Copyright The Habits of Highly Effective People Copyright © 1989, 2004 by Stephen R Covey Cover art to the electronic edition copyright © 2012 by RosettaBooks, LLC All rights reserved No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review Electronic edition published 2012 by RosettaBooks LLC, New York ePub ISBN: 978-0-7953-2342-3 To my colleagues, empowered and empowering Acknowledgments Interdependence is a higher value than independence This work is a synergistic product of many minds It began in the middle seventies as I was reviewing 200 years of success literature as part of a doctoral program I am grateful for the inspiration and wisdom of many thinkers and for the trans-generational sources and roots of this wisdom I am also grateful for many students, friends, and colleagues at Brigham Young University and the Covey Leadership Center and for thousands of adults, parents, youth, executives, teachers, and other clients who have tested this material and have given feedback and encouragement The material and arrangement has slowly evolved and has imbued those who have been sincerely and deeply immersed in it with the conviction that the Seven Habits represent a holistic, integrated approach to personal and interpersonal effectiveness, and that, more than in the individual habits themselves, the real key lies in the relationship among them and in how they are sequenced For the development and production of the book itself I feel a deep sense of gratitude: —to Sandra and to each of our children and their spouses for living lives of integrity and service and for supporting my many travels and involvements outside the home It’s easy to teach principles loved ones live —to my brother John for his constant love, interest, insights and purity of soul —to the happy memory of my father —to my mother for her devotion to her more than 87 living descendants and for her constant demonstrations of love —to my dear friends and colleagues in the business, especially: —to Bill Marre, Ron McMillan, and Lex Watterson for feedback, encouragement, editorial suggestions, and production help —to Brad Anderson, who at great personal sacrifice for over a year, developed a Seven Habits video-based development program Under his leadership this material has been tested and refined and is being implemented by thousands of people across a broad range of organizations Almost without exception, after initial exposure to this material, our clients desire to make it available to greater numbers of employees, underscoring our confidence that it “works.” —to Bob Thele for helping to create a system for our firm that gave me the peace of mind to enable me to really 196-97, 217, 220-22, 224, 229 truth, definition of, 35 truths, see principle(s), 35 “Turn of the Tide, The” (Gordon), 29293 “Twentieth-Century Testimony, A,” 115 unconditional love, 199-202 understanding, 39 application suggestions for, 259-60 character and communication in, 237-39 diagnosis before prescription in, 24345 empathic listening in, 239-43 four autobiographical responses in, 245-53 of individual, 190-92 one on one in, 257-59 perception and, 253-55 as primary function, 235-60 seek to be understood after, 255-57 United States, as paradigm shift, 30 unity, 263, 274, 318 upward spiral, in renewal, 304-6 urgency, in time management, 150154, 156, 157, 159, 179 Ury, William, 233 values, 24 vs principles, 35 proactivity based on, 72, 80, 88, 106 three central, 74-75 in time management, 171 Vietnam prisoners of war, 73 vision, personal, 65-94, 216 visualization, 96-97, 131-35 Warner, Terry, 316 Watson, T J., 91 weekly vs daily scheduling, 161, 16568, 171 weekly worksheet, 165, 166-67, 181182 will, see independent will Win, 210-11 Win/Lose, 207-9, 270 Win/Win, 204-34 agreements, 223-24, 227-29 application suggestions for, 234 character, 217-21 cooperation vs competition in, 2056, 208-9, 210, 215, 229, 230 four-step process in, 233-34 five dimensions of, 216-34 management training, 224-27 or No Deal, 213-16 as paradigm, 207 performance agreements, 227-29 processes, 216, 233-34 relationships, 216, 221-23 six paradigms of human interaction in, 206-16 solutions, 233, 254, 255 supportive systems, 229-32 synergy and, 270, 271 three character traits in, 217-21 wisdom, 109-28, 216 Wolfe, Thomas, 314 work centeredness, 114, 125, 126 worksheet, weekly, 165, 166-67, 181- 182 World War I, success after, 19 writing, 296 About FranklinCovey MISSION STATEMENT We enable greatness in people and organizations everywhere FOUNDATIONAL BELIEFS We believe: People are inherently capable, aspire to greatness and have the power to choose Principles are timeless and universal, and are the foundation for lasting effectiveness Leadership is a choice, built inside out on a foundation of char​acter Great leaders unleash the collective talent and passion of people toward the right goal Habits of effectiveness come only from the committed use of integrated processes and tools Sustained superior performance requires P/PC Balance®—a focus on achieving results and on building capability VALUES Commitment to Principles We are passionate about our con​tent, and strive to be models of the principles and practices we teach Lasting Customer Impact We are relentless about delivering on our promises to our customers Our success comes only with their success Respect for the Whole Person We value each other and treat each person with whom we work as true partners Profitable Growth We embrace profitability and growth as the lifeblood of our organization; they give us the freedom to fulfill our mission and vision FranklinCovey (NYSE:FC) is the global leader in effectiveness training, productivity tools and assessment services for organizations, teams and individuals Clients include 90 percent of the Fortune 100, more than 75 percent of the Fortune 500, thousands of small and midsized businesses, as well as numerous government entities and educational institutions Organizations and individuals access FranklinCovey products and services through corporate training, licensed client facilitators, one-on-one coaching, public workshops, catalogs, more than 140 retail stores and www.franklincovey.com FranklinCovey has 2,000 associates providing professional services, products and materials in twenty-eight languages, in thirty-nine offices and in ninety-five countries worldwide Programs and Services xQ Survey and Debrief (to help leaders assess their organization’s “Ex​ecution Quotient”) The Habits of Highly Effective People workshop The Disciplines of Execution worksession FOCUS: Achieving Your Highest Priorities workshop The Roles of Leadership workshop The FranklinCovey Planning System To learn more about FranklinCovey products and services, please call 1-888-868-1776 or 1-801817-1776, or go to www.franklincovey.com About the Author Stephen R Covey is an internationally respected leadership authority, family expert, teacher, organizational consultant and author who has dedicated his life to teaching principlecentered living and leadership to build both families and organizations He holds an M.B.A from Harvard University and a doctorate from Brigham Young University, where he was a professor of organizational behavior and business management and also served as director of university relations and assistant to the president Dr Covey is the author of several acclaimed books, including the in​ternational bestseller, The Habits of Highly Effective People, which was named the #1 Most Influential Business Book of the Twentieth Century and one of the top-ten most influential management books ever It has sold more than 15 million copies in thirty-eight languages throughout the world Other bestsellers include First Things First, Principle-Centered Leadership and The Habits of Highly Effective Families, bringing the combined total to more than 20 million books sold As a father of nine and grandfather of forty-three, he received the 2003 Fatherhood Award from the National Fatherhood Initiative, which he says is the most meaningful award he has ever received Other awards given to Dr Covey include the Thomas More College Medallion for continuing service to humanity, Speaker of the Year in 1999, the Sikh’s 1998 International Man of Peace Award, the 1994 International Entrepreneur of the Year Award and the National Entrepreneur of the Year Lifetime Achievement Award for Entrepreneurial Leadership Dr Covey has also been recognized as one of Time magazine’s 25 Most Influential Americans and has received seven honorary doctorate degrees Dr Covey is the cofounder and vice chairman of FranklinCovey Company, the leading global professional services firm with offices in 123 countries They share Dr Covey’s vision, discipline and passion to inspire, lift and provide tools for change and growth of individuals and organizations throughout the world