The Review of 7 Habits of Highly Effective People Book by Stephen R. Covey

by History Maker 101

Who is Stephen R. Covey

Stephen R. Covey was acknowledged as one of the world’s foremost leadership authorities, organizational experts, and thought leaders. He passed away in 2012, but his collection of work, the “7 Habits Book” in particular, represent universal principles that are sure to continue to stand the test of time. Other best-sellers by Covey include First Things FirstPrinciple-Centered Leadership, and The 8th Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness.

If you haven’t read “7 Habits” yet, it MAY NOT be time to read it now.

I have noticed that you can’t or shouldn’t read it until you’re ready. Let me explain that:

I read this book in 2013 and If I had the privilege of it before then, I would have gotten nothing out of it. To be honest, when I did read it, it was an answer to my prayers.

There are concepts in this book that are so powerful, that even just reading them (without consciously putting them into action) changed how I live.

For example, I continuously found myself comparing what was happening in my life to what I had just read. If someone said an insulting thing to me, my initial feeling would be anger, but on the heels of that thought would come something I’d read in 7 Habits. I’d be thinking, “Hey! That reminds me of when Covey wrote about ___________.” And by the time that thought was gone, so was the negative situation.

Thinking became a whole lot of fun!

Even the first 3 Habits were enough to get me incredibly excited about the interaction with others. You could live 1000 years and not come up with these concepts on your own.

The 4th habit was my favourite. It’s called “Seek First to Understand, Then to be Understood”. I wish I did this more…now that I’m married! But back then, this helped me to become a very good “Speaker”. I could talk to people and help them not “drown for psychological air” around me. People want to be understood. If you argue your point all the time, no one feels understood and ideas are harder to be put into action. ANY IDIOT CAN ARGUE! The whole world seems to place huge importance on debate…and being able to destroy other people’s points of view with your logic and wit.

But that’s not strength. Like I said: any idiot can argue. Not 1 in 1000 people can consider another person’s opinion as being the right one. Even fewer can stop and say to themselves: “I’m positive that I’m 110% right and that other person is wrong, but who knows? Maybe I am wrong. Let me consider their point and listen to what they need to express.”

Now that is the real strength.

I once shared this concept with an opinionated individual. They started yelling at me and saying I was wrong and that if you know you’re right, you need to stand up for yourself and prove the other person is wrong. With a grin on my face, I replied, “Maybe you’re right”. LOL!

They didn’t even pick up on the fact I had just done to them what I was advocating.

It’s amazing what happens to people when you state back to them what you think is the point they’re trying to make. You’ll end up starting a lot of your sentences with: “…so, what you’re saying is….”. Once you begin to show the person you’re not there to argue, their backs go down; the urgency in their voice drops; they calm down, and then they listen to your point without fighting.

As Covey explains, the best way to influence others is…to be INFLUENCED.

It’s such a good book and it’s filled with principles that will help you in all your dealings, but I find you have to be in a position in your life to put it into action. It will work great if you can practice it every day in a setting as:

-a family member dealing with difficult situations

-a manager

-a salesperson

…or anyone who needs to deal with people day-to-day. If you feel a strong need to know how to deal with others more effectively, maybe you’re ready for this book now.

Whether you are an experienced air traveller or a novice, John Cronin’s book, “Your Flight Questions Answered,” has a little bit of something for everyone.

Penned more as a reference guide, Cronin’s book covers the many questions the flying public can have before, during, and after the flight. Cronin divides his book into seven sections each containing several questions with detailed answers: flight cancellations and delays, baggage handling, weather, air traffic control, airports, airliners, and pilots. His questions are written in basic form, much like the questions a concerned passenger would ask who is unfamiliar with flying.

For instance, one question he covers: what are those tiny pieces of metal sticking straight up from the wing? He details his answer with the explanation that they are vortex generators, which create a vortex that prevents air from separating from the wing or other surface area on an aircraft. Cronin breaks down his explanations further with additional details and often includes a supporting picture or graph to visually stress the answer.

For those who regularly take to the air, Cronin covers a number of the more difficult questions regarding aircraft instrumentation, airport markings, and cabin pressure; these are things that we probably know something about but may be unable to give a satisfactory answer to the inquiring passenger. Although the questions may seem more directed toward passengers flying on an airliner, business aircraft crew may find Cronin’s book a handy reference to have available to their passengers as well.

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