Living the 7 Habits : The Courage to Change

Rating:
Summary: VERY GOOD
Review: Awesome book! It was great to really see what the 7 habits have done for people. It gave me a greater understanding of how the 7 habits work and caused me to want to use them more. After reading this book, I was convinced of how useful the 7 habits are. Excellent book! However, I realized that without having, at least a small foundation of the 7 habits first, I probably would not have even gotten past the first story. Another highlight was Stephen R. Covey's question and answer section in the back. It helped to fill in a few emply spaces in the whole 7 habits phenomenon for me.

Rating:
Summary: 7 Habits in action!
Review: I hesitated to buy this book. After reading 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, I thought that Dr. Covey had said all that he needed or could say. Boy was I wrong?

In living the 7 habits, Dr. Covey brings the 7 Habits to life. This book touched my heart and my soul. It made me dust of my old copy of 7 Habits and read it again along with this volume. It made the 7 Habits work like never before and created more balance and happiness inmy life.

If you are not touched agter reading this book, then you had better check your vitamin dosage. It is powerful.

Rating:
Summary: It's not enough to know, you must also do...
Review: I like this book. It is very inspiritional. It's sort of like Chicken Soup for the Soul or like an Millionaire Next Door for inspirition and attitude. It tells stories of people who have done it---used the 7 Habits and gotten incredible results.1 star reviewers don't like it because it takes all of the wind out of their claims against Covey and his philosophy.I particularly enjoyed the story on page 57, "I can choose my life." Very, very powerful.7 Habits should be your first book to read. You can then add this one either as a companion to while reading 7 Habits or after you get through the 7 Habits.I also recommend Principle Centered Leadership.

Rating:
Summary: Seven Habits Come to Life!
Review: I've been listening to Stephen Covey for years, and I think he's one of the wisest observers of the human spirit around.

While all of his programs are inspiring, Living the 7 Habits is probably the most moving - because it brings the 7 Habits to life, by showing how people have used them to change their lives for the better.

I was so moved hearing some of these stories, and even more moved when I realized that, thanks to Dr. Covey's wonderful guidance, I can bring the same wisdom and insight into my own life.

It's pretty clear that I was already familiar with the 7 Habits when I heard this, but you don't have to be - I recommend this as an excellent starting point for anybody who is encountering this way of living for the very first time, as well as for people like me who have heard and read a lot about it but can still use some help putting it to work on a day to day basis.

And what a generous program it is - nine compact discs long, but it doesn't even cost $30 ... even less with discounts!

Rating:
Summary: Valuable Companion to the 7 Habits
Review: If "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People" is the theory, then this book is the application thereof. Covey sometimes feared that concrete examples might confuse readers about the habits, believing that a particular ACTION was confused for the PRINCIPLE or habit. I do not think that this is the case if a person reads the former book before tackling "The Courage to Change." The book illustrates the 7 habits in several different situations ranging from family to business and to social organizations. Some of the stories might bring readers to tears - some deal with deep tragedy. Others illustrate the courage to change long-held beliefs when reality said that those beliefs were no longer valid for the changing times and circumstances. Most of the stories are only a few pages long and can be read in one sitting. In some cases, several can be read in one sitting.

This is a must read for students of Covey.

Rating:
Summary: A great book
Review: OK!For a start this book is awfully good.It has numerous inspiring stories from lots of people who have succesfully tackled 'simple but very important' daily problems that helped changing their lives 'forever' BUT THE THING I DON'T LIKE and UNDERSTAND ABOUT THIS BOOK is why a prominent writer such as Stephen R. Covey has to take the credits of these great people by relating to and praising his 7 habits. What I mean is,most of the times I read a book a day, I highlight important facts and sayings and later try my best to analyze them for my better future but the funny thing is You can not put them into practice until every fiber of your being wants you too so...

Looking at the brighter side of the moon - this book is so pleasant with triumphous stories that might have some relevance to your lives and even help you how to triumph over simple things we consider as big.

Rating:
Summary: The proof and example of the 7 Habits
Review: This book not only proves that the 7 Habits work, but gives the reader greater insight by example as to how they may apply the 7 Habits themselves. Covey gives some insight before and after each story for additional instruction. This book is comparable to the Chicken Soup Series, except this book contains expert instruction and explanation. A great follow up to the 7 Habits.

