The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change was a groundbreaker when it was first published in 1989, and it continues to be a business best seller with more than 20 million copies sold. Dr. Stephen R. Covey, an internationally respected leadership authority, teaches 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 7 Habits, you’ll need to accomplish what Dr. Covey calls a “Paradigm Shift”— a change in perception about 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.You’ll want to study this book, not just skim it.When you finish, you’ll probably have sticky notes or handwritten annotations in every chapter, and you’ll feel like you’ve taken a powerful seminar by Dr. Covey.
The original 7 Habits of Highly Successful People are still relevant, but Dr. Stephen R. Covey, author of the best seller of that title, says that the new Information/Knowledge Worker Age, exemplified by the Internet, calls for an eighth habit to achieve personal and organizational excellence:“Find your voice and inspire others to find theirs.” Dr. Covey sees leadership “as a choice to deal with people in a way that will communicate to them their worth and potential so clearly they will be inspired to see it in themselves.” His holistic approach starts with developing one’s own voice, one’s “unique personal significance.”The bulk of the book details how, after finding your own voice, you can inspire others and create a workplace where people feel engaged.This includes establishing trust, searching for 3rd Alternatives (not a compromise between your way and my way, but a third, better way) and developing a shared vision.This book isn’t easygoing; but if organizations operated with Dr. Covey’s ideas — and ideals — most people would undoubtedly find work much more satisfying.