Stephen Richards Covey (October 24, 1932 – July 16, 2012) was an American educator, author, businessman, and speaker. His most popular book is The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. His other books include First Things First, Principle-Centered Leadership, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Families, The 8th Habit, and The Leader In Me: How Schools and Parents Around the World Are Inspiring Greatness, One Child at a Time. In 1996, Time magazine named him one of the 25 most influential people. He was a professor at the Jon M. Huntsman School of Business at Utah State University (USU) at the time of his death.

Covey's book Spiritual Roots of Human Relations was published in 1970 by Deseret Book Company. Reading this book will identify how Covey's later works were a secular development of these earlier ideas.

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Covey's best-known book, has sold more than 20 million copies worldwide since its first publication in 1989. The audio version became the first non-fiction audio-book in U.S. publishing history to sell more than one million copies. Covey argues against what he calls "The Personality Ethic", something he sees as prevalent in many modern self-help books. He promotes what he labels "The Character Ethic": aligning one's values with so-called "universal and timeless" principles. Covey adamantly refuses to conflate principles and values; he sees principles as external natural laws, while values remain internal and subjective. Covey proclaims that values govern people's behavior, but principles ultimately determine the consequences. Covey presents his teachings in a series of habits, manifesting as a progression from dependence via independence to interdependence.

The 8th Habit

Covey's 2004 book The 8th Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness was published by Free Press. It is the sequel to The 7 Habits. Covey posits that effectiveness does not suffice in what he calls "The Knowledge Worker Age". He says that "the challenges and complexity we face today are of a different order of magnitude." The 8th habit essentially urges: "Find your voice and inspire others to find theirs."

The Leader in Me

Covey released The Leader in Me: How Schools and Parents Around the World Are Inspiring Greatness, One Child at a Time in November 2008. It tells how "some schools, parents and business leaders are preparing the next generation to meet the great challenges and opportunities of the 21st Century. It shows how an elementary school in Raleigh, North Carolina, decided to try incorporating The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People and other basic leadership skills into the curriculum in unique and creative ways. Inspired by the success of Principal Muriel Summers and the teachers and staff of A.B. Combs Elementary School in Raleigh, other schools and parents around the world have adopted the approach and have seen remarkable results".

In April 2012, Covey was riding a bike in Rock Canyon Park in Provo, Utah, when he lost control and fell. He was wearing a helmet but according to his daughter, the helmet slipped and his head hit the pavement. She said Covey "went down a hill too fast and flipped forward on the bike. It was a pretty big goose egg on the top of his head." Covey also suffered cracked ribs and a partially collapsed lung.

Covey died from complications resulting from the bike accident at the Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center in Idaho Falls, Idaho, on July 16, 2012, at the age of 79.

Covey's idea is that there is enough for everyone in this world. So there's really no point in being competitive and trying to cut the other person out. One can have a win-win situation where both parties benefit. This is what Covey calls the concept of abundance. If you keep in mind that there's enough for everyone, you won't constantly worry about things that you can't control. Instead you'll try to change the things that you can control, which will give you a feeling of satisfaction and get you closer to your ultimate aim in life.

Covey's first habit is to be proactive, which means not placing the blame for what's wrong with your life on others or on factors that are outside of yourself. If your life isn't what you want it to be then that's because you haven't done what's necessary to make it so. This can be an empowering way to think because it means that it's within your power to effect change. Habit 2 is to keep the end in mind or to take the long-term outlook. Habit 3 is prioritizing and doing what you consider more important in your life. This might seem easy but often, life gets in the way of doing what you really want.

The next three habits are about your relationships with other people, thinking with the abundance mentality and therefore developing empathy for others and working with them cooperatively. The last habit involves taking care of yourself; your physical, mental and spiritual health is important and if you don't treat yourself well, you can't expect to perform effectively or to have good relationships with others.

“The 7 Habits have the gift of being simple without being simplistic.” - M. Scott Peck, New York Times bestselling author

“This isn’t a quick-tips-start-tomorrow kind of book. The concepts are sometimes intricate, and you’ll want to study this book, not skim it. When you finish, you’ll probably have Post-it notes or hand-written annotations in every chapter, and you’ll feel like you’ve taken a powerful seminar by Covey.” - Amazon.com, editorial review

“Stephen Covey’s groundbreaking book remains as fresh, helpful, and important as when it was first published. Such longevity is a testament to the quality of the insights that Covey offers: Eschewing easy fixes and simple-minded formulas, his writings offers a comprehensive and highly detailed program for invigorating your career as well as other aspects of life…If you’re willing to do the work, you’ll reap the enormous benefits that many other readers have discovered and put into action.” - Barnes & Noble, editorial review

“When Stephen Covey talks, executives listen.” - Dun’s Business Month

"I recall first reading this book in my high school health class. We read it as a whole class. The most memorable moment from this book was Win-Win situations. I believe that Mr. Covey has positively impacted all of humanity through his good works. Definitely one of my favorites. Recommended." - Beth, Amazon review