What’s so great about “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” book?
30 years and 40 million copies later, in 50 languages worldwide – hmmm…
“Sometimes our light goes out, but is blown again into instant flame by an encounter with another human being.” ― Albert Schweitzer
The 7 Habits Promise – presented by Dr. Stephen R. Covey
(2 minutes, 14 seconds)
Habits are powerful forces in our lives. They determine our level of effectiveness or ineffectiveness. The purpose of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People is to help you lead your life in a truly effective way. They represent a proven process of personal and interpersonal growth that can have an immediate and lasting impact.
To all our highly valued clients and acquaintances:
This issue of Weekly Learnings is dedicated to the May 19th release of:
This special 30th-anniversary edition commemorates the timeless wisdom of The 7 Habits for a new generation with the book’s original content along with personal insights at the end of each chapter by Stephen Covey’s son Sean Covey.
One of the most inspiring and impactful books ever written, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People has captivated readers for nearly three decades. It has transformed the lives of presidents and CEOs, educators and parents—millions of people of all ages and occupations. Now, this 30th anniversary edition of the timeless classic commemorates the wisdom of the 7 Habits with modern additions from Sean Covey.
When I first heard of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People book, many people asked me about it, as they knew I was becoming an avid reader in, and student of, the field of accomplishment literature during times when the marketplace was being literally flooded with multiple books on such topics.
My initial response to them? There’s no 7 habits of anything – whoever that author is, he made up that title to sell books – period – end of story. Since most people didn’t know what to say to respond, most didn’t say anything.
Then I had a close friend ask me “Don, have you actually read the book?”
I thought, hmmm, what a concept – so I got myself a copy to read and…
Boy, was I ever wrong about my sad and sorry initial reactions to people’s questions – little did I know – I remember thinking, wow, this author has done some serious homework – I had no idea. I was smitten. My wife said that she’d never seen me sink my teeth into a book like I did The 7 Habits.
Well…
After I finished my first reading, I immediately contacted the publisher and inquired to find what else, if anything, this author had written and what he was currently doing and planning to do. Then I went on an “apology tour” and called everyone I had misinformed in previous weeks to call myself out.
After that initial spark got ignited, I’ve been a student (and hopefully a growing practitioner) ever since. It’s been my privilege to continue trusting the people and the process that keeps expanding out of that initial work.
Of course, millions of other people who may have felt their light go out, got rekindled into instant flame by their encounter with the caring culture and relevant effectiveness of all that is The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.
As Rodger Dean Duncan (who covers leadership issues that make or break your workplace experience) wrote in Forbes article on May 12, 2020, titled:
“7 Habits: A Classic Somehow Gets Even Better With Age”
“There’s a lot of talk nowadays about “uncertain times.” It’s a phrase often denoting the harsh and burdensome changes wrought by a global pandemic.
But “uncertain times” seems to imply a lack of control. I prefer the term “unscripted times.”…
…Stephen, you no doubt know, was author of the colossally popular book titled The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. In addition to selling tens of millions of copies in more than 50 languages, the book has been touted as the “#1 most influential book of the 20th century” (Chief Executive magazine) and Forbes named it “one of the top 10 most influential management books—ever.”
When the book was first launched three decades ago, some skeptics may have regarded it as just the latest “dare to be fabulous” scheme. But the 7 Habits book has stood the test of time. And it’s not just about “management” in the typical sense of the word. Yes, it certainly applies to the challenges of managing a business. But I think it’s mostly about managing ourselves. Its timeless principles, when properly applied, can literally change the trajectory of people’s lives. Millions of people around the world can attest to this.”
In his foreward to the book, Jim Collins, author of #1 bestseller, Good to Great:
“I think of what Stephen Covey did for personal effectiveness as analogous to what the graphical user interface did for personal computers…there had been hundreds of years of accumulated wisdom about personal effectiveness, from Benjamin Franklin to Peter Drucker, but it was never assembled into one coherent, user-friendly framework. Covey created a standard operating system—the “Windows”—for personal effectiveness, and he made it easy to use.”
From preface, Sean Covey, bestselling author The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens:
“My father didn’t claim to invent these concepts; rather, he saw them as universally accepted principles. His role was to synthesize them into habits a person could live by…I often heard him say, “It’s not about me. It’s about the principles”
You can learn more about the 7 Habits at this website:
You can download a free preview here…
…and finally, here is a brief tribute to the life and work of Stephen R. Covey
Tribute to Stephen R. Covey 4 minutes, 46 seconds
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Let’s keep connecting and authentically communicating – at your service…
Coach Don
Special offer – free (no fee) – for 30 minutes – I’m here to add value & to serve – to be my best and to do my best – I promise at least one idea to help improve your work performance and your well-being.
