The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (Paperback)

by Stephen R. Covey (Author) "The world has changed dramatically since The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People was first published..." (more)
Key Phrases: character ethic, abundance mentality, scarcity mentality, Circle of Influence, Emotional Bank Account, Circle of Concern (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
Anyone who thinks the audiocassette adaptation of Stephen Covey's bestseller, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, is a shortcut to reading the book has another thing coming. As a preview, the cassette is worth every one of its 90 minutes; as a substitute for the original, it will only leave you wishing for the rest. There's a reason 7 Habits has sold more than 5 million copies and been translated into 32 languages. Serious work has obviously gone into it, and serious change can likely come out of it--but only with constant discipline and steadfast commitment. As the densely packed tape makes immediately clear, this is no quick fix for what's ailing us in our personal and professional lives.

The tape opens to the silky-smooth, overtrained voice of the female narrator, who's responsible for tying together audio clips from actual Covey seminars. Leaving aside the occasional attempts at promoting Covey and his institute, her script does a first-rate job of making sense of Covey's own intense, analogy-rich style of explaining his habits. There's nothing simple about his approach to becoming an effective person. The first three habits alone--which have to do with personal responsibility, leadership, and self-management--could take years to master. Yet the last four are unattainable, the narrator insists, if you can't acquire the personal security--the "inner core," says Covey--that presumably comes from a mastery of the foundation.

Throughout our lessons, Covey's presence is both learned and thoroughly appealing. He drops references to the likes of Socrates, T.S. Eliot, and Robert Frost with the aplomb of an English professor. And his knack for mixing everyday stories with abstract concepts manages to clarify difficult issues while respecting our intelligence. You could argue that the cassette is nothing more than a clever marketing tool for selling another few million copies of the book. But, even at that, it's worth the investment in time and concentration: in the end, we're moved to learn more about integrating all seven habits in our struggle to become better and, yes, more effective people. (Running time: 1.5 hours, one cassette) --Ann Senechal --This text refers to the Audio Cassette edition.

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 --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Free Press; 15 Anv edition (November 9, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743269519
• ISBN-13: 978-0743269513
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.5 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (900 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #77 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

127 of 139 people found the following review helpful:

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

By A Customer

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

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.

126 of 138 people found the following review helpful:

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

By A Customer

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

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.

111 of 121 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Which audio version of "The 7 Habits" is best for me?, October 30, 2006

By	Cotton-Ayed Joan (Central Valley, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (Unabridged Audio Program) (Audio CD)

This review is for people who already know that the book is valuable and who are now trying to choose which audio version of the "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People" would be most useful for themselves or for people they know. I recently bought three different audio CD versions (plus a few copies of the book) as gifts for people with different personalities and learning styles. I am also familiar with some older products.

The product on this page is an UNABRIDGED AUDIO CD VERSION of the 15th anniversary edition of the book.
It would be ideal for people who are ready for a personal plan to study and apply the principles in the book to their own lives, but who need a little extra "push". I would suggest listening to the CDs before or while studying corresponding segments of the book, either alone or with someone else. The encouraging, calm and authentic voice of the author gives an extra dimension to the text - keeps you focused. Regularly scheduled study or discussion sessions could be short, as each CD is divided into several tracks which basically follow the headings and sub-headings in the book. This CD product demonstrates how well the book was written, as the text flows so naturally when read by the author.

This could be a 5-star product for people who plan to use it along with the book or after having read the book. It is probably not the best "stand-alone" learning tool for most people - the book is. It may be good for those who have more time for listening (about 14 hours on 13 disks) than for reading and who are good at learning by hearing. The discs come with a little "study guide" booklet, which I think was created for an earlier audio product. The booklet is good for review, but seeing the diagrams in the printed book is more useful if you are reading along with the audio version. I find the occasional introductory music in the audio program a little distracting, but the author's reading is engaging.

The unabridged book is also available for audio download (suitable for iPod, etc) with a slightly shorter running time (less than 13 hours) listed. I don't know how it would compare in usefulness to the CDs discussed here.

Of the audio products I have listened to, the one I would consider to be "5 star" as a stand-alone learning tool (either for individual or small-group listening) is the 3-DISC "AUDIOBOOK ON CD" (circa 2001-2002) which says, "Taught by the Author" on the cover rather than "Unabridged, read by the author". However, it is not really an "Audiobook". This product presents information partly in a seminar or classroom lecture format, with comments by people on how they have applied some of the principles in their own lives. The importance of trust in interpersonal and business relationships seem to get extra emphasis in this audio product. Running time is about 3 hours, 20 minutes.

This is probably the most useful audio product for people who don't like to read much, but it also complements the book without following it too closely. It comes with a useful little study guide summarizing the "7 habits", which includes some of the diagrams found in the book. The booklet is handy as an overview, even if you have the book. I believe that this product is more suitable for non-optimal listening situations (in the car, etc.) than is the 13-disc unabridged audio book, which, like the printed book, seems to call for a quiet setting where you can devote your full attention.

Each CD in the 3-disc set is divided into short one or two minute tracks (sometimes with several tracks in a single topic segment) so you can pause easily for reflection or discussion. Divisions between the short tracks are not evident as you are listening. Some reviewers have noted troublesome differences in volume between the text and short musical "bumpers" between topics. This bothered me a little on one of the CD players I listened with. You might try turning down the treble or turning the volume up and moving further from the machine if the relative loudness of the music bothers you.

The SIMON & SCHUSTER CD version (copyright 1999) of the old, original Simon and Schuster audiocassette product also should not really be classified as an "audiobook". In its day, the audiocassette version was a very well-produced, lucid overview of the original book with introductory statements by a female narrator, then explanations and examples by Dr. Covey from his professional seminars. The tape version was more useful as motivation to read or think more deeply about the book than as an independent learning tool. It was a big seller when the book was making a big splash. Simon & Schuster dropped the ball when they put the CD version onto a single track of about 72 minutes. Since multiple tracks are lacking on this CD, the older cassette version may be more useful for people who want a short audio overview. Otherwise, be prepared to listen to the whole CD in one sitting. I now cannot find this product on Amazon, but I do see a new, more expensive 1-CD product called a "15th anniversary edition", publishing date 2005. The product information states that the publisher is Simon & Schuster, but the image says FranklinCovey. It may be a new release of the original audiocasette. I would check to see if multiple tracks have been added before buying it.

I notice that FranklinCovey is now coming out with a new "SIGNATURE SERIES" of CDs in which one CD is devoted to each of the "7 habits". I am not familiar with this product. The CDs are sold as a set or individually. Some other audio versions and "spin-off" products have been introduced over the years. I much prefer the products which present information in an organized manner to those which present seemingly random motivational thoughts (like "reflections" on the 7 habits, cards, calendars, etc.). Many of the "spin-off" products would be far less valuable than the original book for most people.