Praise for The 8th Habit “Steve Covey does it again with cutting-edge thinking The 8th Habit is about finding out why you’re here and helping others to the same Is there a nobler cause? Don’t miss this book!” —Ken Blanchard, coauthor of The One Minute Manager® and Customer Mania! “Covey’s work has influenced millions upon millions of people worldwide In this book, he takes a huge conceptual leap and introduces us to ideas and practices that will have a profound impact on all our lives The 8th Habit is a marvelous read, a triumph of the spirit and, in my view, Covey’s most important work.” —Warren Bennis, Distinguished Professor of Management, USC; author of On Becoming a Leader; and coauthor of Geeks and Geezers: How Era, Values, and Defining Moments Shape Leaders “Getting results in large companies is a very rare skill and this book captures how to it The guidance provided here will prove invaluable for leaders who are trying to drive tighter execution in their organizations.” —Kevin Rollins, President and CEO, Dell Inc “For years I have been using the Habits as guiding principles in leading my business I had to read The 8th Habit Having done so, I am completely wowed, captured and empowered The 8th Habit is a true masterpiece, a must-read These principles of personal and organizational leadership, when lived, unleash human genius and inspire deep commitment and magnificent levels of service and satisfaction This book will be my gift to all my associates as required reading for all of my future endeavors.” —Horst Schulze, former President and COO of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company “Stephen Covey has long been a surefooted guide to those desiring to better themselves The 8th Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness shows how to climb the summit of fulfillment and achievement.” —Steve Forbes, President and CEO of Forbes and Editor-in-Chief of Forbes magazine “I hope Stephen writes a dozen more books But should he not so, The 8th Habit will clearly stand as the crowning achievement of a lifetime of service May millions upon millions the world over read, share and be moved to firmly grasp the reins of their lives as a result!” —Tom Peters, author of Re-imagine: Business Excellence in a Disruptive Age “This remarkable new book, The 8th Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness, provides the key to unlocking a wondrous gift—namely, the greatness within each of us It also achieves the same substantive standards Stephen Covey provided in The Habits of Highly Effective People.” —John R Wooden, Coach Emeritus, UCLA Basketball, and author of My Personal Best “Stephen Covey continues to amaze With this book, he enables readers to take another giant step toward realizing the greatness that resides within ourselves and others His 8th Habit is really a timeless principle of leadership—one of respect for the individual, an essential truth lost in a world that increasingly regards people as little more than a means of production In a marketplace that is global and linked by seemingly infinite networks, Stephen helps us reveal and celebrate the unique greatness of the countless people who touch our lives every day As the leader of 120,000 talented individuals in nearly 150 countries, I appreciate the distinction—and the framework for leadership that this learned man so freely shares.” —William G Parrett, Chief Executive Officer, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu “With The 8th Habit, Stephen Covey has taken leadership to a new, inspiring level A book that all who aspire to leadership positions must read.” —Arun Gandhi, President, M.K Gandhi Institute for Nonviolence “Great leaders know and appreciate the value of people They don’t just listen to the opinions of others, they seek them out They make sure every member of their team has the opportunity to make