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Summary: Check THIS Out!
Review: I took the advice of the reviewer who is "An Educator And Former Human Relations Instructor" from New York (who better to take advice from), and obtained right here on Amazon.com the book he or she recommended, "West Point", by Norman Thomas Remick to be used as a companion book to "The 7 Habits ..". The combination was fantastic! The really easy to understand philosophy of character and leadership in the "West Point" book did greatly embellish and make more understandable the practical suggestions in Steven Covey's "The 7 Habits ...". Great suggestion New Yorker, whoever you are. And, I hope you're holding up well under you folks' recent appalling crisis. I wish you well.
Rating:
Summary: Simple yet powerful
Review: I read this book several years ago and picked it up again recently. I realised how much I used to live the habits and over time let them slide. And if I look at how powerful my life is, I was more in charge when I was living the habits. I feel recharged after re-reading the book. This is one worth reading over and over to further reinforce the concepts.
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Summary: Didn't keep my interest.
Review: He had some good things to say and some good points, but for the most part he wasn't telling me anything far from what I already knew. I got bored and never finished the book. Check it out from the library.
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Summary: Principles of solid leadership for everyday life
Review: In trying to come up with what he calls a character ethics, Stephen Covey has managed to write a powerful book on leadership. He is an excellent writer and his use of examples from personal life is unparallelled. His examples do more than just illustrate his points, they are so vivid, they offer insights to a discerning reader beyond the immediate argument. The man is a first rate philosopher as well and does an excellent job sharing his experience and making sense of it.
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Summary: NOT an Audio Book -- more like a CD Seminar
Review: The "Audio CD" version of THE SEVEN HABITS OF HIGHLY EFFECTIVE PEOPLE is NOT really an audio book. However, the availability of an ABRIDGED Audio CD version might lead you to believe that it is an unabridged reading of the book. Because of this, I rated the "Audio CD" version with only 3 stars. I have not heard the abridged version, so my comments do apply to it. The "Audio CD" version of THE 7 HABITS is really more like a Seminar on CD -- a VERY HIGH QUALITY CD Seminar, in fact. Mr. Covey TEACHES this material in short segments separated by musical interludes, with commercial-type announcements like "Steven R. Covey will now teach us the importance of putting first things first." TESTIMONY-type inserts in other people's voices are scattered throughout. Many, many people will enjoy this EVEN MORE than a straight reading of the book -- especially if you are going through the 7 HABITS in a small group setting. This format is perfect for that. If I could rate the PRODUCT and the CONTENT separately, I might give this a 5-STAR rating for content; however, I wrote this review for the person who is wondering if this is an unabridged AudioBook, a straightforward reading of the text of the book. It is not. If THAT is what you want, don't get this. Personally, I found the musical interludes annoying. I found the changes in volume disruptive. The first few times the music came on, I literally jumped in my seat because the sudden increase in volume startled me. And the opposite is just as annoying. Some of the testimonies are slightly lower in volume, and difficult to hear over traffic without turning the volume up temporarily. In conclusion, this CD set does not earn my recommendation for good CAR LISTENING. It does not earn my recommendation as a good AUDIO BOOK. BUT it is a HIGHLY EFFECTIVE way to present the material, and I think that many, many people would rate it with 5 STARS for the exact same reason that I gave it 3, thinking "Wow, it's even better than an audio book!"
Rating:
Summary: My favorite non-fiction book. Period.
Review: More than a self-help guru, Stephen Covey is a philosopher. Even before he starts talking about the habits, his introduction about paradigms is nothing less than brilliant. If you read this book and didn't benefit from it, you really should stop and question whether or not opened yourself up to it. But then again, you also have to be open to my suggestion. And also, who am I to judge? The reason I call him a philosopher is because attempting to learn the habits has lead my mind to questions like "am I self-aware enough to know how self-aware I am?" I know, it sounds silly and new age and full of buzzwords, but "paradigm" wasn't the word it is before Covey explained it to us, and for me it will never go back. p.s. I keep a second copy at hand so I have a gift to give to a friend at a moment's notice.
