Summaries and Customer Reviews are supplied by Amazon.com

As with many self-help books, much of what you read here is based on basic common sense and can at times be irritatingly obvious. However, what Covey manages to do so successfully is to break down the barriers which prevent all of us from taking a long hard look at ourselves, and then gradually introduces new rules which allow us to move first from dependence to independence and then towards the ultimate goal of interdependence. But of course, the only real way to test the value of The Habits--be proactive, begin with the end in mind, put first things first, think "win/win", seek first to understand and then to be understood, synergise, sharpen the saw-- is to work on them. This book is as good as any place to start on the road to self-awareness and self-improvement in the workplace and in the home without becoming too irritatingly smug and self-satisfied. --Susan Harrison

Average Customer Rating:

An Exceptional Book

Customer Rating:

In browsing my book shelf I came upon and then found myself rereading this incredibly simple yet profound book. The principles and ideas Stephen writes about are truly ways to discover how to live your life as the person you want to be. I especially found the section where Stephen writes about how powerful unexamined attitudes and perceptions influence how I react toward situations and others. Once I started looking at my predetermined thoughts...those same situations became less mundane and irritating. My experiences became more authentic, meaningful and enjoyable instantaneously. Stephen writes of this as a "paradigm shift", where our attitudes and behaviors, left unexamined, shape how we feel and act in our life in mechanical patterns. Two authors that have also inspired and ignited my passion for living a magnificent life are Ariel & Shya Kane. The Kanes works: "Being Here: Modern Day Tales of Enlightenment", "Working on Yourself Doesn't Work: The 3 Simple Ideas That Will Instantaneously Transform Your Life","How to Create a Magical Relationship: The 3 Simple Ideas that Will Instantaneously Transform Your Love Life: The 3 Simple Ideas That Will Instantaneously Transform Your Love Life" and their internet radio show "Being Here" on Voiceamerica.com are all indispensable sources I turn to in supporting my well-being in all areas of my life. I highly recommend the Kanes and Stephen Covey classic, timeless book "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People."

Live by Principles, not Personality

Customer Rating:

I don't think A Customer read it properly. You define 'effective' as the ability to produce YOUR excellent results (whatever they are) consistently - a balance of production and production capability. YOU also define your own happiness and seek it out - effectively. The rest of the book provides a systematic way of doing so, in a way that recognises that we achieve NOTHING meaningful without the input, or for the benefit,of other people. This is one of the two GREATEST books on personal development I have ever read. It shows how recognition of the principles that guide our lives WHETHER WE LIKE IT OR NOT can enhance rather than defeat our lives, instead of playing to the personality 'I can do what I like' ethic that defeats so many politicians, celebrities and other powerful people.

A hard, but worthwhile read.

Customer Rating:

Its easy to see why this book has been so successful for so long. This is the first `Self Improvement' book I ever read. At the time, I was stuck in a dead end job with very few prospects thoroughly miserable. This book showed me that life is not about `have too's' and `must do's' but about `choices'. Its only when you realise this that you can truly take hold of your life. Habit 2 which covers time management is truly inspirational. Since reading this book in 2002, I have more that tripled my income and halved the amount of hours a week I spend doing so. This book is a hard slog of a read sometimes but stick with it and it may change your life!

Not an E-Z read.

Customer Rating:

For a personal change book, I found it rather a hard read. The book to me is, well, complicated. The seven habits make sense and all, but the whole process seems to involve making layers of change, with each layer being a whole book in itself. Not a very quick read, and I'm not saying its not worthwhile and all, it's more a book that you have to be willing to work with. Readers who like less sophisticated personal change books might enjoy The Sixty-Second Motivator.

Nonsense of the highest order

Customer Rating:

While working for a previous company, I was sent on this course (which included reading the book). I'm sure the company meant well, but my experience of the "7 Habits of Highly Effective People", was essentially teaching people how to suck eggs. Stephen R. Covey has made a personal fortune out of selling what most critical thinkers realise for themselves at an early age. His writings are bland and uninteresting, telling us what we already know in a language barely recognisable as English. "Synergize", "leverage", "win-win"; I'm sure you've heard them before. They are all here. Do they mean anything? In my humble opinion - not in the slightest. Steer clear.