a meaningful, lasting contribution They recognize that their most important responsibility as a leader is to develop their people, give them room to grow and inspire them to realize their full potential This has long been our philosophy at Marriott, where we believe that if we take great care of our associates, they will take great care of our customers Stephen Covey shares this philosophy, and his book The 8th Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness is an excellent guide on how to be a stronger, more effective and truly inspiring leader.” —J.W Marriott, Jr., Chairman and CEO, Marriott International, Inc “As usual, Stephen R Covey has excelled in focusing on what inspires the heart and at the same time gets the business done The 8th Habit—to have peace of mind and intense focus— is essential.” —Ram Charan, author of What the CEO Wants You to Know and coauthor of Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done “I have been waiting more than a decade for the next phase of Stephen Covey’s work on The Habits of Highly Effective People The demands on my life have changed dramatically since I first read The Habits and I needed another way to look at my life and my balance I am inspired again!” —Greg Coleman, EVP, Yahoo! Media and Sales “The 8th Habit is a powerful, practical road map for progressing beyond effectiveness Anyone who aspires to happiness and fulfillment should read this book.” —Clayton M Christensen, Robert and Jane Cizik Professor of Business Administration, Harvard Business School “The Godfather of Leadership has done it one better! Stephen Covey’s The 8th Habit will provide you with the ultimate tool to discover your unmistakable voice in pursuit of your true vision.” —Pat Croce, former President, Philadelphia 76ers (NBA), and bestselling author of I Feel Great and You Will Too! and Lead or Get Off the Pot! “An absolute must-read for aspiring business executives who want to significantly increase their personal effectiveness in the workplace and at home Covey has created a brilliant blueprint for both career and personal success in the new millennium.” —Douglas R Conant, President and CEO, Campbell Soup Co “The 8th Habit is filled with timeless principles that will help both individuals and organizations in their pursuit of excellence Stephen’s latest insights are challenging and compelling This book is a call to action for twenty-first-century leaders.” —Tim Tassopoulos, Sr Vice President, Operations, Chick-fil-A “Stephen Covey’s new work resonates strongly with my belief that every individual and every organization has the potential to achieve and sustain greatness He understands that greatness requires passion and passion must be driven by core business practices that foster and reward collaboration, growth and commitment.” —Ann Livermore, Executive Vice President, Technology Solutions Group, HP “I believe Stephen Covey has really captured the essence of what leadership is all about The 8th Habit will turn out to be the most important one for successful executives.” —Michael H Jordan, Chairman and CEO, EDS Thank you for purchasing this Free Press eBook Join our mailing list and get updates on new releases, deals, bonus content and other great books from Free Press and Simon & Schuster CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP or visit us online to sign up at eBookNews.SimonandSchuster.com CONTENTS Chapter The Pain Chapter The Problem Chapter The Solution PART 1: FIND YOUR VOICE Chapter Discover Your Voice—Unopened Birth-Gifts Chapter Express Your Voice—Vision, Discipline, Passion and Conscience PART 2: INSPIRE OTHERS TO FIND THEIR VOICE Chapter Inspiring Others to Find Their Voice—The Leadership Challenge FOCUS—MODELING AND PATHFINDING Chapter The Voice of Influence—Be a Trim-Tab Chapter The Voice of Trustworthiness—Modeling Character and Competence Chapter The