Habits of Highly effective People – Review

I. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

II. About the Author

Stephen Richards Covey, recognized as one of Time magazine’s 25 most influential Americans,

was born on October 24, 1932. Until his death on July 16, 2012, he was a professor at the Jon M.

Huntsman School of Business at Utah State University. Dr. Stephen R. Covey was an American author,

businessman, educator and motivational speaker who devoted his live in demonstrating how every

person can live effectively and orderly.

Covey was born in Salt Lake City, Utah. His parents were Stephen Glenn Covey and Irene Louise

Richards Covey, both religious persons who were apostle and counselor in The Church of Jesus Christ of

Latter-day Saints. Stephen Covey was an athlete in his childhood years until he was injured in middle

school and changed his focus to academics where he became a member of the debate team.

In his college years, he finished bachelor degree in Business Administration from the University

of Utah and MBA from Harvard University. After that, he pursued studying and became a Doctor of

Religious Education from Bringham Young University.

He then became well known in the field of business administration and management because of

his book entitled “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” which was named the #1 Most Influential

Business Book of the Twentieth Century. His success continued as he published more blockbuster books

which include First Things First, Principle-Centered Leadership, and The 7 Habits of Highly Effective

Families with sales exceeding a million copies each.

Covey’s last book, the 8th habit, was written as sequel to the Seven Habits. He suggests that

effectiveness does not suffice in the “Knowledge Worker Age” and he says that challenges and everyone

must find their voice and inspire others to find theirs. This book, having sold more than 400,000 copies

worldwide, shows how people admire the works of Stephen Covey.

III. Synopsis

A. Paradigms and Principles

A paradigm is the way we see and understand the world around us. It is a mental map

by which we interpret the information we receive. Principles are guidelines for human behavior that

have been proven over time to have enduring and permanent value. The challenge is to develop our

own paradigms that are based on principles. Everyone carries with them two mental maps – the way

things are and the way things should be. People always assume that the way they see things is the way

they really are which affects the way they interact with other people. In other words, people of the

same perception communicate and act the same. The 7 habits are a new level of thinking that is a

paradigm shift based on a principle-centered, character-based inside-outside approach to personal

effectiveness.

B. The seven habits: an overview

The 7 habits provide an additional, sequential, and comprehensive approach to the

development of people from being dependent, independent, and being interdependent wherein people

take care of themselves and look after others as well.

A person’s character is a function of his habits. Habits are powerful factors because they

express our character and aid through effectiveness. Happiness on the other hand, is the fruit of the

ability to sacrifice short term wants for long term needs. The first three habits deal with oneself, while

the 4th, 5th, and 6th habits deal with public victories and the last one is the habit of renewal of the basic

dimensions of a meaningful life.

C. Habit 1 – Be proactive.

We can choose our own response to any signals of information we receive. Covey says

that we must use our resourcefulness and initiative to work for our personal goals. Moreover, he says

that each person has both a circle of influence and a circle of concern. Worrying and thinking too much

about things outside our circle of influence is unproductive. Working within our circle of influence is

productive and the more effective we become, the larger the circle becomes.

D. Habit 2 – Begin with the end in mind.

‘Beginning with the end in mind’ means using an image of yourself at the end of your life

as a starting point or reference of every action. Covey starts with the extreme example of considering

one’s death. How would you want yourself to be remembered? What do you want people to talk of you

after you die? To begin with the end in mind requires a clear vision of your destination and where you

are. Then you clarify what needs to be done and where you’d like to end up.

E. Habit 3. Put things first.

This habit involves self-leadership and self-management. Leadership decides what the

first things are, and management is the discipline of carrying out the program. The heart of effective

personal time management is to spend the maximum time possible doing important jobs in a non-

urgent atmosphere that increases efficiency.

F. Public Victory

Effective interdependence can only be built on a foundation of true independence.

Private victory precedes a public victory. A person cannot be successful if he/she has not been

successful. Interdependence opens up world worlds of possibilities for meaningful productivity.

G. Habit 4 – Think win-win.

The concept of win-win is that in any negotiation or conflict, a good leader must always

find ways wherein both sides will feel like they’ve won. This is about finding compromises. Finding a win-

win requires you to see the situation from the other person’s perspective and to truly understand their

concerns.

H. Habit 6 – Seek first to understand, then to be understood.

The importance of empathic listening, meaning to listen with the intent to understand

and not just to respond. To build the skill of relating to other people effectively is to understand their

point of view without judgment, like seeing the world thru their eyes. It is not about agreeing or

disagreeing, solving or fixing, nor figuring something out; merely reflecting on what they feel and saying

it in your own words is the key to opening people’s hearts.

I. Habit 7 – Sharpen the saw.

To make all the others possible is to have ourselves the time to renew. Not too much

but not too little, but regular effort in maintaining the physical, mental, social, emotional and spiritual

aspect of our being. Balance progress in each of these dimensions will be our foundation for growth and

change, the key to the development of the 7 habits.

IV. Strengths of the Paper

If you are someone who’s into leadership, then this book is a good one. This book discusses

things that have something to do with leadership, modeling, path finding, empowering, and all those

other concepts that are related to leading. This book speaks of how we need a complete up-to-date

conviction in today’s world. If you feel dispirited and unacknowledged, then this book is really for you.

After reading this book you may find that your viewpoint on life has changed. You’ll find yourself

reaching out to find your goal or meaning in life. Throughout the book, Covey has put illustrations to

help with his clarifications in each chapter. He also scattered quotes from others throughout, which can

help in better understanding the ideas in this book and inspire the reader.

V. Weaknesses

However, this book is not that easy to read. It is too complex, and it's a system/philosophy/set

of habits all to itself. Although it's easy to understand and comprehend the idea behind being a trim-tab

spirit in your organization, it's a bit more difficult trying to see the practical application of circle of

knowledge/ignorance by the time you get to the end. It’s something you’ll need to ponder on as you go.

Therefore, it is highly recommended to read each chapter at least twice to get the real meaning of what

the author is trying to express.

VI. Lessons learned

The book has a lot to offer to its readers when it comes to being an efficient and effective

leader. The most important lesson that I learned from the book, and the one I think I will be using in real

life, is the second habit which states that people’s actions must always begin and be aligned with the

end in mind. I realized that no matter how much effort we put into an activity or an endeavor, if the end

is not justifiable, all the hard work will be futile. It is like climbing the long ladder of success only to find

out that the ladder is leading towards the wrong wall.

In order to succeed, Covey proposes visualization. In this habit of personal leadership, one must

be able to lead himself towards his own aims. Through developing the habit of concentrating on

relevant activities, one can create his own pathway towards success.

VII. Conclusion

This book does comprise particular effective ideas and some new styles to think about self-

development and leadership but works best when it’s directly applicable to life. It is only highly

recommended to those people who are determined about leading and supporting others, and only for

those who are willing to take the book in small portions, trying hard to learn it as you go. If you try and

read the book through in a session or two, you'll come away with some useful and helpful tips, but

nothing close to what Covey intended you to take away. While this book is helpful for those who are

involved in business management, it’s a good material for others as well, especially for those who aim

for excellence in their lives.

For me, I will rank this book as 9 out of 10 since the only factor needed by the reader to fully

understand and internalize the message of the book is perseverance in reading. However, one can easily

be enthusiastic in reading the book because of its interesting contents. I would totally recommend this

book to my friends so that they can also be inspired by the great work of Dr. Stephen Covey.