Rating: 
Summary: fabulous CONCRETE suggestions for structure, chaos breakthro
Review: Not exactly a self-help or inspirational book, but in a time when moral direction is so outwardly forcused and so frequently missed, this provides all the lost souls, and many of the astute, with nearly palpable, viseral direction, focus and hope. Inspirational without being condescending or preachy.. especially hopeful in that the author encourages us as readers to pass the information along through casual teaching to otheres, as a form of reinforcing his lessons. Actually pretty cool foundation, esp. time mgmt, roles and goals etc. WAtch out, don't obssess
Rating:
Summary: Uncommon Sense
Review: I found this book to be quite remarkable. In fact, I recomend this book more than any other. It is very accessable, an easy read. The only hard part is implementing it, making these 7 ideas into habits. Understanding them is easy, making them intrinsic parts of your being...that's the hard part. Critics complain this book is nothing but common sense. Maybe so, but I have yet to see SO much common sense distilled into such a simple and clear form. Can you learn all this without the book? Sure, chances are you already know most of it. But the real strength of this book is not what it gives you, but what it doesn't give you. What Covey has done is researched the "success literature" of the last 100 years, found the re-occuring themes and presented them in a clear and concise way. This is the reason why this book is important. It is not yet another person spouting how to be a success. It is someone distilling all that previous info, seperating the wheat from the chafe, SO YOU DON'T HAVE TO. This book is like a fillet mignon, cut from the cow of success literiture. Nothing but the good stuff.
Rating: 
Summary: Losing touch with your devils
Review: I think the book has many good ideas to feed from. However, it cannot be taken literally. There are some aspects which are doubtful and which would lead us to actually avoid any negative aspects of ourselves which as we are not perfect, should learn to accept and understand rather than completely ignore them.
Rating: 
Summary: Everything Covey says is either obvious or wrong
Review: Anyone who needs a book to tell them that they ought to live life according to their deepest values has bigger problems than Covey--or anyone else--can solve. Are there really that many people who didn't know they could live life according to their personal values until Covey came along? Covey regularly tries to apply analogies from how science works to how business should work--the problem is, he doesn't really understand how science works. And he doesn't understand what a paradigm is, either. A paradigm shift involves a major shift in your entire view of the world--realizing the earth revolves around the sun, or that most of solid matter is really empty space--and doesn't apply to more localized revelations such as "I'm going to live a better life" or "I'm going to work the way I always wanted to"--the latter are smaller, localized changes that may be significant in an individual life, but are not on the scale of a true "paradigm shift." Covey, and other business pundits who've applied this word to the localized world of the office, have misused and weakened the language in the process. I also found it irritating to see the examples Covey gave of how he applied his business knowledge to his own family. Even if his business examples work in a practical way in the office, running a family is not the same as running a company, and I can only hope some of his kids had the sense to get out of that household as soon as they were of age. As for the business advice itself--well, either you can figure this stuff out yourself, or you're only working by rote anyway. I've seen all the people who say this book changed their lives. I can only think that it's a shame they had such shallow lives to begin with. I'm glad the book helped--but I'm dismayed to imagine people might be such poor thinkers that they need this book in the first place. And ultimately, that's the real problem workplaces face. Put the self-help books aside, and learn how to think without being given step-by-step instructions for every task. You'll be far more valuable to your employer--and get far more out of your own life--than if you keep looking for someone else to give you rules and systems to follow.
Rating:
Summary: DON'T MISS THE CHANCE TO MAKE YOUR LIFE A SUCCESS
Review: FOR THOSE WHO WISH TO LEARN HOW TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN PERSONAL AND BUSINESS LIFE THIS IS A MUST READ. THE HYPE OF THE BOOK IS JUSTIFIED AND I ENCOURAGE ANYONE WHO REALLY NEEDS A GUIDE TO SUCCESS TO GIVE THIS BOOK A CHANCE. THE BOOK IS REQUIRED READING FOR ALL MY SUPERVISORS/MANAGERS.
Rating: 
Summary: 7 Habits - A Trojan Horse for Time-Honored Principles
Review: Seven Habits effectively presents a message of personal responsibility to a unsuspecting audience looking for a quick fix of success from the self-help isle. The reader, runs smack into the often proclaimed, but little prescribed truth that success is an inside-out job. The tools provided, the weekly planner and personal mission statement provide practical ways to begin integrating the Seven Habits into your daily life. But beware..this book will take the wind out of your old excuses for being miserable and show you the indisputable truth about the human condition - given any set of circumstances, we can freely choose our response! Get ready to take responsibility for your life.
Rating:
Summary: Some excellent ideas, but too wordy
Review: I quite liked the audio version of this book, but I don't think that the book added much - the habits themselves are good ones to adopt, but the book surrounds them with so much wordage and over-explanation that the overall message got lost somewhat. My advice would be to stick to the tape, and that, if you're going to read the book at all, do so selectively.
Rating:
Summary: This book is for people who want to be a better person.
Review: It's common sense, but definitely not common practice. Knowing them is easy, but living them is not. I picked up this book during my most stressful time. It changed me since. I've re-read it many times, everytime I found new insights. Read it, understand it, and most importantly -- practice it.
Rating:
Summary: If you want quick fix solutions, this book is NOT for you.
Review: Dr. Covey's use of metaphors to demonstrate his seven habits may, at first glance, give the appearance of common sense rules that everyone should know. However, a second reading of his book and an in depth understanding of his tapes will help unravel the mysteries of human motivation as well as provide suggestions on how to attain the goals and objectives for things that are truly important. As Dr. Covey clearly states, this is not a quick fix book nor does it teach techniques that can be used to manipulate people. It is a life changing book that inspires and teaches us to continuously seek improvement in our lives; and, to be "a light, not a judge". If you want to learn how to "carry your own weather" with you, how to climb the ladder of success that leans against the correct wall, or how to deal with that difficult employee, employer, or child, this book is meant for you.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent - Covy hits it right on the mark
Review: If this book doesn't change you nothing will. Don't waste time reading reviews, read the book. Don't be fooled though, these steps require practice. Don't buy this book looking for an easy change.
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