Voice and Speed of Trust Chapter 10 Blending Voices—Searching for the Third Alternative Chapter 11 One Voice—Pathfinding Shared Vision, Values and Strategy EXECUTION—ALIGNING AND EMPOWERING Chapter 12 The Voice and Discipline of Execution—Aligning Goals and Systems for Results Chapter 13 The Empowering Voice—Releasing Passion and Talent THE AGE OF WISDOM Chapter 14 The 8th Habit and the Sweet Spot Chapter 15 Using Our Voices Wisely to Serve Others Twenty Most Commonly Asked Questions APPENDICES Appendix Developing the Intelligences/Capacities: A Practical Guide to Action Appendix Literature Review of Leadership Theories Appendix Representative Statements on Leadership and Management Appendix The High Cost of Low Trust Appendix Implementing the Disciplines of Execution Appendix xQ Results Appendix Max & Max Revisited Appendix The FranklinCovey Approach About FranklinCovey About the Author Notes Index To the humble, courageous, “great” ones among us who exemplify how leadership is a choice, not a position ACKNOWLEDGMENTS One of the great learnings of my life is this: If you want to make a new contribution, you’ve got to make a whole new preparation Though every significant writing project I’ve ever undertaken has reinforced this principle, it is so easy to forget I began working on this book five years ago thinking I could draw on my lifetime of study, teaching and consulting in the field of leadership and “whip it out” in a matter of a few months After more than a year of teaching the material and writing, my team and I finished an initial rough draft—thrilled we had finally arrived It was at that moment we experienced what hikers often discover when climbing mountains: We hadn’t reached the summit at all, only the top of the first rise From this new vantage point of sweat-earned insights we could see things we had never seen before—ones only made visible at the top of that hill So we set our sights on the “real” mountain and began the new climb We literally went through this same experience another dozen times, each time thinking we had finally reached the “peak,” each time convinced that the book was finally “there” and each time being humbled into the realization that we had only risen to yet another critical level of insight, and that there was another mountain ahead The greatest and most inspiring mountain climbing achievements in history are not so much stories of individual achievement, but are stories of the extraordinary power of a unified, talented, prepared team that stays loyally committed to one another and to their shared vision to the end Most climbing teams that set out to climb Mount Everest never reach the summit—only the very, very few For one reason or another, most people and teams, when pressed to their limits by the extreme conditions, drop out along the way and either choose to or are forced to turn back The story behind the five-year climb to completing this book is no different Were it not for the determination and unflagging commitment, patience, encouragement and synergistic contributions of the remarkable team that assisted me with this project, the book would not only have failed to become what it is, it would have never seen the light of day! So it is with deep gratitude that I express my appreciation to the following for their contributions: • To literally tens of thousands of people in various settings all over the world who cared enough to give honest feedback and to willingly share their real-time, real-life issues, pains and hopes, all of which put me on a “chain of mountains” learning climb that resulted in constant reinvention, precious insights and endless tests of the team’s patience • To Boyd Craig for his extraordinary, able, five-year commitment, passion and devotion in both developmental and line editing of the book; for managing all dimensions of this massive team book project; for