Self-Help Nonfiction

The 7 Habits of
Highly Effective
People
Author Year Published Original Language
Stephen R. Covey 1989 English

OVERVIEW

Success Starts Used all over the world, Covey’s seven habits are a series of interconnected
steps meant to improve one’s life from the inside out. From boosting
from Within personal productivity to building deep and meaningful relationships,
Covey’s methods work equally well in business and at home.

Put First Things 3 4 Think Win/Win

First

Seek First to
Begin with the 2 5 Understand, Then to
End in Mind
Be Understood

Be Proactive 1 6 Synergize
7

Sharpen the Saw

Take Responsibility Care for Others Care for Yourself

Owning one’s decisions and Habits four through six Focusing on physical
behavior is necessary for focus on success for all, and mental health is key to
the first three habits. not just for oneself. maintaining all the habits.

Author The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

by the Numbers

>20M ~5
STEPHEN R. COVEY Copies of The 7 Habits of Years The 7 Habits of Highly
1932–2012 Highly Effective People sold Effective People was on the
by the time of Covey’s death New York Times best-seller list
Transformative experiences
as a Mormon missionary
inspired Covey to opt out of
the family hotel business to
train others to be effective
leaders and managers. Many
years of business consulting
and extensive knowledge of
success literature resulted in
his famous and widely used
16 2
seven habits.
Covey’s age when he enrolled Years a teenage Covey spent as
at the University of Utah, where a Mormon missionary in Britain
he earned a degree in business
administration

Main Ideas

Emotional Bank Account Abundance Mentality Synergy

Trust and good relationships are Everyone wins when Positive collaborations result
built on positive interactions. they think of success as in the greatest outcomes.
an infinite resource.

hat is common sense is not always

common practice.
Stephen R. Covey, Afterword

Sources: The Economist, Encyclopaedia Britannica, New York

Times, NPR

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