Leadership is an Art - Covenants vs Contracts

The book Leadership is an Art by Max De Pree, is the single book that has had profound influence on my leadership style. I'm fortunate enough to lead some of the most outstanding and humble folks and the ideas of the book has helped me to make a small difference in their lives. I'll share key concepts of the book in a few posts.


Best people are volunteers
They can get jobs in any number of companies. They work with us for reasons less tangible than salary or position. Volunteers do not need contracts, they need covenants

• Legal contracts break down under inevitable duress of change and conflict
• Contracts has got nothing to do with reaching our potential
• Covenantal relationships rests on shared commitment to ideas, to issues, to goals
• Covenantal relationships fill deep needs, enable work to have a meaning and to be fulfilling

“Understand that relationships count more than structure. Structures do not have anything to do with trust. People build trust"