The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People

This is one of the best-known leadership books of recent years, and the key phrase in the title is "people-focused". Rather than tackling specific problems or making external changes to processes, systems and so on, Covey's approach helps you focus on developing yourself personally and your relationships with others.




First published in 1989, the Seven Habits of Highly Effective People explains a useful set of guiding principles that help you change personally as well as professionally, and so become more effective.


Covey describes three distinct stages of personal growth that we move through as we develop these habits:
Dependence: This is where we start, dependent on other people. And without personal development, we would stay stuck at this stage.

Independence: Through personal development, we become more independent and take responsibility for our actions. Still, however, we are not fully effective.

Interdependence: At this stage, we develop the understanding that, although we are self-reliant, we still need other people to accomplish our goals. At the interdependence stage we embrace the idea of working together for better results.

The Seven Habits Explained


The Seven Habits help us move through these three stages of personal development. The first three take you from dependence to independence. The next three usher you along to interdependence, and the seventh is needed to reinforce the others.

1. Be Proactive
2. Begin with the End in Mind
3. Put First Things First4. Think Win-Win

5. Seek First to Understand, Then to be Understood

6. Synergize

7. "Sharpen the Saw"