THE 7 HABITS OF HIGHLY EFFECTIVE PEOPLE
This paper will review author Steven R. Covey's bestselling book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. This paper will also analyze Covey's habits and point out which habits will best cause people to become more effective leaders.
One of the first things which Covey points out is that "habits can be learned and unlearned" (46). Covey notes that breaking deeply embedded habits like impatience, procrastination, and selfishness can take time. However, breaking such unpleasant habits is often a crucial step toward a person's achievement of new goals. Although breaking unwanted habits takes a great commitment, Covey asserts that, if a person's desire to change is coupled with an understanding that one must be willing to subordinate what one wants now to achieve what one wants later, a person may reap rewards from his or her plans (46-48). Once a person is aware that acquiring new habits may involve the breaking or replacement of old habits, a person is mentally motivated to begin a new plan of action.
The first of Covey's habits of effectiveness involves being proactive. A good example which Covey gave of being proactive involved a married couple. The husband was complaining to Covey that the spark of romance and passion had gone out of his marriage (79). Covey's response to the despondent man was that he must love his wife. The author advised the husband to listen to his wife, make sacrifices for her, appreciate her, serve her, empathize with her, and affirm her (79-80). Taking Covey's advice meant that the husband could no longer complain about how loveless his marriage was but instead had to take a "proactive" role in making his marriage take a turn for the better.
Similarly, Covey's book advises people to take the initiative instead of waiting for someone to take care of them or for something wonderful to happen. Covey accurately points out that people who get t...