Stephen R. Covey—a Review
He is the author of the world-acclaimed self-help book, “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.” First published in 1989, this chat-topping book has sold over 12 million copies worldwide—and continues to sell.
Mr. Covey is widely regarded as one of the world’s leading authorities in time-management. Scores of organizations everywhere, among them Fortune 500 companies, have adopted his novel techniques on leadership, teamwork, and customer service. “First Things First,” his best-selling book on time management (co-authored with A. Roger & Rebecca Merrill) is one of the most consulted manuals on the subject.
Stephen R. Covey was born in 1932. He has spent most of his career at Brigham Young University, where he was professor of organizational behavior and business management. He holds both MBA and doctorate degrees. In recognition of his continuous service to humanity, Dr. Covey has received the Thomas More College Medallion as well as four honorary doctorate degrees.
But what strikes me most about this guy is not really his academic or professional background, impressive though they are. It is his humility and sheer humanness. He surely qualifies in his own rights to claim authorship of the numerous innovative ideas he has helped bring to our attention.
But he doesn’t. In his “7 habits” book for example, Stephen Convey selflessly states that he’s not the originator of the 7 habits presented in the book, but that he had simply succeeded in coming up with a framework and a suitable language to articulate the time-tested principles embedded in the seven habits.
The 7 habits are to be found, he says, in the teachings of nearly all the world’s major religions. Covey further informs us that the principles themselves are ’self-evident’, meaning you cannot really argue against the universality of the wisdom and practicality of these principles. Or can you? Well, at least no successful person can claim that he has not utilized any or all of the 7 principles to a greater or lesser degree.
Of course, to Stephen R. Convey, the principles contained in all his works are ‘common knowledge.’ He dislikes the idea of being regarded as some guru, stating that he’s embarrassed each time people talk about the ‘Covey habits.’ But like me, you may want to challenge that thinking.
If the ideas were so common, then everybody ought to know and practice them, and be successful in all that they do! The fact that we ain’t seeing that would suggest that our world still needs more of Stephen R. Covey’s insightful ideas.
The following are some of the thoughts Dr. Stephen R. Covey has helped us to appreciate:
Effective leadership entails putting first things first, while effective management means implementing this order of priority in a disciplined manner. In the final analysis, what we are communicates more eloquently than anything we may verbally claim.
The reason Most people struggle to balance their life is because they haven’t decided what is really important to them. Our character is basically a composite of our habits. Because they form constant and unconscious patterns that daily express our personality.
The key to success in life and in business is not to prioritize what’s on your schedule, but to schedule what your priorities are. In life, only three things are constant: change, choice, and principles. Since we have the option of choice, our life course need not be determined by what happened to us in the past.
Wouldn’t you rather be guided by such wise principles in both private and business life?
Thanks,




















