Rating: 
Summary: Powerful lesson
Review: The 7 habits of highly effective people book is a very powerful 7 different lessons which are: 1) be proactive, 2) begin with the end in mind, 3) put first thing first, 4) think win/win, 5) seek to understand, then to be understand, 6) synergize, and 7) sharpen the saw. It talks about personal leadership through some principles with the possibility to effect people.
Before starting to read, I thought this book was going to talk about the personality of the effective people. Over time, I felt it is just for business. I wasn't interested about business so I decided to take a business class to get more knowledge. However, it was hard for me because of business words. I couldn't understand many things when I read it the first time. So I had to read it twice and looked for the definition of words. I hated to read it twice. When I saw the book for the first time, I felt it was for success in my life. But even when I finished the book I felt it was still just for business.
On the other hand, I care about the principles for developing your personality. Especially I like his examples. Some of them are very interesting but some of them feel kind of weird because most people don't do it that way, like him. So, the other people couldn't succeed like him. The examples showed how people can succeed when they use his ideas. It made me change my goal.
Rating: 
Summary: New Habits
Review: Before you can adopt these seven habits, you'll need to accomplish what the author calls a 'paradigm shift' - a change in perception of how the world works. This book takes you through the change, which will affect how you perceive and act regarding productivity, time management, positive thinking, developing your 'proactive muscles' (acting with initiative rather than reacting), and much more. This isn't a quick-tips-start-tomorrow kind of book. The concepts are sometimes intricate, and you'll want to study this book, not skim it.
Rating: 
Summary: It is about business and family
Review: The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People talks about 7 ways to be successful in your business. The book is divided in 7 chapters and in each one the author Steven Covey, describes one way of his seven habits, which are ways to interact and deal with people. So, he emphasizes communication, leadership, feelings, management
and reactions throughout the chapters that make us understand more about them and how they are useful today. In addition, we can see that the most interesting aspect in the book is how the author connects the business world to the examples that he gives us. They usually show us a personal situation that he has lived with his family. In the last chapter, he tells us about a circumstance when he and his wife had different opinions and he had to compromise with her instead of fighting with her. He shows the same attitude for example in habits 1, 4, 5 and 6, when he talks about communication, perception, understanding and dealing with people. Therefore, he combines his family and business because he tries to administer and be successful in both the same way. In my opinion, usually we have different personalities in the different roles in our lives. The way that we talk to and treat our relatives is different from the way that we talk to and treat our boss. However, for Steven Covey, family and business are completely connected and we can see that in the comparisons that he makes in the book. I think it happens because his family is the closest thing that he has and also has the same importance that a negotiation has. He invests in his family and he deals with them how he does in the business world. And, when you pay attention in the details of the examples and think about business, we can establish many comparisons capable to expand our knowledge especially, if we compare them to situations in our own lives. So, in summary all the people who are interested in starting a business or learning about it should read this book because it'll be really helpful.
Rating:
Summary: my bible
Review: Before I read this book, I only knew the title. This book was a bestseller in 1990, in Japan, my home country, so I knew about it before. I hated this kind of book before I read. Because strictly speaking this kind of book was so boring for me and I wasn't interested in it. I thought this book was also "how to" book or manual like so many kind of books had been ever published before. So I wasn't looking forward to reading it in business class. In my class, this book was a textbook, so I was unwillingly reading this book. However, as soon as I read one page, I had a shock as if a big stone had hit me. I was attracted by it. I thought this book was packed full of treasure. It was really sensational and fresh for me. I think Stephen R. Covey is one of the best writers in the entire world. He is great and wonderful. Since I opened the book, I really liked him at the same time I grew to respect him. I love this book. If you want true happiness and success, I recommend you read this book. I promise you are going to change your way of life. You may want to reads over and over until you can understand every detail. The book will appear it completely clear, not clouded like after a sudden hard rain.
