin to move from Command & Control to Trust & Inspire today?
  
  

Leadership Challenge

This week, find one situation where you’d normally direct or decide.
Instead, pause and say:

“I trust your judgment. What do you think is the best move here?”

Watch what happens when you light the fire within—rather than smother it with control.

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