Rating: 
Summary: An unchallenged classic
Review: I believe this book is the most profound of all self-improvement books ever written. However, it isn't the only book you should read if you seek to improve. It isn't without its weaknesses. This book, as with all of of Covey's books, is of the Humanistic branch of psychology. Humanists believe that people are basically good and that with a little bit of help, we can all turn out all right. Humanism came about in response to Freud's creation of the psychoanalytic branch. While Freud's theories are too negative by themselves, Covey's can seem too optimistic. He doesn't account well for the darker realities of life. In "Principle-Centered Leadership" he refuted Freud's theories on the grounds that they were developed based upon psycotic and neurotic people. I wonder if it follows that the Seven Habits will not help such people. Sometimes Covey can be downright preachy and his books can be sermon-like. He tries to sell us virtues such as humility and service to others without first convincing us that these virtues are really desirable. Nevertheless, the 7 Habits are worth a try to anyone seeking improvement in their personal lives, relationships, or businesses. Far more than just an improvement guide, Covey's thesis also provides a strong foundation for a life philosophy. His thesis is that God governs the world through unchanging, unchangable, unerring, timeless, universal principles that are just as inarguably present as gravity and govern us regardless of our knowledge or obedience of them. As this book becomes more widely read, more and more people will throw away their Dale Carnegie and Anthony Robbins books. This book is well worth the price to read, re-read, continually refer to, and share with others. Before you read any other books by Covey you should read this one first as it is his most profound and fundamental.
Rating: 
Summary: Simple Is Not Easy
Review: I guess the people who criticize this book for containing nothing but "simple" and "obvious" principles are the same people who would scoff at a golf book that told you to keep your arm straight, your head down and your eye on the ball.Certainly the principles in this book are simple, but the challenge is to put them into practice. The greatest self-help books teach us nothing new, but rather remind us of the things we know in our hearts but have forgotten in our lives. This is the strength of the 7 Habits: a concrete formulation that you can keep in front of you, day in and day out, as a benchmark for how you live your life. Of course the 7 Habits are idealistic; without ideals, how would we know what to strive for? It does not matter that we cannot attain perfection; you don't give up the game of golf just because you don't score eighteen holes-in-one. The struggle is the point, and in the struggle to improve oneself the 7 Habits is an excellent guidebook.
Rating: 
Summary: 4 Habits of bestselling authors.
Review: I'm sorry, but I found this book to be somewhat banal and simplistic. I feel bad saying this as I normally don't post negative reviews; however, I do feel compelled to write one for "7 Habits". Covey, who I truly beleive is a good human being with the best of intentions, has taken 7 relatively simple concepts and intellectualized them to the point of ridiculousness. I'm guessing that Covey is an academic--academics are great at this. Think win-win, begin with the end in mind, seek first to understand. etc. Good principles, but they could easily be articulated in a pamphlet. All of this has prompted me to write my own book. It's going to be called "7 Habits of Bestselling Authors". So far, I have ideas for four chapters ready. They are... #1 Think catchy title: This is extremely important. The title must be short, sweet, and grab the potential reader by promising to make a complex subject easy to digest and apply. In this area, "7 Habits" does quite well. I am reminded of titles such as, "Spanish in 10 Easy Lessons", or "Sams Teach Yourself Java in 21 Nanoseconds". #2 Make simple ideas seem complex: This will be necessary to convince readers that it is really worth their time and money to read the book. Philosophers and Academics are great at this. I'll never forget my first philosophy course in college. We were instructed to read Kant's writings on morality. Kant took 20 pages to say this: Do what you think would be appropriate for everyone else to do. Just remember those research papers you had to write in school. Fluff, fluff, fluff. #3 If you already have a bestseller, fluff up a spin-off: Covey has done this wonderfully with "First Things First", and "Principle Centered Leadership". Kiyosaki did it with a slew of "Rich Dad" books and makes a ton of money. Remember, just take one chapter from your bestseller and whip up a whole new book. Presto! Two bestsellers! #4 Use lots of pretentious diction: Why use a simple word when a more sophisticated polysyllabic one is available? Just practice these words over and over and you too will soon get a key to the executive restroom: paradigm, intra-enterprise, value-added, internal customer, human capital, intellectual capital, b2b, b2c, globally leverage, principle centered, deliverable, etc. You can put all of this together and write a mission statement. "We are committed to globally leverage our human and intellectual capital by interactively providing principle-centered, value-added deliverables throughout the enterprise". Get the idea? If you do, then don't buy this book. Just read the table of contents and, if you're reasonably intelligent, you'll understand the rest.