his leadership and synergistic partnering with our publisher, our agent and within our company; and above all for his spirituality, judgment, flexibility, patience and content expertise My heartfelt gratitude goes likewise to Boyd’s wife, Michelle Daines Craig, for her magnificent positive spirit and unfailing support and sacrifice that sustained the “marathon.” • To my office staff and extended office support team—Patti Pallat, Julie Judd Gillman, Darla Salin, Julie McAllister, Nancy Aldridge, Kara Foster Holmes, Luci Ainsworth, Maria Miner, Diane Thompson and Christie Brzezinski—for truly uncommon devotion and loyalty, second-mile make-it-happen service and world-class professionalism • To my committed associates at FranklinCovey, especially to Bob Whitman and my son Sean for their thoughtful, in-depth review of the final manuscript, and their invaluable, practical feedback empowerment and, 260–61, 261 moral authority and, 298–307, 300, 302, 303 service, 47, 117, 157, 160, 292–317 meaning and, 264–65 questions & answers about, 316–17 Habits of Highly Effective People, 60, 290, 377 8th Habit in relation to, 4–5, emotional intelligence and, 340–43, 341, 342 Roles of Leadership and, 155, 155, 323 modeling and, 152–54, 155 paradigms embodied in, 154, 156 principles embodied in, 154–56, 154 Profile data of, 259–60, 260 summary of, 152–153 Habits of Highly Effective People, The (Covey), 3, 60, 92, 165, 347 Levels of Initiative, 133–43 Ask, 133, 133, 136 Do it, 133, 134, 139–40 Do it and report immediately, 133, 133, 139 Do it and report periodically, 133, 133, 139 “I intend to,” 133, 133, 137–39 Make a recommendation, 133, 133, 136–37, 141–42 Wait until told, 133, 134–36, 142 Shakespeare, William, 91–92 sharpening the saw (Habit 7), 153, 154, 154, 156 emotional intelligence and, 345, 346–47, 346 shepherd, parable of the, 304 skill(s), 34, 35, 103, 155, 162 and building trust, 118, 162, 184, 216 and inspiring others to find their voice, 117–18, 309 in search for the Third Alternative, 187, 191–96, 192, 194, 196 and significance of sequence, 116, 117 social and communication, 345–46, 345, 346, 347 talent vs., 76 slowness, 109, 109 Smallwood, Norm, 114, 114 Smith, Adam, 321 soccer playing, 3, 82–83, 223 social and communication skills, 345–46, 345, 346, 347 social capital, 104, 319–20 social mirror, 64, 66, 118 solution, the: overview of, 10, 11, 25–35 see also finding your voice; inspiring others to find their voice South Africa, 69, 187, 301 Street Hawkers and, 210–12 spirit: core competencies and, 220, 221 of organization, 105, 105, 109, 110, 113, 113 in Whole-Person paradigm, 21, 21, 23, 26, 84, 84, 102, 103, 107, 107, 313 spiritual intelligence (SQ): 40, 41, 50, 53–61, 84, 84, 121 conscience and, 65, 67, 315, 338, 344 development of, 57–61, 63, 348–51, 349 Frankl’s views on, 315–16 meaning and, 53–55, 348–49, 349, 350 neglect of other intelligences and, 338, 344, 348 sports: competition and, 136 keeping score in, 284 SQ (Zohar and Marshall), 54 Stael, Madame de, 349 stakeholders: in supply chain, 226 wants and needs of, 220–21 Stakeholder Screen, 282, 282, 283 stimulus and response, freedom to choose and, 42–44, 43, 46, 56, 62, 121, 144, 320 Stone (film), 82–83 strategic plans, 127, 219 execution of, 226–28 off-site sessions for, 229–30 pathfinding and, 219, 222, 226–30 Strategic Screen, 282, 282, 283 Street Hawkers (film), 210–12 strength, 167, 173 borrowing, 52–53, 196 internal, 58 Third Alternative and, 153, 210, 212–13 stress management, 332, 336–37 Stress Without Distress (Selye), 63 structure, as management practice, 115, 115 stubborn refusal, doctrine of, 259 success, 4, 15, 80, 148, 299 in marketplace, 110 as threat, 150 Sullivan, Anne, 182–83 Summers, Muriel Thomas, 60 survival, 47, 301, 302, 322–23 as human need, 11, 21, 2, 84, 84 organizational, 224 sweet spot, 122, 270–91, 312 defined, 279–80, 280 see