Who’s your favorite author?
J.K. Rowlings? Stephen King? Or perhaps George Orwell?
Obviously your interests will place a big part in who you’d choose as your favorite author, but if you’re interested in business then there are a few authors that stand out.
There’s Robert Kiyosaki and his Rich Dad series, there’s Dale Carnegie’s and his famous “How to Win Friends and Influence People” and then there’s Stephen Covey and his 7 Habits who sadly, passed away earlier this week.
Stephen Covey’s book burst onto the scene back in 1989 and has remained on the best sellers list ever since and in 2011 was listed as one of Times “25 Most Influential Business Management Books.”
If you haven’t had a chance to read this excellent book then I highly recommend you do. You’ll find it in most used book stores, but it’s worth its weight in gold.
And it’s not just for people who are managers as the principles apply in achieving success in our relationships and in our success.
You’ll find many incredible insights in the book that will, simply put, floor you.
And if you think the book is good, the audio program is even better if you’re lucky enough to get your hands on it.
The truth is that most of us, myself included, for most of our lives have been applying IN-effective habits and just not realized it.
Why?
Because most of us learn by trial-and-error which leads us to some pretty costly errors.
I’ve been there. But when I decided to make success a study 5 years ago, I realized that so many people have kindly taken the time to put their stories and experiences down on paper to share with us. There’s no reason we need to repeat their mistakes.
Studying from people who have been there and done allow us to cut down the learning curve. There’s less guessing and a higher chance of success. That doesn’t mean you won’t run into trouble but, speaking from experience, I sure wish I had read those books before I plunked down $20,000 in a partnership or $4000 on a pyramid scheme.
Stephen Covey’s “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” brings in lessons learned with his children, at work, from seminars and in business. You’ll find yourself laughing, thinking, wondering and hopefully, applying some of the ideas contained within it in your own life.
For me, one I try and do each and every day is “sharpen the saw” which refers to keeping ourselves sharp mentally and physically.
When our health suffers, our work suffers. When our work sucks, our relationships suffer. Everything’s connected so we can’t let one area of our life suffer otherwise we’ll have to face the consequences sooner or later. Unfortunately, most people are so focused on doing that they forget to take time to THINK, PLAN and PREPARE for tomorrow.
Stephen Covey, he has left behind a legacy that will forever change businesses and people for many years to come.
Thank you Dr. Covey, you will be missed.
Adrian Shepherd