Seven Habits Of Highly Effective People

Customer Reviews

This book was recommended to me by Christians whom I respected and whom I thought were very good leaders. I read it several years ago, to my profit. It helped me in several ways:

1. The principle "Be Proactive" helped drive home the truth that we are responsible for our actions. We have choices to make about our attitudes. This chapter illustrates that well. There is a balancing truth that is not written here, namely, that there is an Almighty and Sovereign God exercising control over all things (see my review of A. W. Pink's "The Sovereignty of God"). But as far as it goes, the basic point that we must be proactive and not reactive, is good.

2. Covey helped me crystallize my sense of purpose in life. Imagining my funeral and writing a Personal Mission Statement (Habit 2 - Begin with the End in Mind) were immensely helpful exercises for me. But again, "A man's heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps" (Prov. 16:9).

3. From Habit 3, "Put First Things First," I really learned how to work through priorities. The urgent/important paradigm was extremely helpful to me. I think of it often in my day-to-day activities. Covey even succeeds in helping a person identify what some of those priorities should be. But he falls short in that he advocates "a principle-centered life" rather than a "God-centered life" (see my review of John Piper's "God's Passion For His Glory.")

4. The final habit (Sharpen the Saw) is just common sense. It is smart to exercise, relax, learn, and pursue spiritual vitality. And sometimes it must be planned.

The second triad of habits (Think Win/Win; Seek First to Understand, then to be Understood; and Synergize) were less helpful to me, but still worth reading. The emphasis on taking initiative and seeking creative options in relationships was helpful to me.

There are some dangers in this book.

1. It can lead a person to self-sufficiency. This is crippling to the Christian whose sufficiency must be found in the Lord Jesus Christ alone. We must be careful when reading this kind of material, lest we adopt an "I can do it" mentality which fosters pride and alienates us from God.

2. There is no objective foundation of reality behind this book and no standard except Covey's assimilation of the wisdom of the ages. I think Covey probably assumes the reality of God (I don't remember for sure), but there is no definition of who this God is what He is like. To me, if there is a God, then He must define all things and life must be centered around Him.

3. Covey could have said everything in about 150-200 less pages. Seven Habits is wordy and repetitive.

I have chosen to rate this book in the middle - three stars. I will not give it five stars because there are some profound philosophical and theological differences between Covey and myself (and more importantly, between Covey and the Bible). I will not give it one star because I was helped by the book and I think that thoughtful, Bible-saturated, God-centered leaders can sharpen their personal leadership skills through a cautious reading of this book. I do not recommend it to young Christians. I do recommend it for mature Christians in key leadership positions.

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