Rating: 
Summary: Only In America
Review: Hey, if a Big Mac can be considered a great meal, I guess it's not a stretch to consider that some people might consider this a good book. However, I do not share any of these two propensities. I really don't have time to waste in reiterating some of the excellent critiques of this babble...pardon me, "book," I shall only remark that perhaps this book might find some usefulness to prop up an uneven desk leg or perhaps a window with a defective tension mechanism. Now that does involve a bit of creativity, and since "creativity" (in the author's absurdly simplistic and reductionst sense) is a significant aspect of being highly effective, low and behold, perhaps the book did have some merit.
Rating: 
Summary: Not bad, but "over-intellectualized."
Review: The book is not bad. It's got some good advice, and if you live your life by the "Seven Habits," then you're going to come out better than if you didn't live by them. But it's my opinion that Covey has made something quite simple quite complex. In other words, I believe that most of the "Seven Habits" are nothing profound: treat others like you would like to be treated), be goal-oriented, manage your time wisely, seek the wisdom and insight of others, be slow to speak and quick to listen - nothing new here. The problem is that Covey tends to intellectualize these concepts to the point that many readers may find it difficult to understand what he's talking about at times. And, those that do understand will become frustrated that he takes a whole lot of pages to say something that could have been dealt with in fairly short order.
Rating:
Summary: Core Covey at his Best
Review:
Of all of Covey's books and materials, this is the one to read. After ten years and a cottage industry, it remains the standard. So instead of reading the next 200 reviews, just buy the book and get on with it.
• Mark Kelly, coauthor of MASTERING TEAM LEADERSHIP: 7 ESSENTIAL COACHING SKILLS
Rating:
Summary: Simple, Deep and Great
Review: If your not one of the "Rah-Rah" put-on-a-happy-face-and-everything-will-be-alright types, and you'de like to really deeply improve, then this book might be right for you. I might put the seven habits in a slightly diferent order, but by paying heed to Covey's habits, you'll improve!
Rating:
Summary: Sound principles, practical advice, but somwhat long-winded
Review: The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People might be described best by the subtitle that does not appear on the cover: "restoring the character ethic." It is this principle that defines all of the habits, the idea that in order to achieve the goals of each of the habits, one must begin, in Covey's words, from the "inside out," and develop character traits before any real personal growth can occur.
The 7 habits, as they appear in the book, are 1. Be Proactive, 2. Begin with the End in Mind, 3. Put First Things First, 4. Think Win-Win, 5. Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood, 6. Synergize, 7. Sharpen the Saw. The first three habits he calls private victories, and the second three are public victories. Habit 7 is the renewal process that encompasses all of the other habits. The first 5 habits are mostly self-explanatory from the titles, but the last two merit some additional clarification. Synergy, as defined by Covey, is basically the dynamic of situations that result when the physical strength, mental capacity, or other such abilities of multiple participants are joined together so that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. As Covey is fond of phrasing it, one plus one equals three or more. Sharpening the Saw is the act of refreshing or renewing oneself so as not to become bored or burned out. It involves taking time for reflection, spirituality, or investing in "quadrant 2-important, but not urgent" activities such as reading, learning a new proficiency, or spending time with family or friends. Covey's style is somewhat didactic, especially to explain or justify the psychological basis for the habits (usually by explaining "paradigms"), and he does belabor the points somewhat at times, but once I came to expect these qualities in each chapter, I was able to look past them and absorb what really is a good book. Each habit is very practical, and Covey's anecdotes are often entertaining while instructive. Overall, it is easy to recommend this book, as it does provide an excellent basis for personal growth that is both realistic and attainable.
Rating:
Summary: Barf!
Review: This book was highly recommended to me by a man I later broke up with which should have been a clue right there. I couldn't make it through the first chapter of this book without getting a headache largely due to Mr. Covey's unbearable mangling of the English language. Covey should have first taken a course in the "Seven Habits of Highly Effective WRITING" before crafting this tedious read. My suggestion? Don't waste your money. Read the classics read, the writings of Marcus Aurelius, read ANYTHING, but this.
Rating:
Summary: Not all or nothing
Review: I will not try to be as long-winded or eloquent as some of the other reviewers. I found this to be an excellent book. It can be repetitive, but Mr. Covey is trying to "drive" home many points. One of his many points is that current leadership and personal empowerment has drifted away from the likes of Nietzsche and Mills to a "Dress for Success" concept. In my studies, I have read some Nietzsche and Lincoln too, but not all of my colleagues would understand the language. Of those that would, few would want to read it. This is a good book written in leman's language. I recommend it to anyone who doesn't wish to poor over a library of classical works: even to those who do. I cannot site this, but I heard this book was based off of a thesis paper written by Mr. Covey comparing the leadership teachings from over 150 years ago to "current" ones. Do not be mistaken though; this is a book about self-leadership, not just leading others. My one criticism is that everything is trademarked. It does emphasize the money-making aspect of the book. Of course, that is only important to those of us who try to continue to teach what we found in this work.
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