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
Product Description "The 7 Habits Of Highly Effective People" is a comprehensive program based on developing an awareness of how perceptions and assumptions hinder success---in business as well as presonal relationships. Here's an approach that will help broaden your way of thinking and lead to greater opportunities and effective problem solving. Be Pro-Active: Take the initiative and the responsibility to make things happen. Begin With an End in Mind: Start with a clear destination to understand where you are now, where you're going and what you value most. Put First Things First: Manage yourself. Organize and execute around priorities. Think Win/Win: See life as a cooperative, not a comprehensive arena where success is not achieved at the expense or exclusion of the success of others. Seek First to Understand: Understand then be understood to build the skills of empathetic listening that inspires openness and trust. Synergize: Apply the principles of cooperative creativity and value differences. Renewal: Preserving and enhanving your greatest asset, yourself, by renewing the physical, spiritual, mental and social/emotional dimensions of your nature. Stephen R. Covey is the most respected motivator in the business world today. Learn to use his "7 Habits Of Highly Effective People"--and see how they can change your life.
An Exceptional BookNovember 20, 2008 8 out of 8 found this review helpful
In browsing my book shelf I came upon and then found myself rereading this incredibly simple yet profound book. The principles and ideas Stephen writes about are truly ways to discover how to live your life as the person you want to be. I especially found the section where Stephen writes about how powerful unexamined attitudes and perceptions influence how I react toward situations and others. Once I started looking at my predetermined thoughts...those same situations became less mundane and irritating. My experiences became more authentic, meaningful and enjoyable instantaneously. Stephen writes of this as a "paradigm shift", where our attitudes and behaviors, left unexamined, shape how we feel and act in our life in mechanical patterns.
Two authors that have also inspired and ignited my passion for living a magnificent life are Ariel & Shya Kane. The Kanes works: "Being Here: Modern Day Tales of Enlightenment", "Working on Yourself Doesn't Work: The 3 Simple Ideas That Will Instantaneously Transform Your Life", "How to Create a Magical Relationship" and their internet radio show "Being Here" on[...] are all indispensable sources I turn to in supporting my well-being in all areas of my life. I highly recommend the Kanes and Stephen Covey classic, timeless book "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People."
Seven Ideas for Personal GrowthNovember 13, 2008 0 out of 1 found this review helpful
"What you are shouts so loudly in my ears I cannot hear what you say." ~ Emerson
"The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People" is a book I'd heard about so many times I actually thought I'd already reviewed it. Once I realized the book was new to me I started reading it with very high expectations. From the start Stephen Covey seems to meander through a wide variety of loosely related topics. By page 77 I went to read all the one-star reviews because I needed a break and seemed to be bored. I agreed with many of the reviews but felt I should give the book another try so I kept on reading.
The book became more interesting as Stephen Covey started to talk about being reactive vs. proactive. I did think that perhaps some people were offended by the thought of working on yourself instead of blaming others for your problems. I figured that might explain some of the negativity as some books work like a mirror to reveal your faults. The other complaint I have to agree with is that Stephen Covey has a very complex writing style. He also keeps referring to the same examples over and over again - the golden eggs and the goose is used so many times I lost count but felt irritated each time it was spoken of again. Once would have been fine and for some reason it just set me on edge each time I read about it. He also uses the word "paradigm" obsessively.
In this book you will also learn a lot about his family's strengths and weaknesses. I'm not sure I would have told some of the stories in this book because they seemed too personal. He calls his sons "honey" in the book and that would seem more appropriate if he was talking about his wife. I always feel for a writer's families as they are exposed in a light I find unattractive.
So what did I learn from this book? Here are the seven things I learned:
1. Be Proactive 2. Write a mission statement for my life 3. Prioritize 4. Seek mutual benefit in all human interactions 5. Listen more and talk less 6. Value difference 7. Take care of body and soul - exercise, meditate, be an eternal learner, cultivate meaningful relationships
I liked the ideas of using visualization to create success. The ideas about writing a missions statement for your life and being opportunity-minded seemed like good ideas. The quotes in the book are quite good and since I collect quotes I was happy to have found some new ones that were very meaningful.
For the most part I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to be more successful especially in business. I think the ideas are good but for the most part felt that the book was overrated and at times rather irritating. I didn't feel good or "seasoned with love" while reading this book so I'm only giving it three stars.
"The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them." ~ Albert Einstein
~The Rebecca Review
A Tool for a Good LifeNovember 4, 2008 I keep this book in my special library. I bought it to get organized and learned how to both organize my days and prioritize my personal life. This book emphasizes being effective by deciding what is important and what is not. I would recommend it those that just can't seem to figure out how to fit life into 24 hour days, and puts spirituality at the forefront.
Crucial Book to Read When One is Ready to Excel!October 29, 2008 I own a signed Fireside First Edition (1989) of this book, and it is one of my prized possessions. The reader before me, someone I know must now be someone very important, had underlined the most important topics in this ever popular self-improvement text. As I read it, I can actually feel the impact these words had on so many other readers Worldwide. I see that the reader before me underlined "trust is the highest form of human motivation" and then I am amazed that years later, Covey publishes "The Speed of Trust." I take the words in text seriously, as I read that I "must get involved with training and development" and of course, the reader underlined this part as well.
I am convinced that all leaders have read and mastered the skills in this book, and I also know that my book was read by one of those leaders. Me! Andrea Samadi, author of The Secret for Teens Revealed: How Parents, Teachers, and Teenagers Can Inspire Leadership and Transform Lives
Kudos to Stephen R. CoveyOctober 27, 2008 7 Habits of Highly Effective People is an excellent book with effective and powerful concepts to improve anyone's life. Personally I had an `Aha' moment with habit 5; seek first to understand, then to be understood. I can't tell you what a difference this has made in my life. I recommend it to anyone who seeks success professionally and personally. I found that when I applied these concepts habitually success followed quickly.
