The Change Starts Here podcast and host Dustin Odham, FranklinCovey Education thought leader, have already heard from one son of the esteemed Stephen R. Covey – but, on this episode, another joins the educational fray.

Stephen M.R. Covey, Covey’s eldest son, New York Times bestselling author, thought leader and key agent in the growth of FranklinCovey into a truly global agent of change, joined Odham to talk about his impactful career, key principles that guide his life and interactions with others, and more.

First and foremost, Covey is a husband, father and grandfather. However, professionally, he said that one word encapsulates his general aim to leave the world better than he found it – trust.

“I am an advocate and a champion for trust and for building high-trust relationships, high-trust teams and high-trust cultures as a way of elevating all of society,” Covey said. “I think we need more trust in the world. … I feel like we’re operating increasingly in a world of declining trust.”

That lack of trust quickly snowballs and perpetuates itself, Covey said, leading to an abundance of caution, suspicion and guardedness. That means it that it’s critical to find ways to break the cycle and engage in activities that build trust between individuals, teams, organizations and more.

The good news, though, is that trust is also contagious. Trust and confidence in one another create more of the same.

“We need to counteract a world of distrust by creating outcomes of high-trust,” Covey said. “Being a model of trust and a mentor of trust … inspires me. That makes me want to get up every day and be a catalyst to help create more trust in our world.”