The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

This may come as a surprise to you, but I have mixed emotions when it comes to the highly esteemed book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey. Half of me wants to say that it’s the best book I’ve ever read because, well, anyone who has ever read it seems to think it is. SUCCESS magazine even placed it on its list of 50 Must Read Books, so who am I to say otherwise, right? But, the other half of me has to admit, I just don’t get the hype.

First of all, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People is nothing like I thought it would be – nothing! I thought it was going to be this clear-cut, step-by-step, “how to be successful” type of book with an easy to follow set of instructions. It wasn’t that at all. Covey’s style is so conversational it almost detracts from the important points he is trying to make. I actually had troubles focusing at times.

For me, reading this book is like riding Space Mountain at Disneyland. You never really know what you’re going to get from chapter to chapter (or in this case, habit to habit). I found the first few chapters to be very inspiring and informative. Then the next couple of chapters were rather disjointed and dull. Then he threw for a spin, adding a few more important points but then he lost my interest again in the middle. Sure enough it picked up again near the end. Phew! Surprisingly, I found myself actually wanting to get on the ride all over again!

To be totally fair, Stephen Covey is obviously a very intelligent person, with a lot of hands-on life and business experience to pass on. Sort of like the elder of a native tribal clan. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People is filled with a lot of great information that I am glad I read, especially when it comes to leadership and goal setting. And believe it or not, I do intend on reading it again, because there were so many applicable suggestions. But before I get on that ride one more time, I’m going to see if there is a Cliff’s Notes version instead!