From “Green & Clean” to “Trust & Inspire”

We all love stories. What makes a good story great is when it’s relatable—when we can see ourselves in the story.

My father, Dr. Stephen R. Covey, author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, loved to tell great stories. Perhaps his best-known story is “Green & Clean,” in which he taught his seven-year-old son to take care of the yard. It goes like this.

“Son, your job is managing the lawn. It’s called Green and Clean. Let me show you what this looks like.” Dad walks his son to the neighbor’s lawn and points. “See this? This yard is green and clean.” How you choose to get ours looking this way is up to you. I can tell you how I’d do it, if you like.”