Book Review: The 8th Habit

[bedsitter23]

The 8th Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness by Stephen R. Covey

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


The paradox is that I do enjoy reading and discussing Business/Self-Help books, but I feel like by definition, their teachings are obvious.

David Covey is on the Mt Rushmore of Business/Self-Help authors. Even if you have not read his 7 Habits of highly Effective People, I can still pretty much guarantee you have been exposed to his teachings.

This book is a bit of a misnomer, in to me, it clearly is a gimmick to sell more books by connecting it to this business masterpiece. Nothing wrong with doing whatever you need to sell books, of course. The 8th Habit then is a leadership skill to those who are seeking the next level.

There's a reason Covey is so popular. He's pretty good. The problem with many of these books is that they fail in giving what feels like real life examples. Covey (likely because of his fame) has plenty of examples of things he's done. If you push back against him, he can argue with what has worked. I liked this alot.

There are real world business arguments against the book, though businesses would be wise to adapt Covey's thoughts. I believe some of the 'lean' principles that are the current buzzwords work against some of his thoughts, and if it isn't the lean program itself that is to blame, it is a post-recession mindframe of being efficient to the point of overwork. This overwork might make people cheat on the principles taught in this book that work. Also, the sheer enormity of major corporations means it can be impractical (Covey still suggests what to do if this is the situation you are in).

Some may find Covey preachy. It is not explicitly stated, but clearly he believes in a Christ-led life. His examples usually follow in some way -the servant leader mentality. There's Mother Theresa, Gandhi, Mandela, Eisenhower and that Steve Earle/Killer Angels favorite General Joshua Chamberlain.

I don't see it as a bad thing. Regardless of your beliefs, a strongly principled system as taken from the Gospels is a pretty good road to follow. There might not be an Enron or Anthony Wiener or other similar scandals had those principles been adhered to.

All of that said, there was a lot to take away from this book. It's certainly recommended for those who like books like this. It may even be life-changing for you. There are plenty of things here that may help you regardless of age and regardless of situation you are in. The examples are strong and stick in your mind awhile. The book blends textbook background and anecdotes in a way that it has a balance between being readable and grounded in teaching the principles. There is a DVD (online videos) when you buy or borrow the book from the library. I appreciate the idea of taking the book to the next level and going beyond standard textbook learning. I have heard the videos are very good. However, due to constraints, I did not view them



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