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Stephen M. R. Covey Quotes

Increase Your Results by Expecting to Win.

    “In our own lives, having a mindset of expecting to win increases our odds of winning.  It helps us get better results.  And better results help us increase our credibility and self-confidence, which leads to more positive self-expectancy, and more winning – and the upward cycle continues.  It becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.  As Harvard Business School professor and writer Rosabeth Moss Kanter has observed, ‘Confidence consists of positive expectations for favorable outcomes… winning begets winning, because it produces confidence at four levels.’  The first of those levels, she says, is ‘self-confidence: an emotional climate of high expectations.’  The second level is ‘confidence in one another.’  So if you want to increase your results, expect to win – not only for yourself, but also for your team.  Not at all costs, but honorably.  Not at the expense of others, but in conjunction with others.  Expecting to win – and expecting others to win – is a fundamental approach of helping to bring it about.” ~ Stephen M. R. Covey, The Speed of Trust

      “I know it is possible not only to restore trust but to actually enhance it. The difficult things that we go through with the important people in our lives can become fertile ground for the growth of enduring trust – trust that is actually stronger because it’s been tested and proved through challenge.” ~ Stephen M. R. Covey, The Speed of Trust

        “In my own experience, both personally and professionally, I’ve learned that you don’t wait to confront reality. It doesn’t get easier. It doesn’t get better. And, in some cases, if you don’t get the relevant information from people and act quickly, you start losing options. You’re into damage control.” ~ Stephen M. R. Covey, The Speed of Trust

          “Feedback often tells you more about the person who is giving it than about you.” ~ Stephen M. R. Covey, The Speed of Trust

            “The reality is that everybody makes mistakes. The issue isn’t whether you will make them, it’s what you will do about them. It’s whether you will choose the path of humility and courage or the path of ego and pride.” ~ Stephen M. R. Covey, The Speed of Trust

              “By behaving in ways that build trust with one, you build trust with many.” ~ Stephen M. R. Covey, The Speed of Trust

                “You can say you love someone – but unless you demonstrate that love through your actions, your words become meaningless.” ~ Stephen M. R. Covey, The Speed of Trust

                  “In our own lives, having a mind-set of expecting to win increases our odds of winning. It helps us get better results. And better results help us increase our credibility and self-confidence, which leads to more positive self-expectancy, and more winning – and the upward cycle continues. It becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.” ~ Stephen M. R. Covey, The Speed of Trust

                    “We tend to get what we expect – both from ourselves and from others. When we expect more, we tend to get more; when we expect less, we tend to get less.” ~ Stephen M. R. Covey, The Speed of Trust

                      “It’s not that we ignore our weaknesses; rather, we make our weaknesses irrelevant by working effectively with others so that we compensate for our weaknesses through their strengths and they compensate for their weaknesses through our strengths.” ~ Stephen M. R. Covey, The Speed of Trust

                        “There are no uninteresting things; there are only uninterested people.” ~ Stephen M. R. Covey, The Speed of Trust

                          “Unless you’re continually improving your skills, you’re quickly becoming irrelevant.” ~ Stephen M. R. Covey, The Speed of Trust

                            “Always surround yourself with people who are even more talented and competent than you.” ~ Stephen M. R. Covey, The Speed of Trust

                              “When you make a commitment to yourself, do so with the clear understanding that you’re pledging your integrity.” ~ Stephen M. R. Covey, The Speed of Trust

                                “Being humble does not mean being weak, reticent, or self-effacing. It means recognizing principle and putting it ahead of self. It means standing firmly for principle, even in the fact of opposition.” ~ Stephen M. R. Covey, The Speed of Trust

                                  “How does humility manifest itself in leadership and in life? A humble person is more concerned about what is right than about being right, about acting on good ideas than having the ideas, about embracing new truth than defending outdated position, about building the team than exalting self, about recognizing contribution than being recognized for making it.” ~ Stephen M. R. Covey, The Speed of Trust

                                    “Over time, I have come to this simple definition of leadership: Leadership is getting results in a way that inspires trust.” ~ Stephen M. R. Covey, The Speed of Trust

                                      “If you think the problem is out there, that very thought is the problem.” ~ Stephen M. R. Covey, The Speed of Trust