also Disciplines of Execution synergize (Habit 6), 116–17, 153, 154, 154, 156, 273 emotional intelligence and, 345, 346, 347 see also Third-Alternative solutions synergy, 60, 284 as execution driver, 279, 280 as execution gap, 274–76, 276, 278 organizational trustworthiness and, 235, 236 problem solving and, 311, 312 Tagore, Rabindranath, 292 talents, 5, 9, 26, 76, 84–86, 84, 115, 148, 157, 184, 313–14 assessment of, 71 core competencies and, 220, 221 as secondary greatness, 279, 299 voice and, 5, 5, 84–85, 85 Talking Stick, 197–201, 213, 261 Teacher (film), 182–83 teaching, 6–7, 32, 71 teambuilder-leaders, 213 teamwork, 106, 136, 248, 266 attributes required for, 150 clarifying expectations and, 174 Roles of Leadership and, 113–14, 116, 117 modeling as, 127 organizational trustworthiness and, 234–36 service and, 296 synergy and, 153 Third Alternative communication and, 209–10 technical competence, 150, 151 technologies, 14, 103, 104, 185, 220 Teresa, Mother, 10, 69, 80, 143 Thatcher, Margaret, 68 The8thHabit.com/challenge, 35 The8thHabit.com/offers, 26n, 34, 76n, 106n, 137n, 140n, 158n, 155n, 290n Theory of Moral Sentiments, The (Smith), 321 thing mind-set: codependency and, 16–19, 321 of Industrial Age, 15–19, 22, 24, 103, 112, 270, 271, 314 Thinking With Your Soul (Wolman), 53 Third-Alternative solutions (blending voices), 118, 186–214, 186, 216, 229, 276, 278, 298, 307, 321, 322 accountability sessions and, 287–88, 288 building a complementary team through, 209–10 continuum of, 209 experiences in searching for, 202, 202, 209, 209 of Gandhi, 187, 188 Indian Talking Stick and, 197–201, 213 Max & Max and, 374–78 mind-set of searching for, 188–91 questions & answers about, 212–14 skill-set of searching for, 191–96, 192, 194, 196 Street Hawkers and, 210–12 transactional vs transformational, 209, 209 two steps to searching for, 201–5, 201 wisdom and, 309–10 Thomas, Robert J., 62 Thoreau, Henry David, 25 Three Mile Island incident, 267, 323 Tichy, Noel, 62, 238 time management problems, 277 Toynbee, Arnold, 15 translate lofty goals into specific actions (Discipline 3), 286, 291 translation, 227, 279, 280 as execution gap, 274–76, 276, 278 problem solving and, 311, 312 triage reporting, 287, 287 trim-tab, 118, 126, 131–33, 132, 140–44, 246–47, 257, 311, 322 Max & Max and, 311, 374 trust, 46, 47, 161–85, 161, 271 building, 9, 110, 111, 113, 116–17, 118, 120, 161–85, 161, 165, 212, 216, 314, 317, 377 downsizing and, 324 empowerment and, 147, 261–62 ethos and, 129–30 final word on, 180–82 low, 16, 49, 107–10, 109, 112, 113, 113, 209, 365–68 moral authority and, 49, 165–66, 165, 201 organizations and, 3, 147, 324 pathfinding and, 221–22 questions & answers about, 183–85 sources of, 147 Teacher and, 182–83 trustworthiness and, 118, 149, 181, 253 as verb, 147, 180, 181, 261–62 as verb and noun, 147, 261–62 see also Emotional Bank Account trustworthiness, 116, 146–60, 300 character and, 118, 147, 149–56, 150, 154 modeling, 113, 114, 118, 146–60, 146, 216, 273 organizational, 147, 149, 234–36, 253 personal planning system and, 157–59, 158 question & answer about, 160 Habits and, 152–56, 154 trust and, 118, 149, 181, 253 Twenty Group, 130–31, 132 two creations paradigm, 154, 156 Two Roads diagram, 27, 39, 64 Ulrich, Dave, 114, 114 understanding: clarifying expectations and, 173–74 Emotional Bank Account and, 165, 166–68 Habit and, 153, 154, 154, 156 Indian Talking Stick and, 197–201 mutual, 153, 154, 154, 173–74, 200, 208–9, 209, 211, 273 value-added work, 104, 321 values, 319 begin with the end in mind and, 152, 154 identifying of, 157, 158–59, 158 institutionalizing of, 320 organizational greatness and, 279, 280 organizational trustworthiness and, 234–36 principle-based, 49, 121, 226, 229, 310 problem solving and, 311, 312 shared, 118, 216, 219, 222–23, 228–29, 321, 327 as social norms, 49, 121, 310 valuing differences, paradigm