The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

Written by Stephen R. Covey

Narrated by Stephen R. Covey

*New York Times bestseller—over 40 million copies sold*
*The #1 Most Influential Business Book of the Twentieth Century*

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.

The 7 Habits have become famous and are integrated into everyday thinking by millions and millions of people. Why? Because they work!

With Sean Covey’s added takeaways on how the habits can be used in our modern age, the wisdom of the 7 Habits will be refreshed for a new generation of leaders.

They include:
Habit 1: Be Proactive
Habit 2: Begin with the End in Mind
Habit 3: Put First Things First
Habit 4: Think Win/Win
Habit 5: Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood
Habit 6: Synergize
Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw

This beloved classic presents a principle-centered approach for solving both personal and professional problems. With penetrating insights and practical anecdotes, Stephen R. Covey reveals a step-by-step pathway for living with fairness, integrity, honesty, and human dignity—principles that give us the security to adapt to change and the wisdom and power to take advantage of the opportunities that change creates.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
• Release date: Jan 1, 2012
• ISBN: 9781442350809

Stephen R. Covey

Recognized as one of Time magazine’s twenty-five most influential Americans, Stephen R. Covey (1932–2012) was an internationally respected leadership authority, family expert, teacher, organizational consultant, and author. His books have sold more than twenty-five million copies in thirty-eight languages, and The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People was named the #1 Most Influential Business Book of the Twentieth Century. After receiving an MBA from Harvard and a doctorate degree from Brigham Young University, he became the cofounder and vice chairman of FranklinCovey, a leading global training firm.

Reviews for The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

[fortheloveofknittin · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I'm utterly speechless. I highly recommend this book if you feel lost in life. Will be listening again.

[capiam1234 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Essential reading or listening for anyone trying to better themselves.

[Dean Waskowiak · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is a life changing book that teaches about relationships in marriage, family, church, business, all of life. I am going to study this over and over until I make it me.

[deep220_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I was given this book by my mother for a graduation gift. Then she actually made me read it before I left for college. Great motivational book on who to be successful in every endeavor of life. Most like overdue for a re-read.

[Lewis · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Excellent book, opens your mind and understanding of yourself and others that interact within you. The breakdown of assumptions, beliefs, goals, management, and respect of people in a personal relationship or work environment setting. The impact of listening and understanding, win win, the gold goose, and pendulum swing are just some examples of how powerful the authors word and examples are in tune with every day experience it’s enough to make you stop and realize the type of person or direction your foundation is built upon and what or how you can improve your life with others in a positive and healthy manner.

[Masih · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Really useful and practical recommendations for a better, happier and more efficient life. This summary book truly delivers the main message of the book efficiently

[xprsg_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Hmmm .. not quite what I expected, but a good reminder.

[I need Herpes cure · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

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[jill.mackin · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Still retaining the 7 Habits after many years.

[tlcooper_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey is a timeless self-help book that provides an easy to follow guide to identifying one's roles in life as well as one's strengths and weaknesses. The book provides explanations and exercises to aid one in adopting habits to create a life that better suits individuals looking to lead more effective lives. Covey's The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People has been read and practiced by many people because it is well written, easy to understand, and a practical way to improve one's life.

[kslade-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Really good self-improvement guide.

[benkaboo-51322 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Summary: A grab bag of good advice on how to get your life organised

Things that were good:

* Several of the ideas in this book have stuck with me and continued to be referenced throughout my career/personal life

Things that could have been better:

From memory, it comes off as a bit Christian/family-values which might turn a few people off. Perhaps he could have de-emphasized some of those elements to make the book more relatable for people that don't share his background.


Highlight: Emotional bank account is probably one of the ideas that I've got the most leverage out of.

[wvlibrarydude · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This could have been shortened quite a bit. I read this decades after it was first published, so I can't say whether some of this was basic stuff, or that it influenced so many others that it was the actual innovator. I will say the synergy chapter was week.
I will review and write down what I need from this for review over the years.

[beaujolais-2 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Without a doubt, this is one of the best books I have ever read.

