Rachel Kaplan

ADPR 5910

Management Book Review

Covey, Stephen R. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Restoring the Character Ethic. New York: Free, 2004. Print.

Overview

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” This quote by Aristotle sums up the lesson Stephen Covey aims to impart in his book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: to be successful, we need to condition ourselves and our habits so that success can be a natural by-product. Covey emphasizes the need for an individual to make a paradigm shift before incorporating these habits into his/her life; basically, one must change the way he/she perceives something if they want to make a change. To adopt a different viewpoint is to lay the groundwork for future self-improvement.

Like the title implies, Covey separates his book into sections that focus on individual habits the reader must practice if they want to condition themselves into actually embodying these habits. The first section covers the move from dependence to independence, or self-mastery: this entails being proactive, envisioning goals, and prioritizing. The next three habits in the second section relate to interdependence, or working with others. These habits include striving for mutually beneficial solutions, being empathetic and listening to others, and combining strengths through teamwork. The last habit makes all of the previous habits possible and relates to self-renewal. To really achieve the most out of the habits we practice, we must balance and replenish our resources, energy, and health, because our most important asset is our own self.

To tie all of these individual lessons together, Covey introduces the "Upward Spiral" model in the final section. He emphasizes that, through our conscience, combined with meaningful and consistent progress, we can experience growth, change, and continuous improvement. Even though one practices the habits, it doesn't mean they're automatically mastered; we must be increasingly educating our conscience so that we can develop on the upward spiral.

Analysis

Upon the first glance, one might be quick to write this book off as a mere self-help manual. But to be an effective leader, one must first harness his/her potential and develop habits that improve character. All of the habits relate to improving one’s leadership skills: on a personal level, one must be proactive and develop challenging (but attainable) goals. The theories Covery proposes are similar to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs; Covey stresses that, to be a good manager or leader, one has to focus on attaining their basic needs and reach a certain self-actualization. On an interpersonal level, one must master the habits that facilitate good social networking skills: the ability to work with others and the ability to really listen and understand the other person’s point of view, which are tenets of Follett’s Collaborative Management theory. The most effective leader embodies these habits so that they become unconscious reflexes—management becomes a much easier task when one develops the necessary personal and social skills. Another relevant aspect of 7 Habits lies in Covey’s use of business anecdotes; by putting these skills in a business setting, the reader can really imagine themselves applying these habits to their professional lives. I found a correlation between what we focused on in the second week of class and what I read in 7 Habits; there are essential skills that leaders must acquire to make management more effective: integrity, vision, and the ability to innovate and inspire.

Recommendation

I would recommend 7 Habits to everybody, because it truly is a book that anybody could benefit from. There are just certain skills and habits that, if one were to diligently practice frequently enough, they could maximize their own potential. But I would especially recommend this book to Public Relations majors, because the very business of Public Relations is to develop the necessary skills to be effective leaders. To glean the most out of your employees and co-workers, you must first become the best person and businessperson you can be; and with the aid of 7 Habits, success is ensured.