The 8th Habit

From Effectiveness to Greatness

by Stephen Covey

Number of pages: 411

Publisher: Free Press

BBB Library: Leadership

ISBN: 978-0684846651



About the Author

Stephen Covey is an internationally respected leadership authority, family expert, teacher, author, organizational consultant, and co-founder and vice Chairman of FranklinCovey Co. He and his wife and family live in the Rocky Mountains of Utah.

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Editorial Review

The 8th Habit consists of a two-part solution; “find your voice and inspire others to find theirs.” Finding your voice means to engage in the work that genuinely taps your talents and fuels your passion and discovers your most intimate capabilities. Your voice then becomes a metaphor representing the essence of the human being and, accordingly, you move from effectiveness to greatness. Because effectiveness belongs to employees and subordinates, while greatness belongs to leaders and managers, leading organizations requires more than effectiveness. It requires that real greatness enables a person to lead others, not just lead him/herself or processes.

Book Reviews

Covey sees leadership 'as a choice to deal with people in a way that will communicate to them their worth and potential so clearly they will come to see it in themselves.' His holistic approach starts with developing one's own voice, one's "unique personal significance." - Publishers weekly

"As Covey expresses it,'When you engage in work that taps your talent and fuels your passion—that rises out of a great need in the world that you feel drawn by conscience to meet—therein lies your voice, your calling, your soul's code.'"- American Bar Association

"Covey says, effectiveness is no longer enough. In the 21st century that's merely the price of entry to the playing field of well-compensated work. More often, workers want to add value to the world, to add fulfillment, passionate execution and significant contributions to their workplace and to the world at large." - Book Page

" Mr. Covey wants us to know: "The eighth habit is not about adding one more habit to the seven -- one that somehow got forgotten. It's about seeing and harnessing the power of a third dimension to the seven habits that meets the central challenge of the new Knowledge Worker Age. The eighth habit is to find your voice and inspire others to find theirs." - The New York Times

"So many people feel frustrated, discouraged, unappreciated, and undervalued -- with little or no sense of voice or unique contribution. The 8th Habit is the answer to the soul's yearning for greatness, the organization's imperative for significance and superior results, and humanity's search for its "voice." Profound, compelling, and stunningly timely, this groundbreaking new book of next-level thinking gives a clear way to finally tap the limitless value-creation promise of the Knowledge Worker Age." - Leadership NOW

Books on Related Topics

Wisdom to Share

During the Industrial Age, the most valuable parts of workers were their hands and bodies, whereas in the Information Age, the most valuable parts of employees are their minds and hearts, their integrity and even their cooperative spirit and team-spiritedness.

The power to discover our voice lies in the potential that was bequeathed us at birth. The seeds of greatness were planted inside us. We were given magnificent “birth-gifts”, talents, capacities and intelligences that would remain largely unopened except through our own decisions, as no other hand can open them except ours.

Victor Hugo once wrote: “There’s nothing as powerful as an idea whose time has come.” Such an idea becomes a powerful serpent that swallows whatever that blocks its way.

Before inspiring others to find their voices, you must, first, find yours.

The circle of self-integrity is a journey inside the inner-space of one’s self. It helps us deploy the four dimensions of self-leadership.

A Mind with no shared vision leads the whole organization astray.

A Heart that is disempowered leads to the opposite direction of empowerment.

The organization’s leaders have to set a good example themselves. They must create and buy into a corporate culture aligned with the organization’s vision, customers and future directions.

Books by the same Author

Perfect for individuals and corporations alike, The Leader in Me shows how easy it is to incorporate these skills into daily life. It is a timely answer to many of the challenges facing today’s young people, businesses, parents, and educators—one that is perfectly matched to the growing demands of our certain future.
The Leader in Me

Perfect for individuals and corporations alike, The Leader in Me shows how easy it is to incorporate these skills into daily life. It is a timely answer to many of the challenges facing today’s young people, businesses, parents, and educators—one that is perfectly matched to the growing demands of our certain future.

If I see only the mental map of 1st Alternative—my own map—then the only way out is to persuade you to shift your paradigm or even force you to accept my alternative: I must win and you must lose.  If, on the other hand, I throw away my map and follow
The 3rd Alternative

If I see only the mental map of 1st Alternative—my own map—then the only way out is to persuade you to shift your paradigm or even force you to accept my alternative: I must win and you must lose.  If, on the other hand, I throw away my map and follow