BOOK Review

Presented By: Rabia & Hafsa

“The 7 habits Highly Effective People” is written By Stephen R. Covey, 1989, 342 pages.  In this book, the author
lays out the seven habits of successful people, the seven fundamental principles that enable the most successful
and entrepreneurial people to achieve their goals. Used on a daily basis, they will help those who practice them
to live a happy, well-balanced and successful life.

The book is a reference to the skills of personal development, effective communication and successful
interaction. Covey doesn’t claim he can produce an instant miracle, rather a gradual process of transition that,
with practice over time, will give us the tools to make radical and positive changes. It shows us how to explore
ourselves in depth, our philosophies, the parameters that we set out and how we deal with the problems that
happen. It also shows us our most genuine, long term and deep-rooted values. The book not only sets out a
step-by-step approach to a successful business, but also defines the ethos of a way of life based on the
principles of ethics, integrity, wisdom and common sense. The laws of success, outlined in the book, are
universal and applicable to all areas of life. However, they must be practiced on a daily basis. Success is a habit,
as is failure. With all the responsibilities and time constraints that are imposed on us, in such a competitive
world, it is very helpful to have such a well-written guide.

Habits 1, 2 and 3 deal with the notions of being proactive, self-control and being independent. They set out the
foundations for the skills required in order to succeed. Habits 4, 5 and 6 chart the path to interdependence, and
provide the route towards being successful. Habit 7 refers to the previous points and the continual
improvement required in relation to the various challenges that life brings. Most people spend their
lives seeking happiness through material gains and like to show off their achievements. However, this often
results in a lack of self-fulfilment, without meaning or reason. These inner problems don’t always have a simple
answer. The cause of these problems is rooted in how we think and what it is that motivates us. We interpret
the world through what we have learnt from the people we know and the environment in which we live.

Our character is a collection of our habits, and habits have a powerful role in our lives. Habits consist of
knowledge, skill, and desire. Knowledge allows us to know what to do, skill gives us the ability to know how
to do it, and desire is the motivation to do it. The Seven Habits move us through the following stages: 1.
Dependence: the paradigm under which we are born, relying upon others to take care of us. 2. Independence:
the paradigm under which we can make our own decisions and take care of ourselves. 3. Interdependence:
the paradigm under which we cooperate to achieve something that cannot be achieved independently. Much
of the success literature today tends to value independence, encouraging people to become liberated and do
their own thing. The reality is that we are interdependent, and the independent model is not optimal for use
in an interdependent environment that requires leaders and team players. To make the choice to become
interdependent, one first must be independent, since dependent people have not yet developed the character
for interdependence. Therefore, the first three habits focus on self-mastery, that is, achieving the private
victories required to move from dependence to independence.

Change starts from within, and highly effective people make the decision to improve their lives through the
things that they can influence rather than by simply reacting to external forces. Develop a principle-centered
personal mission statement. Extend the mission statement into long-term goals based on personal principles.
Spend time doing what fits into your personal mission, observing the proper balance between production and
building production capacity. Identify the key roles that you take on in life, and make time for each of them.
Seek agreements and relationships that are mutually beneficial. In cases where a "win/win" deal cannot be
achieved, accept the fact that agreeing to make "no deal" may be the best alternative. In developing an
organizational culture, be sure to reward win/win behavior among employees and avoid inadvertantly
rewarding win/lose behavior. First seek to understand the other person, and only then try to be understood.
Stephen Covey presents this habit as the most important principle of interpersonal relations. Effective
listening is not simply echoing what the other person has said through the lens of one's own experience.
Rather, it is putting oneself in the perspective of the other person, listening empathically for both feeling and
meaning. Through trustful communication, find ways to leverage individual differences to create a whole that
is greater than the sum of the parts. Through mutual trust and understanding, one often can solve conflicts
and find a better solution than would have been obtained through either person's own solution. Take time
out from production to build production capacity through personal renewal of the physical, mental,
social/emotional, and spiritual dimensions. Maintain a balance among these dimensions.

As Covey said,Seek first to understand ,then to be understood.It means that seeking to understand requires
consideration;seeking to be understood take courage.
Overall, this book is definitely a must read. Not because of its popularity or anything like that but because it
addresses the one thing that really matters. Habits. I truly believe that if we can just change our habits, we can
change our lives. The only problem with changing habits is that it’s so common sense that no one takes it
seriously. That’s why I love this book because Covey breaks everything down into a step-by-step process.
Before even diving into the 7 habits, he explains the psychology of what we do and how our paradigms affect
our daily actions. He then proceeds to really nail the fact that we are not who we think but instead just acting
on who we think we are. This really sets the stage on why the 7 habits are so important.

This book is a classic and I would highly recommend it to anyone looking to improve themselves. Especially if
you’re new to Personal Development, this book will be quite an easy read.  Unlike more advanced personal
development books, which may dive deeply into the neuroscience of our brain, this book focuses more on
actionable concepts. My only advice is to take each concept seriously so that you don’t fall into the trap of
thinking it’s common sense. Because it’s definitely not common practice for most of us.

7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey is a must read not only because it’s a classic but
because it talks about the one thing that gives us long-term change – habits. Covey uses a lot of stories and
examples to help us better understand the importance of each habit. Unlike other more advanced personal
development books, Covey dives less into the neuroscience of our brain and draws out the actionable part of
each concept which makes it easy to understand and apply. Especially if you’re new to personal development,
7 Habits of Highly Effective People is a very good first read.

However because it’s such a classic (first published in 1989), we might run the risk of dismissing each
concept as common sense because we’ve heard them before or already know it. But the real question isn’t
whether you know it or not, the question is, whether you apply it. More specifically, whether you apply it
often enough to call it a habit. So the secret to this book is to turn what you learn into embedded habits.

I conclude it with a single statement, find your voice and inspire others to find theirs.

My rating for this book is 4.5