The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change was a groundbreaker when it was first published in 1990, and it continues to be a business bestseller with more than 10 million copies sold. Stephen Covey, an internationally respected leadership authority, realizes that true success encompasses a balance of personal and professional effectiveness, so this book is a manual for performing better in both arenas. His anecdotes are as frequently from family situations as from business challenges.
Before you can adopt the seven habits, you’ll need to accomplish what Covey calls a “paradigm shift”–a change in perception and interpretation of how the world works. Covey takes you through this change, which affects how you perceive and act regarding productivity, time management, positive thinking, developing your “proactive muscles” (acting with initiative rather than reacting), and much more.
This isn’t a quick-tips-start-tomorrow kind of book. The concepts are sometimes intricate, and you’ll want to study this book, not skim it. When you finish, you’ll probably have Post-it notes or hand-written annotations in every chapter, and you’ll feel like you’ve taken a powerful seminar by Covey. –Joan Price
Customer Reviews
Great read and a good view point on life:
This is a great book for anyone in or out of business. The values and principles presented by Stephen Covey are timeless and will always be effective when used.
The style of reading also somewhat light so that it is easy to go through quickly. It’s one of those books you can go back and read again and get something else out of it you didn’t before.
Enjoy!
Essential for Building a Professional’s Library:
When building a professional reference library, you have to start from the ground up. Anyone with goals will benefit greatly from reading this book. I own the audio version, which is a better format for those of us with time management issues because it allows for listening in the car or plane. If you have things you want to accomplish in life and are feeling stuck or unmotivated, buy this book today. And if you don’t already own it How to Win Friends & Influence People is another essential and should be in every professional’s library along with a good business and social etiquette book likeBusiness Class: Etiquette Essentials for Success at Work, Essential Etiquette Fundamentals, Vol. 1: Dining Etiquette, and Essential Etiquette Fundamentals, Vol. 2: Wine Selection & Etiquette. These cover well the fundamentals of social and professional interaction. You would be surprised by how many people neglect the fundamentals.
Required reading for everyone:
I’ve had this book on my buy list forever, it seems, because it is on the recommended reading lists of so many “influential people” whose philosophies I have embraced in many years of running a business. I wish I had read it as a teenager. I can only say that reading this book will make you a better person in dealing with the many different personalities you encounter in the course of life if you adhere to only some of the “seven habits”.
Learn from this classic:
This classic is a byword in the area of self-improvement. If you only read one self-help book this year, make it this one.
Covey writes in a style that is interesting and engaging. He speaks from personal experiences, and draws his readers into his text.
For sheer practicality, do not pass up “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.”
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People:
Highly recommend this book for anyone sincerely wanting to make a difference in their life and the life of others. I recommend that to get the most of the book, that you study it rather than just reading it. You need to take notes, make a journal and teach these principles to others in order to really make a difference in the change you desire in your life and the lives of others. Merely reading this book will give you greater insight to change but applying the principles found in the book as I listed above by using them in your life will give you the most for your buck.
I would personally like to thank Stephen Covey for writing this book and the work book too!
