Stephen R. Covey

Paradigm comes from the Greek root, paradigma. It basically means a pattern, a model, a representation, something that stands for something else.

In many organizations I've worked in or with, I've seen examples of servant leaders who have really made a difference.

I once had an experience that for me was a simulation of servant leadership. I was working with the Oregon Air National Guard and was scheduled to go up in an F-15.

The adage that "you can't put new wine in old bottles" still holds true, as evidenced by attempts to profit senior executives with new leadership styles.

The key to a total quality company is a total quality person who knows how to program and use a compass. I've always liked the expression, "If it's going to be, it's up to me."

When I talk of the "stream," I mean the external forces and the powerful, deep currents that influence all we do in business. Changes in technology have totally revolutionized our world.

When managing in the wilderness of the changing times, a map is of limited worth. What's needed is a moral compass.

With the humility that comes from being principle-centered, we can better learn from the past, have hope for the future, and act with confidence, not arrogance, in the present.

Enhancing these endowments requires us to nurture and exercise them continuously. Sharpening the saw once a week or once a month just isn't enough.

As human beings, we have four unique endowments: self-awareness, conscience, independent will, and creative imagination.

Yes, we may control our actions, but not the consequences of our actions. Those are controlled by principles, by natural laws.

Real character development begins with the humble recognition that we are not in charge, that principles ultimately govern.

Once I was at the Canadian border, and I went into this store where there was a "half-price sale" going on. I started looking at a leather coat marked 50 percent off.

A manager of a remote service station trained his new attendants how to make higher-margin revenue from customers who drove into the station by teaching the attendants how to find problems.

One time I told this story in a speech. After my speech, an executive vice president of a large bank came up to me and said, "I've had a similar experience.

Once I was a faculty member at a university in Hawaii. I was very upset about our housing situation, and so I went directly to the president, since he worked with me on my visiting professorship.

Being loyal to those who are absent and assuming good faith of others are keys to building trust in a culture. The ultimate test of principle-centered leadership is to be loyal to the absent.

Executives create openness and trust with all internal and external stakeholders by entering into strategic partnerships with employees, suppliers, owners, shareholders, distributors, and customers.