The 7 habits of highly effective people – a critique

Hi there,

Recently I have been reading the book “Seven habits of highly effective people” by Stephen covey. Must say it's a very good book. You cannot classify this one as fiction, Non fiction, adventure, self help....etc. It is more of a text book. It is a series of principles that the author thinks to be the corner stone for highly successful people or rather highly effective people (there is an actually a lot of difference between being successful and being effective).

The thing that is evident in this book – which you will know after reading only a few pages, is – you and you alone are responsible for what happens to you. Nobody can make you feel angry; nobody can make you feel sad, nobody can make you feel happy. It is totally you – your conscious decision – about your reaction to the situation. If your boss shouts at you, you have two choices – either go in the flow and shout back at him (in which case your boss is having control over your emotions) or you exercise your own free will to decide what you want to do when your boss shouts at you (in which case you are having control over your emotions).

After driving this point home, he slowly and clinically dissects everything and tells you how you can be happy, if you want to. How you can be successful, if you want to. In fact he has clarified it and expressed it soo well & in such a scientific detail that you tend to think everything can be planned and executed as per your will (Which of course is false)

The key here is, he says – to take total responsibility for your self. You and you alone have decided what you are now and not – your parents, the circumstances or the society. Strong Idea. So if I decide that my boss will not control how I react, it is just a matter of application of some will power before you relies that, yes – It is possible.

After hitting home the point about how important you are in your life with some solid example (which by the way is the first habit of highly effective people) he slowly builds up the remaining five habits. The habits too are devised in such a way that you will first gain private victory (that is victory over yourself) and then public victory (Victory over your surroundings). And finally he requests us to “keep sharpening the saw”. Meaning, keep improving, keep looking for new and better ways to do things, learn as you grow. For clarity purpose, I am listing out the seven habits.

Private victory

1. Be proactive
2. Begin with the end in mind
3. Put first things first

Public victory

4. Think Win/Win
5. Seek first to understand…Then to be understood
6. Synergize

And finally, the seventh habit which holds the entire development in place

7. Sharpen the Saw.

The author himself says that these seven habits are the cornerstone of highly effective people. But according to his own confession, it is extremely difficult to live these values. It is this difficulty, this mystery of wheatear we will be able to live these values is what makes it even more beautiful, timeless and rock solid.

At the end the author says that reading the book itself and committing the habits to memory will not do any help to us. We should “live” these habits before we start getting its benefits. You cannot read 100 books on swimming and say that you can swim. You have to shed your cloths, get into the water and start applying what you know to learn and truly swim.

All in all, a very good book to read and potentially life changing – if applied in true sprit.