Adamek – Areeola 2?

Do we need an eighth wonder? Critic’s choice.(Book Review)

Daily Mail (London) January 7, 2005 Byline: HARRY RITCHIE THE 8TH HABIT: FROM EFFECTIVENESS TO GREATNESS by Stephen R Covey (Simon & Schuster, [pounds sterling]17.99) STEPHEN R.COVEY is one of those fortunate writers who have made a mint out of self-help.

Covey’s goldmine was a book called The 7 Habits Of Highly Effective People (Simon & Schuster, [pounds sterling]10.99), first published 15 years ago, which has now sold 15million copies. Fifteen million copies. Fifteen million.

Not that this springs from jealousy – of course, it doesn’t – but I suspect that Covey has been particularly lucky.

Because The 7 Habits Of Highly Effective People is one of those books, like Lolita or Lady Chatterley’s Lover, that lots of people buy only to find that it’s not the book they thought they’d bought.

The 7 Habits Of Highly Effective People may sound like an analysis of seven things that highly-effective people do. But it isn’t. Nor is it a compendium of tricks and top tips from the good and the great.

Neither is it based, as you might think, on some study of the working lives of top businessfolk. In fact, it springs from Covey’s research on all the American self-help books published in the last 200 years.

From this, Covey developed his own ideas about selfimprovement. These ideas were often very boldly traditional. For a start, Covey states that there are no quick fixes, no short cuts, no magic tricks to life.

Instead, he offers what he calls his ‘inside-out approach’ – self-improvement has to come from within.

Covey then goes on to say that both the point of life and the way to lead a full, rich, meaningful and successful one is – well, basically, to be good.

Selfishness and bad behaviour are not only morally wrong, he says: they just don’t work.

Trust and respect people, listen to them, see the big picture, be a balanced and virtuous human being – that’s how to stop overeating or have a better marriage or get the job you want. And Covey makes it sound all very straightforward and doable. go to site 7 habits of highly effective people

What are these non-magical seven habits? One: Realise you have the freedom to choose, and be proactive. Two: begin with the end in mind.

Three: put first things first.

Four: Think win-win (i.e. think in terms of opportunity rather than competition, ‘in terms of we not me’).

Five: First try to understand then to be understood. Six: Work with other people and not against them. Seven: Take time out or off, stand back and reflect.

So Covey’s unique selling point is virtue. He also thinks that there are ‘natural laws’ of virtue, based on universal principles. This is dodgier ground. this web site 7 habits of highly effective people

The going gets even dodgier when he says that these principles ultimately come from God. But then he’s the kind of American who thanks the Almighty in his Acknowledgments, and he does mean well.

But by and large Covey is startlingly sensible and convincing. And thoroughly admirable. Which, believe me, are not words I would expect to use of a self-help author.

So persuasive was The 7 Habits that a sequel seems odd. After all, if someone comes up with the formula for happiness and the meaning of life, it’s a bit of a surprise to find a new book announcing the discovery of an extra rule.

Oh, but this new book is all very important and necessary, says Covey. This eighth habit is one we must all acquire to succeed in the new Information Age which has dawned since the mere seven habits were discovered in 1989.

PROVE that it has joined this bright new Information Age, this book has a website, offering e-booklets and MP3 downloads, and a DVD.

This DVD consists of 16 short ‘inspirational’ films. I’m afraid I can’t tell you much about them because I managed only three before I lost the will to live and had to flick over to the ads on Five.

So what is this eighth habit that’s so urgently needed?

Because I’m following Stephen R. Covey’s advice, I’m going to be honest and upfront about this – I don’t know.

I’ve read this book – honestly – and I’ve puzzled over it, and I still haven’t a clue what the eighth habit (from effectiveness to greatness) is.

You see, according to the book, it’s ‘finding your voice and inspiring others to find theirs’. Yes, but what’s this ‘voice’ thing?

Well, according to the book, it’s ‘the higher reaches of human genius and motivation’. It is ‘unique personal significance’.

It ‘lies at the nexus of talent, passion, need and conscience’.

And, just to clear things up, it’s also ‘your soul’s code’.

In other words, he doesn’t know either.

This book is similar in many ways to The 7 Habits. Not too surprising given that much of it is lifted straight from the original.

Like The 7 Habits, this one also features lots of stories and anecdotes and lots of references to his own family (‘my wife, Sandra’, ‘my son, Stephen’, ‘my daughter, Colleen’, ‘my son-in-law, Matt’).

There are also lots and lots and lots of diagrams, flowcharts, quotes in boxes, Venn diagrams, tables and graphs.

Plus eight appendices.

But there is a basic difference between the two books. Fair enough, there was a certain amount of padding in The 7 Habits – a 370-page work which can be effectively summarised in two pages.

Which is what Covey actually does in this sequel, on pages 152 and 153.

But The 8th Habit is all padding.

There’s a great deal of good advice amid the allegedly profound waffle.

And the book’s four (or should it be five?) Ls – live, love, learn and leave a legacy – aren’t anything you could take violent exception to. But it is mainly waffle and it doesn’t inspire.

Unlike The 7th Habit. Now that really could change your life.