Why I love this book is he didn't tell any techniques through the whole book. He consistently told principles, so it wasn't techniques and superficial things. He also taught me paradigm change. Paradigm is the way you think or your point of view or think. We have to change the paradigm. This theory changed so interesting and fascinating things for me. At first, we need to change internal things, and then we need to remove a reactive thing. Finally, we can change "outside-in" to "inside-out". The seven habit's theory is very general. So this is principal. We have to apply to using the seven habits. This is the Key for success. This book will lead you to succeed the life's goal if you read this book. His book will be the bible in my life. This book gave me direction for the way of life.
Rating:
Summary: It's a very useful book.
Review: If you are look for a book that can help you to be a better and productive person you really should consider reading this book. Stephen R. Covey did a wonderful job sharing his knowledge and experience about leadership. The book is easy to understand and very objective. There are clear instructions about how to work with other people, examples that teach how to apply the principles and explications of the habits. Some of the subjects that he teaches in the book are influence, respect, sacrifice and priorities. This book is not specifically only about important habits for leadership in business, but also it is about the leadership principles that can be used in any situation when someone is called to lead. No one becomes a leader for reading a book but Stephen Covey's book is a good place to begin. Be proactive and try to apply those habits in any area of your life and through the results you will understand why this book is known as "The bible of the leaders."
Rating: 
Summary: to make me remind my life
Review: Stephen R. Covey tries to tell us about seven habits to be good person and succeed person through "The 7 habits of highly effective people". This book has many good strategies. Here is a summary of them.
*Be proactive.
Human beings like us can decision whatever we want, and we act as our decision. We have to hold ourselves responsible for it. Don't blame it on condition. If something happens because of my behavior, it's a decision's problem, not conditions. *Begin with the end of mind:
When you start something, you have to consider about the end. In other words, if we have something to do, we have to think about how can we successfully finish it. For make something successfully, we have to plan everything from the end first because the beginning's behavior has an effect on the end. *Put first thing first:
We should organize time and make plans effectively. Everything has order. So, if we do something orderly, we can do everything effectively, and we can save our time. *Think win/win:
The win/win person makes some decision for everyone. In other words, as we choose that way, both of us can take benefit. It satisfied both of us. Win/win people don't think like competition. They want to do something cooperate. * Seek first to understand, then to be understood:
Seek first to understand. Don't try to be understood first. It makes effective communication. And we can find solution easily. Don't listen to reply, listen to understand others. *Synergize:
The whole is better than its part. Everything is different. Differences can help people support each other and make something more perfect. * The Sharpening the saw:
If we sawing the tree without sharpening, it might be waste time and power. If we have time to sharpening the saw, it's a good chance to recharge and check my situation. The sharpening saw is same as renewing us. We need to have some time renewing our physical, mentally, socially. As we do that we can do better our next goals and we can enjoy our life.
Theses seven habits contain more than 7 strategies, because we can apply each of habit in our daily life and business. In other words, we can use those strategies in every situation. During reading this book, I can remind myself. Even if those are daily event, if we behave like this book, it would bring me very successful life. When I read every chapter, I can agree and I can feel the same way.
I also have an unsatisfied feeling about this book. I'm an international student. I read this book in Korean and in English. Even if I read this book two times, it is still difficult to understand the author's metaphor. This book has many valuable things. If I could understand more than I got from this book, it could be great. I felt sorry about that.
But still, I recommend this book to others. It would be good chance to remind our life.
Rating:
Summary: An excellent test
Review: This is the first day of the semester and the first class of the day. You enter to the classroom and the teacher passes a test. You think, oh maybe it's just a test asking for personal information. Then, you realize that it is a diagnostic test. You'll think, ok, I know the answers because last semester we learned this. The test is divided in seven sections and you discover that some of them you don't even remember. By the time you are answering the questions you'll find topics that you know you have already learned last semester but you thought that it was easy to remember or not very important so you didn't pay enough attention and now you want to know the answers. Seven Habits is like taking a diagnostic test like this.If you read it, you'll figure out what in life you don't have to take easy or unimportant and how to let it be a habit.
