Biography

Stephen M. R. Covey is co-founder of CoveyLink and of the FranklinCovey Global Speed of Trust Practice. A sought-after and compelling keynote speaker and advisor on trust, leadership, ethics, and high performance, he speaks to audiences around the world. He is the New York Times and #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling author of The Speed of Trust, and coauthor of the #1 Amazon bestseller Smart Trust. He advocates that nothing is as fast as the speed of trust and that the ability to establish, grow, extend, and restore trust with all stakeholders is the critical leadership competency of the new global economy. Stephen passionately delivers that message and is skilled in enabling leaders and organizations to experience the dividends of high trust. Audiences and organizations alike resonate with his insightful, relevant approach to real-time issues that affect their immediate and long-term performance.

He is the former CEO of Covey Leadership Center, which, under his stewardship, became the largest leadership development company in the world. Stephen, with Greg Link, led the strategy that propelled his father’s book, Dr. Stephen R. Covey’s The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, to become one of the two most influential business books of the 20th Century, according to CEO Magazine. A Harvard MBA, he joined Covey Leadership Center as a Client Developer and later became National Sales Manager and then President and CEO. Under Stephen’s direction, the company grew rapidly and profitably, achieving Inc. 500 status. As President and CEO, he nearly doubled revenues to over $110 million while increasing profits by 12 times. During that period, both customer and employee trust reached new highs and the company expanded throughout the world into over 40 countries, which greatly increased the value of the brand and company. The company was valued at only $2.4 million when Stephen was named CEO, and, within three years, he grew shareholder value to $160 million in a merger he orchestrated with then Franklin Quest to form FranklinCovey.

Over the years, Stephen has gained considerable respect and influence with executives and leaders of Fortune 500 companies as well as with mid- and small-sized private sector and public sector organizations he’s consulted. Clients recognize his unique perspective on real-world organizational issues based on his practical experience as a former CEO.

Stephen currently serves on the board/advisory board of several entities and is a Top Thought Leaders in Trust Lifetime Achievement Honoree from Trust Across America-Trust Around the World. Stephen resides with his wife and children in the shadows of the Rocky Mountains.

Read More

Videos

What If You Could See Trust?

Innovating at the Speed of Trust

Collaborating at the Speed of Trust

A New Way to Lead Command & Control vs Trust & Inspire

Request Availability

Speech TopicsExpand each topic to learn more

Business at the Speed of Trust

This speaker tailors this topic for each event. Please let us know if you'd like us to source a topic description.

Leading at the Speed of Trust

This speaker tailors this topic for each event. Please let us know if you'd like us to source a topic description.

Teambuilding at the Speed of Trust

This speaker tailors this topic for each event. Please let us know if you'd like us to source a topic description.

13 Behaviors of High Trust Leaders

This speaker tailors this topic for each event. Please let us know if you'd like us to source a topic description.

Beyond Compliance: An Inside Out Approach to High Trust Leadership

This speaker tailors this topic for each event. Please let us know if you'd like us to source a topic description.

Booksby Stephen M. R. Covey

The Speed of Trust: The One Thing That Changes Everything

For Meeting Planners

Blog Posts

How Seth Godin Transforms Publishing for Books—and What Event Pros Can Learn From It

Marketing provocateur Seth Godin reveals his approach of chapters in his books and how event planners can revolutionize content creation using his riff format.

Read More

The Mindset Shift That Transforms Adrenaline Into Leadership Fuel With Theresa Payton

Transform rejection into resilience with proven mindset strategies from the first female White House CIO Theresa Payton.

Read More

Olympic Champion Apolo Ohno’s Blueprint for Success

This week, we had a top keynote speaker, Apolo Ohno, as a guest on The Keynote Curators podcast, where he shared the performance principles that carried him through eight Olympic medals and now guide his success in business and speaking.

Read More

Crisis Management Lessons From 9/11: Why Top Event Leaders Prepare Before the Alarm Sounds

Crisis management begins before alarms sound. Learn how 9/11 lessons translate to event leadership and prevent disasters.

Read More

Four Health Pillars That Transform Business Performance

Learn the four health pillars Olympic champion Apolo Ohno uses to maintain peak performance in business and life when perfection isn't possible.

Read More

Strategic Thinking: Dorie Clark’s Blueprint for The Long Game

Dorie Clark was recently a guest on The Keynote Curators podcast, where she unpacked her revolutionary approach to strategic thinking and long-term success planning

Read More

Related Leadership Speakers

Contact Us Today

  • Fill out the form so we can best understand your needs.
    A representative from The Keynote Curators will reach out to you.

  • MM slash DD slash YYYY
  • This field is hidden when viewing the form
  • This field is hidden when viewing the form
  • This field is hidden when viewing the form
  • This field is hidden when viewing the form
  • This field is hidden when viewing the form
  • This field is hidden when viewing the form
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.