Rating:
Summary: Not enought to learn, you must LIVE the 7 Habits
Review: What I liked about this book is that it includes many inspiring stories, but even better, goes even deeper into the 7 habits than the original book did and in a different way.

This book should be read in addition to, not in place of The 7 Habits. It is not the "same book on a different cover." It is an expanded version of The 7 Habits.

Rating:
Summary: A multitude of examples of successful applications
Review: When I first read "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People" I recognized its value but was not highly enough motivated to incorporate it into my daily life. Then with the passage of time and particularly after reading Covey's "Principle-Centered Leadership" I came back to it. Yet there was still something holding me back. The missing something was "Living the 7 Habits: Stories of Courage and Inspiration" with its multitude of examples of successful application in real world situations. I needed the encouragement of others to tell me "Hey this is how I applied it; it worked for me; you can do it, too." You need to read all three books because there is a multiplier effect - the three together are greater than their simple sum.

"Living the 7 Habits: The Courage to Change" is a collection of personal statements in four broad contexts: individual, family, community and education, and workplace. This synopsis is about the person who was appointed change agent of a major company that, with an annual growth rate of 40%, was one of the fastest growing companies in the world. " My goal was to create an organization of fifteen thousand exceptional businesspeople. We assumed that everyone wanted to be an entrepreneur within the company, and we gave them credit for having the brains and initiative to do it. My mission was to change the culture within what is essentially a virtual company. Our corporation had more territorial rivalries than the Middle East. Information was hoarded. Communication was disjointed. Trust and synergy were virtually nonexistent. Suddenly, the competition was all over us, undercutting our prices and courting our customers. One of my directives was to make the company more competitive and to learn faster than our competition. My job was to help create among the company's widely scattered population a sense of shared purpose (Habit 2: Begin with the End in Mind). After recruiting the best, brightest, and most highly motivated people, we gently immersed them in the realities of our business, presenting them with information on profit margins, the marketplace, and the influences impacting the decisions of their customers (Habit 5: Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood). They were also introduced to a specially designed 7 Habits course to provide them with foundational principles and context for the other materials. There were only three rules: Take care of yourself. Take care of each other. Take care of this place. It wasn't long before mission statements began appearing on cubicle walls, and the conversations among employees were marked by references to making deposits into Emotional Bank Accounts. It was an experience of self-discovery for many people. They realized that the company valued them. I had spouses come to me after their husbands or wives had been to a session and say, 'This changed my life because it changed our family.'"

Not all the stories relate specific actions against a specific habit. This is a synopsis of a story by a person from Indian stock whose grandfather was cheated out of 160 acres of oil-rich land. "It was only after he died, when we were going through his papers and correspondence, that I realized what a phenomenal man my simple, unassuming grandfather actually was. The Washington my grandmother referred to was actually Washington, D.C. In his papers, we found letters from governors, senators, U.S. representatives. Some congratulated him on his fiftieth wedding anniversary; others thanked him for his help with legislation issues and for his community service. I sat there thinking, "Did they know the same man I did?" He had no eloquence, no wealth, not even his own home. Yet here were famous, powerful people corresponding with him. I realized that his life had been lived not to acquire things for himself, but to help other people. He had lived a life of integrity, honesty, and dedication to family and community all the while toiling in relative obscurity and humility. Once, before he died, he told me that there are two reward systems: people who will be rewarded here and people who will be rewarded later. 'These are not the same people,' he said. He continued, 'For all that you don't see in a reward system now, you will see some other time.' We debated long and hard what to do about the situation. Should we sue him to take back the land? Should we let it alone? Shouldn't he have to pay for his wrong doings? In the end, we knew. We knew what he would do. He would let it alone and allow the taxpayer to reap whatever rewards his behavior would cause him to reap, whether here or later. My grandfather might not have been able to leave us 160 acres of oil-rich land in Oklahoma but he left us something far more important. His insistence on humility, on compassion, on spending his life trying to help those around him with no thought of reward or praise is now our family legacy. He has changed generations of people with the help he gave. Can you put a dollar-and-cents value on that? I say absolutely not. We now have a value I try to instill in my own family to continue the legacy started by the Choctaw preacher who never owned his own home."