Rating:
Summary: Seven Habits book review
Review: This book is a great manual for interpersonal, business and any other kind of human relationships. In this best seller the author, Stephen Covey, describes some of the most common problems of attitude and communication, and also gives the way to solve those problems. He suggests in the book internal changes in our lives instead of trying to change everything around us. Stephen, being an expert in business relationships and group plans, divides the book in seven habits to improve our lives. These habits described in Seven Habits of the highly effective people can help every person from every age or culture to develop skills for having the ability to understand and help the people around us. Also have more justice in our deals, all this skills keeping the traditional moral values. As I said in the beginning these habits can be applied to our daily life, at the work at home or any place.
For those who like to read contemporary literature, this is a good book. Because in Seven Habits the author describes each one of the habits accompanied with a personal experience or with a real examples. In addition he makes up possible situations in the daily life.
Rating:
Summary: Do not read this book, study it
Review: I am not a person who reads the same book more than one time, but this book makes me read it over and over. I am changing for effective person now through this book. It has enough value to study and research several times to change our basic personal nature. I don't want to describe these 7 specific principles now in advance. However, I am sure that you can't change anything if you just skim these 7 habits. You must study this book. Strengths: First of all, it is easy to read it. It doesn't make us have a hard time figuring out difficult vocabulary and complicated sentences. The only thing we have to do is to read and feel in our deep mind and then try to apply the principles to our own situation. The second good point is that it encourages us a lot through using many simple examples. We can apply these principles in our all life and all situations such as home, company, school, and so on. We can be effective people, not just famous successful people.
Weaknesses: Somebody may think that this book uses too many examples to describe the 7 habits. Sometimes they help me understand these 7 principles more, but they can lose my interest about that principle by using too much time. This book emphasizes that our short term attempts can't help to change our solid nature which we have had for a long time. This book will show us the specific ways to change our nature in the long term. Therefore, you can be one of the effective people in your family, company and yourself if you read and apply these principles in your life.
Rating:
Summary: 7 habits comments
Review: 7 Habits Comments My first impression about reading 7 Habits was a little bit bad. In fact, I thought I had to read another boring book. I know, I was totally wrong. I really enjoyed reading this book.
May be the most interesting ensign that I learned about 7 habits is that you can apply the same principles as well in personal relationship as business matter. It is interesting to note, through simple principles you can be successful being a complete person. As you read below, you can find a brief summary about the 7 Habits according to my understanding. BE PROACTIVE means that you have to assume your responsibilities. You don't have to wait until somebody tells you what to do. Your have to move for your own. In others word, you have to influence your external circle and don't permit it to drive you.
BEGIN WITH THE END IN MIND You have to follow you own personal statement. It means that finally you want to be known or remembered as the person who always followed their dream. On other words, it is like a projection, we create in our mind our whole life but sometimes we forget our dreams and we lose our perspective.
PUT FIRST THINGS FIRST .The main idea is to looking for the differences between urgent and important things. After you assume your responsibilities, decide to take control of your life, and desire to follow your own statement, and then you have to start. You have to do something about it. It is a kind of simple thing but many people waste important time trying to start, because they can't see the differences between these two things (important versus urgent).
WIN / WIN. It is interesting to note that you can apply to any deal this principle. In order to have a good deal both sides have to feel that they are winning something; both sides have to feel that they are receiving mutual benefits.
SEEK TO UNDERSTAND FIRST AND THEN TO BE UNDERSTOOD. In order to have a good relationship, you have to spent time first hearing and then maybe talking. Many times, we have the tendency to put our experience as the solution of many people problems. We hear with no real intention; we are hearing in order to convince, to put our ideas in first place. As a result, we have to suffer consequences.
SYNERGIZE. You can have incredible result working as a team. When you working as a real team, the results multiply. For example, if you put two seeds together, these two plants will grow stronger than if they were separated. In other words 1+1= 3,4,6.
SHARPEN THE SAW. In order to achieve your goal you have to be prepared at least in four aspects, physically, mentally, socially and spiritually. You have to set aside time for yourself. Through this preparation you will be ready to face any challenge in your life. Finally like any habit, you have to have a real desire to develop it. You can gain a new habit just by persuasion and being a hard worker. Mauricio
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