Discovering Your Path to Greatness

Dr. Covey has discovered a very clear and detailed path to greatness and excellence; he communicates and describes each step of that path in this book so that the reader can really grasp for him or herself what it takes to discover their own voice and inspire others to find theirs. Not only through his writing, but through the diagrams, exercises and even the DVD included in this book, the author sincerely makes every effort to offer the gifts of his experience, knowledge and research. This book had me feeling excited about the possibilities for each of us on the planet, not to mention a lot more knowledgeable about human behavior in general and myself in particular. Though you might think this book is just for people in the world of business, it is an asset for anyone who wants to feel more powerful in their own life and make a difference.

Another book that has been a guide for me in discovering my own greatness and finding my voice is "Working On Yourself Doesn't Work", by Ariel & Shya Kane. The style of this book is less intellectual and more experiential and is an excellent complement to "The 8th Habit".

Covey's Greatest Hits -- Volume 1

In my professional life, I have had the pleasure of facilitating a number of FranklinCovey seminars (7 Habits, 4 Roles of Leadership, and What Matters Most). I find the material to be uniquely useful and practical. I was enthusiastically awaiting the release of "The 8th Habit" and hoped it to be another breakthrough offering from Dr. Covey.

What "The 8th Habit " represents is a book that should be titled "Covey's Greatest Hits". The book is a compilation of all of his previous works with much of the same language and, sadly, anecdotes and stories as previously told. To be sure, the book has been "re-mastered" or updated in many places but the basic themes and threads of the past are noticeably present.

This is not to say that this is not an offering worth reading, but if you are intimately familiar with Covey's previous works, this will be a generalized overview with a few new notes sprinkled in. If you have never read or been exposed to his previous works, this is an excellent way to "listen for the first time" 25 years of Covey's greatest hits. For those, it is a book worth getting.

Interesting, but not great

I have read many of Steven Covey's book, and I enjoy his style and the subjects he talks about. This book starts out great - identifying the problems many workers feel in their jobs and lives. And the DVD portions are pretty good too - though some are better than others. But then we get to the solutions part of the book and it just kind of drifts into vague, abstract musings on how we can be better people (i.e. have integrity, listen to people, be good), that are just to broad to be helpful. So while I found some of his charts, quotes and stories helpful, most of the book is not that great. I would recommend the 7 Habits book or "Spiritual Roots of Human Relations" - both have much better practical applications than this book.