I think there is a maturity continuum. It is as though most other books address the nuts and bolts of doing business well - and of course that is important - and then we discover that there is something more to business than just that. Then we are ready for Stephen Covey.

Rating:
Summary: 7 Habits in action!
Review: When I first read "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People" I recognized its value but was not highly enough motivated to incorporate it into my daily life. Then with the passage of time and particularly after reading Covey's "Principle-Centered Leadership" I came back to it. Yet there was still something holding me back. The missing something was "Living the 7 Habits: Stories of Courage and Inspiration" with its multitude of examples of successful application in real world situations. I needed the encouragement of others to tell me "Hey this is how I applied it; it worked for me; you can do it, too." You need to read all three books because there is a multiplier effect - the three together are greater than their simple sum.

"Living the 7 Habits: The Courage to Change" is a collection of personal statements in four broad contexts: individual, family, community and education, and workplace. This synopsis is about the person who was appointed change agent of a major company that, with an annual growth rate of 40%, was one of the fastest growing companies in the world. " My goal was to create an organization of fifteen thousand exceptional businesspeople. We assumed that everyone wanted to be an entrepreneur within the company, and we gave them credit for having the brains and initiative to do it. My mission was to change the culture within what is essentially a virtual company. Our corporation had more territorial rivalries than the Middle East. Information was hoarded. Communication was disjointed. Trust and synergy were virtually nonexistent. Suddenly, the competition was all over us, undercutting our prices and courting our customers. One of my directives was to make the company more competitive and to learn faster than our competition. My job was to help create among the company's widely scattered population a sense of shared purpose (Habit 2: Begin with the End in Mind). After recruiting the best, brightest, and most highly motivated people, we gently immersed them in the realities of our business, presenting them with information on profit margins, the marketplace, and the influences impacting the decisions of their customers (Habit 5: Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood). They were also introduced to a specially designed 7 Habits course to provide them with foundational principles and context for the other materials. There were only three rules: Take care of yourself. Take care of each other. Take care of this place. It wasn't long before mission statements began appearing on cubicle walls, and the conversations among employees were marked by references to making deposits into Emotional Bank Accounts. It was an experience of self-discovery for many people. They realized that the company valued them. I had spouses come to me after their husbands or wives had been to a session and say, 'This changed my life because it changed our family.'"

Not all the stories relate specific actions against a specific habit. This is a synopsis of a story by a person from Indian stock whose grandfather was cheated out of 160 acres of oil-rich land. "It was only after he died, when we were going through his papers and correspondence, that I realized what a phenomenal man my simple, unassuming grandfather actually was. The Washington my grandmother referred to was actually Washington, D.C. In his papers, we found letters from governors, senators, U.S. representatives. Some congratulated him on his fiftieth wedding anniversary; others thanked him for his help with legislation issues and for his community service. I sat there thinking, "Did they know the same man I did?" He had no eloquence, no wealth, not even his own home. Yet here were famous, powerful people corresponding with him. I realized that his life had been lived not to acquire things for himself, but to help other people. He had lived a life of integrity, honesty, and dedication to family and community all the while toiling in relative obscurity and humility. Once, before he died, he told me that there are two reward systems: people who will be rewarded here and people who will be rewarded later. 'These are not the same people,' he said. He continued, 'For all that you don't see in a reward system now, you will see some other time.' We debated long and hard what to do about the situation. Should we sue him to take back the land? Should we let it alone? Shouldn't he have to pay for his wrong doings? In the end, we knew. We knew what he would do. He would let it alone and allow the taxpayer to reap whatever rewards his behavior would cause him to reap, whether here or later. My grandfather might not have been able to leave us 160 acres of oil-rich land in Oklahoma but he left us something far more important. His insistence on humility, on compassion, on spending his life trying to help those around him with no thought of reward or praise is now our family legacy. He has changed generations of people with the help he gave. Can you put a dollar-and-cents value on that? I say absolutely not. We now have a value I try to instill in my own family to continue the legacy started by the Choctaw preacher who never owned his own home."

I think there is a maturity continuum. It is as though most other books address the nuts and bolts of doing business well - and of course that is important - and then we discover that there is something more to business than just that. Then we are ready for Stephen Covey.