[markwhiting-479218 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Although many people discount this book for being based on pedestrian examples, I found the core meaning quite good. If you ignore the out of date metaphors and relationships represented in the book, I think a lot can be understood.

[jonimfisher · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Learned how valuable time is wasted on things that seem urgent, but not important. Now I manage my time along the principles in this book. I allocate time based on my values and goals and less on the demands of others--far, far less on those who don't value my time.

[Teresa Aidee · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People was written by Stephen Covey with the purpose of providing the reader with basic tools to support organizational management and problem-solving not only in the workplace but also in personal and family life. Through various chapters, it encourages us to engage in deep reflections that lead us to conclude that to achieve the long-desired success, a person must create healthy habits physically, socially, mentally, and spiritually. This book, filled with wisdom, develops themes such as decision-making; time management; personal and interpersonal leadership; empathetic communication; creative cooperation; and balanced self-renewal. (Translated from Spanish)

[brakketh-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I read this because I saw this as one of the central works in thinking about management and leadership. The content is engaging and in my opinion the advice in general enough form to be sound.

[benuathanasia · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People - What a friggin' snoozefest full of tautologies, mis-quoted quotes by famous people, and the most painfully boring, rambling anecdotes.

[tandah_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I've read this book so many times - it's a really good combination of professional and personal development. Examples are a teensy bit dated, but the principles are universal and evergreen. I'll read it again.

[davidferrers-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book was important for me because it inspired me when I was becoming a coach. It also reinforces the important lessons about the importance of discipline in becoming successful.

[amberwitch · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Not a big fan of either mormons or their management books. Not as badly written as the out of the box book, but the constant harping on about church, and higher callings is really offputting.
Im not sure I agree with his ideas, and some of them are so common sense I find it hard to believe that they are sold under such great fanfare.

[daniel5estes · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This version of The 7 Habits was the first of many, many iterations that Stephen Covey published under the 7 Habits umbrella. No doubt due to the success of the franchise. As a self-help reader I can vouch for the worth of the original though I have not read any of the others.

It's too easy to scoff at the habits as obvious, just as it's too easy to scoff at self-help in general. Actions speak louder than words, and putting habits like Covey's into practice is hard work. If you're curious about self-help, or maybe a little skeptical about its usefulness, then I recommend starting here.

[wifilibrarian · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

There's some solid advice here. Even if Covey was a Morman, and there is a bit in this book about "natural laws" as set up by God. I still think there's some useful tools in the 7 habits. I feel I got something good out of this book, especially about seeking first to understand.

[larrygerovac · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book has something for everyones self development. Do you want to remake yourself into a better person, improve your relationship with a spouse, develop better communication skills with you kids, refine your business expertise, enhance your leadership capabilities, prioritize your life, I could go on and on. To quote the book, you learn, that the gate to change can only be opened from the inside. The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People is very well written, There are stories, examples, forms, diagrams and even interactive areas within the book to help you understand concepts. The book breaks down how to be effective in whatever goal you choose. You learn how to prioritize, expand listening skills (great to help you understand your children and spouse), why you must admit mistakes, and how what you say impacts others. By the end of the book you will understand how to develop good attitudes and a winning behavior. I highly recommend his book.

[yaqdan9 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

.كتاب ممتاز يتحدث عن العادات السبع الافضل التي يجب على كل شخص العمل بها ليكون من الاشخاص الناجحين والمؤثرين والفاعلين في حياتهم العملية وتكوين مستقبل أفضل
فأنصح الجميع بقراءتة وهومن الكتب المشهورة جدا .


Excellent book about the seven habits is better that each person should work out to be successful and influential actors and people in their working lives and a better future
I advise everyone to read it and Humen very famous books.

[bkmeredith · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

started off okay but descended into tedious bullshit

[danielalgara · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Great book with valuable, motivating info. A little heavy on the case studies, but otherwise very helpful.

[davraena · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Wonderful! Very practical, and useful, personally applicable.

[pussreboots · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I've been working an a pair of books and this might be an interesting read for character types.