Stephen R. Covey, with additional material by Sean Covey
340 pp., Simon & Schuster, 2020, $18.99
These are strange times indeed. Layoffs, closures, pay cuts, cutbacks and role changes have become almost standard operating procedures as our industry struggles to survive the pandemic.
But with the hindsight earned over four decades in this business, much of it learned from mistakes, I’m convinced that the best survival strategy in difficult times is to focus on the basics. That’s why I’m recommending a read, or a re-read, of Stephen Covey’s classic 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.
In a blurb on the first edition, published back in 1989, motivational icon Anthony Robbins says, “Fundamentals are the key to success. Stephen Covey is the master of them. Buy his book, but most importantly, use it.”
Many took Robbins’ advice; the book wound up selling 40 million copies. This summer, at the height of the pandemic, the publishers released a new, revised edition, with some fresh insights by Covey’s son, Sean (Covey himself passed from complications of a bike accident in 2012).
As author and educator Jim Collins writes about Covey in the forward to the new edition: “His life is done, but his work is not. It continues, right here in the book, as alive today as when it was first written.”
I agree completely. In fact, let’s skip the first six habits for now and jump ahead to the seventh, in which Covey recommends we Sharpen the Saw. That concept has motivated me and thousands of others for years, especially when times are uncertain. 2020 certainly qualifies.
This sharpening, Covey says, is “the single most powerful investment we can ever make in life – investment in ourselves, in the only instrument we have with which to deal with life and to contribute. We are the instruments of our own performance, and to be effective, we need to recognize the importance of taking time regularly to sharpen the saw in all four ways.” Later, he defines those four ways as physical, mental, social/emotional, and spiritual improvements.
If this all sounds a little like preaching, that’s not entirely coincidental. Covey was a devout Mormon, and it shows. One reviewer called the Seven Habits “a secular distillation of Latter-Day Saint values.” Don’t let that put you off, however; Covey’s not imploring you to forswear coffee or repent your career in gaming. The book is truly secular and relevant no matter your spiritual leanings. It just offers solid building blocks to make you a better person and a better leader.
In re-reading this during the last few weeks, I was struck by the timeliness of the lessons, most of which seem to have been torn out of today’s headlines. Considering the fractious nature of politics today (i.e., how two seemingly bright and well-read persons can have such opposing viewpoints: I love Trump/I hate Trump) the opening section on Paradigms and Principals offer hope for those who find it difficult to seek compromise and compatibility.
This book should be required reading in Washington.
The amusing tale of the Admiral and the Seaman, each urging each other to change course, first published here, is now a classic. It hammers home the importance of considering the point-of-view of others.
Without recounting the lessons of each habit, I’d be remiss if I didn’t cite one more that is incredibly relevant today: “Put First Things First.” Easy to say, hard to do consistently. Like much of this book, this strategy is most relevant in the context of the habits that precede and follow. Yet this habit can be especially useful in making it through these days, when the rules are constantly changing based on the whims and random nature of a novel virus.
Be forewarned: unlike several of the books we’ve covered recently, this is not a quick read. It will take some work to consume. And the lessons will take some consistent practice to adhere.
Covey seemingly acknowledges that in his preface, in which he offers a tip to help you get through the book: “Read it as though you are going to teach it to your spouse, your child, a business associate, or a friend today or tomorrow, while it is still fresh, and notice the difference in your mental and emotional progress.” That sounds a little like his second habit, “Begin with the end in mind.”
If you want the 30th Anniversary paperback edition, you can find in on Amazon, Powells, Bookshop.org, or at your favorite bookstore, for under $20. However, I’ve seldom been to a garage sale, thrift store, or reselling website where you couldn’t find a used earlier edition for a dollar or two. Why anyone would sell their copy is a mystery to me; there’s no better book to dust off and re-read every few years. Thank you, Mr. Covey. In pace requiescat.
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