“Remember, to learn and not to do is really not to learn. To know and not to do is really not to know.”– Stephen R. Covey
I was so saddened Monday to learn of author Stephen R. Covey’s death at age 79. His book “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People,” which has sold more than 25 million copies, had such a profound influence on my personal and professional life that I wanted to read everything I could find about the man. There were reports of his passing in publications around the world. But I enjoyed most the wonderful stories, reflection pieces and slide shows found in The Washington Post, The Huffington Post, Harvard Business Review blog network, and on CNN.com, many with embedded slide shows or YouTube clips of interviews with Covey.
Covey offered us the opportunity to effect change from within ourselves, the starting place for transformational leadership and success. For him, leadership was about character. Being your best self allows you to affirm the value and potential of others. That’s what enables greatness.
And those seven habits?
- Be proactive.
- Begin with the end in mind.
- Put first things first.
- Think win-win.
- Seek first to understand, then to be understood.
- Synergize.
- Sharpen the saw.
Tags: human energy, leadership, leadership development, leadership skills, managing yourself, personal effectiveness, positive energy, success
