Stephen M R Covey

Stephen M R Covey's Biography

Stephen M. R. Covey is a cofounder of CoveyLink and the FranklinCovey Global Speed of Trust Practice. A sought-after and compelling keynote speaker and adviser on trust, leadership, ethics, sales, and high performance, he speaks to audiences around the world. He is the New York Times and number one Wall Street Journal best-selling author of The Speed of Trust, a groundbreaking, paradigm-shifting book that challenges our age-old assumption that trust is merely a soft, social virtue and instead demonstrates that it is a hard-edged economic driver—a learnable, measurable skill that makes organizations more profitable, people more promotable, and relationships more energizing.

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. Covey 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. Covey, 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 be one of the two most influential business books of the twentieth 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 Covey’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 twelvefold. During that period, both customer and employee trust reached new highs and the company expanded throughout the world into more than 40 countries. This greatly increased the value of the brand and company. The company was valued at only $2.4 million when Covey was named CEO, and, within three years, he grew shareholder value to $160 million in a merger he orchestrated with Franklin Quest to form FranklinCovey.

Over the years, Covey 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 has consulted with. Clients recognize his unique perspective on real-world organizational issues based on his practical experience as a former CEO.



Covey currently serves on the board or advisory board of several entities. He resides with his wife and children in the shadows of the Rocky Mountains.

The Speed of Trust is fast becoming the most requested keynote topics of the decade. Already with nearly one million books in print in 22 languages, The Speed of Trust is one of the bestselling books on trust in history.
Whether you require a speaker for a chief executive team session, an industry/association conference or your next annual meeting The Speed of Trust is a compelling and captivating choice you can make with confidence.

Stephen M R Covey and Greg Link have delighted audiences of all types in over 30 countries. They are the leading global authorities on transforming teams and organizations and installing trust as a strategic performance multiplier lowering costs and increasing profits.

We believe that substance trumps superficial style. The Speed of Trust is both engaging and immediately applicable to your most significant relationships at home and at work. Audience and executive reactions alike are consistent—best program yet.

We are successful executives and businesspeople that speak. NOT speakers and theorists who pretend to know business issues.