The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (Paperback)

~ (Author) "IN MORE THAN 25 YEARS of working with people in business, university, and marriage and family settings, I have come in contact with many individuals..." (more)
Key Phrases: abundance mentality, character ethic, scarcity mentality, Circle of Influence, Emotional Bank Account, Circle of Concern (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

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

Review

John Pepper President, Procter and Gamble I've never known any teacher or mentor on improving personal effectiveness to generate such an overwhelmingly positive reaction....This book captures beautifully Stephen's philosophy of principles. I think anyone reading it will quickly understand the enormous reaction I and others have had to Dr. Covey's teachings. -- Review

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Product Details

• Paperback: 358 pages
• Publisher: Free Press; 1st edition (September 15, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671708635
• ISBN-13: 978-0671708634
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (925 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #4,873 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #5 in	Books > Health, Mind & Body > Authors, A-Z > Covey, Stephen R.
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  #33 in	Books > Business & Investing > Business Life

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

38 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Still fresh, helpful, and important, August 2, 2009

By	Catherine Curti - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (Paperback)

Despite having sold many millions of copies, Stephen Covey's groundbreaking book remains as fresh, helpful, and important as when it was first published. Such longevity is a testament to the quality of the insights that Covey offers: Eschewing easy fixes and simple-minded formulas, his writings offers a comprehensive and highly detailed program for invigorating your career as well as other aspects of life. You won't be able to breeze through this book (the writing is sometimes complex and involved), and you won't be able to apply Covey's ideas half-heartedly (the vision outlined requires serious effort to realize), but if you're willing to do the work, you'll reap the enormous benefits that many other readers have discovered and put into action.

Covey's Seven Habits are a more than just a time-management or leadership strategy, they are an opportunity to review your life choices and make important changes that may help you lead a happier, more productive life. The first three habits (Be Proactive, Begin With the End in Mind, Put First Things First) are more about managing oneself and others in order to accomplish tasks and goals, but with Habits four through six (Think Win/Win, Seek First to Understand Then to Be Understood, Synergize) Covey provides 'Paradigms of Interdependence' which allow one to transform their relationship with others into a richer experience.

The Seventh Habit (Sharpen the Saw) is about personal renewal, and how to spend a small amount of time daily to work towards continual improvement. Covey wrote the book in the interest of helping people return to a principle-centered life, which was espoused by Ben Franklin and others centuries ago but has been set aside in recent years in favor of quick-fix strategies of dubious value. Seven Habits is easy to read and understand -- Covey explains each idea with plenty of examples from his own life. Covey is a member of the Mormon faith which he mentions occasionally, if you are bothered by that sort of thing, but his advice is non-denominational and is compatible with any belief-system. Seven Habits is the sort of book that can be read again and again, and can and should be saved on the shelf as a reference. Highly recommended.

Emotional Intelligence 2.0 is another must-read from the success genre. I recommend it because it's had a huge impact on me, and the book's 66 emotional intelligence strategies + test are powerful and cutting edge.

136 of 152 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is a SUPER BOOK, June 19, 1999

By A Customer

Although I have read many personal development books, 7 Habits is by far the best. No hype, hoopla, pyscho-babble that is so prevalent today, however, I submit that 7 Habits will be around long after the hypsters are gone. I work in a 1,500 staff facility and 7 Habits is required reading for all management staff. I also recommend Superself, possibly one of the most underrated books out there and Financial Self Defense which in my opinion, is the financial book version of 7 Habits.

127 of 143 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A OUTSTANDING BOOK!, August 1, 1998

By A Customer

Stephen Covey has written one of the best works ever in personal development and a refreshing change from so much verbage out there in other works. I have been an avid student of personal development since the 70's and learned a lot from this excellent work. I also highly recommend "SUPERSELF" by Charles Givens, another extraordinary work by an equally extraordinary man. I have read & reread Seven Habits and SuperSelf several times over the last few years and always get something new out of each every time. Excellent books to help you succeed in any area of endeavor.