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Summary: The most important of all books
Review: "Everything is about nuance, " said a friend recently. What is it about a three chord Bob Dylan song that makes it so unique and special, and so different from the millions of other three chord songs that have been written or could be written? What makes one teacher's lesson plan so much more effective when taught by that teacher than the exact same lesson plan when taught by another teacher? And what makes Stephen Covey's The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People - a 320 page masterpiece which really feels like nothing more than intellectualized common sense - so, well, effective? Nuance. Yet it is a series of nuances that makes 7 Habits so unique and so much more appealing than other "self-improvement" books. When I read this book, I could not put it down. Like the three chord Dylan song, I was sometimes saying, "Why this book? What exactly is so different here?" Nevertheless, this book has had a profound impact on my life, in that many times it provides a frame of reference for much of what I already believe, and encourages me to act on my own personal set of principles and beliefs in a way that no other book I've read ever has. Warning - you have to be at a point in your life in which you are ready to make a change in order for this book to be effective. The book can not "act upon you," you must be "willing to act." The powerful thesis present in this book is the firm belief, which other wise individuals have espoused, that you can change your life if you want to. Bad habits can be broken, you are not resigned to live with the "script" that you have lived to date. When I first picked up the book, I couldn't figure out exactly what it was going to be about. I expected to see specifics like, "Clean up your desk, schedule a half hour a day of meditation, eat lots of green vegetables," etc. However, Covey will not tell you what to do, he simply offers a set of principles to follow. I respect that. He will not give you the answers - you have to find them and know them for yourself. Most important, unlike so much of even the best time management advice and investment advice, Covey appeals to principles such as honesty and integrity and compassion. He says that these things come first, and he argues that being a decent human being can be good for the soul and for the bottom line. Hence, "effective." And that is why this book is a business book that can be adapted for many different purposes, rather than just some piece of noveau pop psychology. When I was done reading, it was very clear as to why this book has been so popular for all these years. Some criticisms on these boards suggest that Covey's advise is trite and obvious. Again, I argue that he succeeds with nuance - there's just something about this book that makes it different! I also disagree with those who say he intellectualizes. In fact, he merely refuses to give quick and easy answers. Additionally, I don't believe he writes in a "holier than thou" tone. Many times he acknowledges his own faults, but to successfully write a book such as this, one can not spend the whole time apologizing for being human. One must argue for a clear set of principles and beliefs, and must be confident when doing so. This is one of the greatest books ever written. It is definitely the most important book I have ever read.
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Summary: Great Book On Self-Improvement, But ....
Review: This is one of the best books ever written on this subject. I suggest that this is the one to use. But in order to successfully implement "THE 7 HABITS ..", you should make sure you have all your own blocks in line. Make sure you have a handle on your own values. You should be asking questions like "WHY is this or that right or wrong, good or evil, moral or immoral?". For that part of it, I'll give you a heads up that will save you a ton of other reading --- and money. Get hold of what's becoming the "companion book" of all the how-to books on self-help, leadership, and character, a book for boneing up on character, morals, and ethics titled "WEST POINT", by Norman Thomas Remick. Then implement the suggestions in Mr. Covey's excellent book, "THE 7 HABITS ...".
Rating:
Summary: A Firm foundation for self improvement
Review: Over the years I have read this book 4-5 times. Each time I read it I get something new from it. It is hokey at times, and Covey assumes that the rest of the world has principles too. But nevertheless getting a mission statement for your life puts you on the right road. When I sat down and thought about what was really important to me, and wrote down what I wanted my life to look like, I found that I was pursuing too many things that dragged me away from what I valued most. You have to read it twice though. You won't get it on the first read. Maybe I'm just not that bright!
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Summary: THE PATHFINDER
Review: 'Think And Grow Rich' by Napoleon Hill used to be my favourite self help book until I came across this personal leadership handbook of the century. Dr. Covey has done a wonderful job by telling us that there is no real excellence in all this world which can be seprated from right living.
It's not about things.....it's about people. It's about us.
Read this book and find out why ONE SHOULD BE ABLE TO LIVE OUTSIDE HIS/HER 'AUTOBIOGRAPHY' TO UNDERSTAND OTHERS. '7 Habits Of Highly Effective People' teaches us how to Live,to Love,to Learn and to Leave a Legacy.
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