A Must Read. Review on 7 Habits Of Highly Effective People, The - Steven R Covey

Writing a great piece of literature requires both perspiration and inspiration in a cogent mix and Covey's 7-habits is an illustration of this. This book is generally seen as Covey's seminal work and many of his later works can be seen as expansions of this one. The book is not written in a scholarly (journal-like) style and is therefore readable by anyone who has some familiarity with the language.

Its not really clear how and why Covey chose these 7 habits (and why not any others) - that's not clearly elicited. It can be noted that several years later he put forth a eighth habit. In any case, the book by itself makes good sense and often triggers the "Aha" feeling. It therefore has the character of a good read. For those few who like to think and munch over what they read, the book provides some decent stuff for the same.

The first habit - "Be proactive" is particularly enterprising - what struck me right away was the way Covey connotes "proactive" - commonly taken to mean "taking initiative" or self-motivated. But to Covey, it means the direct opposite of reactive. Proactivity is the ability to increase the "space" between stimulus and response; then to fully realize and be able to make a conscious choice in that space. Sounds complicated? Read the book: it will turn out to be much simpler than it sounds here.

The examples of Victor Frankl and Gandhi fit perfectly. And the discussions on the two circles - of influence and of concern - are outstanding. The remaining habits are somewhat common sensical, but Covey's classic style of writing nevertheless gives you the fulfilling sense of discovery. If you happen to get into the groove by the end of the first habit, you have the impetus you reach the back cover.

A minor but noticeable point was about the use of certain examples that could be suitable in the American (or typically Western) social system, but may not be applicable in the Indian one. Like the father and son example in the "First seek to understand..." case. The typical Indian father-son relationship and thereby their interpersonal-behavior would probably be somewhat different from the American one, under the same circumstances, with some exceptions of course. Therefore this example may not be suitable to illustrate the underlying principle to the Indian reader. Its likely that Covey (like several other American authors on self-improvement ) had the western reader in mind. Being a westerner himself, you can expect his own mind-set to be oriented accordingly. Despite this, the principles are elicited fairly unequivocally. Anyone with some degree of openness will not find it difficult to figure out how to adapt them into his lifestyle. Clarity finds its voice in Covey's masterpiece.

In sum, I strongly recommend this book to anyone with a flair for good reading, contemplation and a desire to live by principles.