The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

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
In The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, author Stephen R. Covey presents a holistic, integrated, principle-centered approach for solving personal and professional problems. With penetrating insights and pointed anecdotes, Covey reveals a step-by-step pathway for living with fairness, integrity, service, 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.

Must reading for all value driven people.


Sensible and pramatic   March 27, 2004
78 out of 79 found this review helpful

I found this great book by Dr. Covey to be both sensible and pragmatic. This is an outstanding book that really delivers. Follow the 7 habits and you will become a success.

Other books I recommend include The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren and Super Self (if you can find a copy) by the late Charles Givens.


Get yourself right and then do the right thing with others   November 12, 2003
46 out of 46 found this review helpful

This is one of the greatest books ever written to help people like me find their way in the world. Before this book, I read lots of self-improvement books, but none of them inspired lasting change. This book makes sense and helped me tie all the information I had gathered together and made it stick. I have read all of Dr. Covey's books and follow his recommendations as much as possible. First Things First, another book by Dr. Covey, gave me control of my priorities and stopped my life-long habit of procrastination. A few weeks ago, I learned that Dr. Covey had recommended Optimal Thinking-How to be your Best Self, so I read it. Optimal Thinking cured me of all the confusion I had about positive thinking. I learned how to put best self in charge of my life, and ask the best questions to find the best solutions. I could not have committed to a principle-driven life if Dr. Covey had not shown me the way.