of, 154, 156 van der Post, Sir Laurens, 72, 76 victimism, 28, 41, 50, 59, 64, 65, 118 attitude of influence and, 128–29 in low-trust organizations, 107, 109, 113 vision, 26, 30, 64, 65–73, 65, 84, 84, 85, 126 aligning goals and, 271, 272 and begin with the end in mind, 152, 153 conscience and, 81, 82–83 defined, 65 Roles of Leadership and, 114, 114, 121–23 grief and, 70–71 imagination and, 65, 69–72, 82 job search and, 88 mental intelligence and, 65, 67 moral authority and, 271, 307, 320–21 of organization, 107–8, 107, 311, 312 organizational greatness and, 279, 280 pathfinding and, 113, 114, 114, 118, 216–17, 222–23, 233, 271 personal, 72, 157, 309, 376 personal greatness and, 279, 280 problem solving and, 311–13, 312 shared, 195, 216–19, 222–23, 228–29, 233, 314 trim-tab leaders and, 133, 140, 257 weight loss and, 86, 87 of Yunus, 6, 9, 309 visual intelligence, 54 voice, 4–10 of civilization, five ages of, 12–15, 13, 294–95 core competencies and, 220, 221 defined, finding your, see finding your voice illustration of, 6–10 internet and, 5–6 spiritual intelligence and, 349, 349, 350 as unique personal significance, 5, see also inspiring others to find their voice Wait until told, 133, 134–36, 142, 196 “Wall of Wonder,” 61 Washington, George, 20, 68, 77, 222, 301, 302 wealth, 79, 104, 157, 314, 319 as secondary greatness, 279, 299 Wealth of Nations, The (Smith), 323 weekly planning, 158, 159 weight loss, 86–88 Weinberger, David, Welch, Jack, 238–39 Wesley, Susana, 66 What Color Is Your Parachute? (Bolles), 89 “What Really Works” (Nohria, Joyce, and Robertson), 115 When Life Calls Out to Us (Klingberg), 315–16 Whitehead, Alfred North, 297 Whittier, John Greenleaf, 92 Whole-Person Paradigm, 11, 20–22, 21, 26, 84, 84, 118, 270, 290, 377 commitment and, 276–77, 276 core competencies and, 220, 221 empowerment and, 262–64, 264 explanatory power of, 110–11 organizations and, 102, 103, 106–10, 107, 121 problem solving and, 310–13, 312 Habits and, 154, 156 whole job and, 23, 24 Wilcox, Ella Wheeler, 46 Williamson, Marianne, 40–41 willing compliance, 22, 22, 23, 265 Winfrey, Oprah, 190–91 win-lose thinking, 153, 172, 190, 208, 209, 236–37, 268, 278, 377 win-win thinking (Habit 4), 152–53, 154, 154, 208, 273 abundance mentality and, 152, 156, 172, 237 accountability and, 267–68, 290–91 agreement process and, 257–59 elements of, 290–91 as emotional deposit, 165, 172–73 emotional intelligence and, 345, 346, 347 Third Alternative and, 189–91 wisdom, 11, 26, 81, 135, 149, 150 birth-gifts and, 309–10 inner source of, 158 location of, 295–98, 296, 298 moral authority and, 298–308, 300, 302, 303 natural laws or principles and, 46–47, 297, 298 sacrifice and, 309, 310 see also Age of Wisdom Wolman, Richard, 53 work, workforce, 79, 157, 224–25 Harris interactive study of, see xQ (Execution Quotient) Questionnaire pain of, 1–3, 10, 111, 248 value-added, 104, 321 workplace, 18, 110, 310 worth, 16, 166, 297–98, 314, 315 competition and, 136 leadership and, 98, 99, 120–21, 253, 271 writing, 30, 191 focus and, 157, 159 journal, 342–43 Wurster, Thomas S., 106 xQ (Execution Quotient) Questionnaire, 132–33, 289 findings of, 2–3, 133, 140, 234, 243, 265, 284, 289n, 370–73 taking of, 290n Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, Young President’s Organization, 54–55, 204 Yunus, Muhammad, 6–10, 85, 309 Zenger, Jack, 114, 114 Zohar, Danah, 54 FREE PRESS A Division of Simon & Schuster, Inc 1230 Avenue of the Americas New York, NY 10020 www.SimonandSchuster.com Copyright © 2004 by FranklinCovey Co All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form First Free Press trade paperback edition 2005 FREE PRESS and colophon are trademarks of Simon & Schuster, Inc Book design by Ellen R Sasahara ISBN: 978-1-4767-3550-4 (eBook) Library of Congress Control Number: 2004056371 ISBN-13: 978-0-684-84665-1 ISBN-10: 0-684-84665-9 ISBN-13: 978-0-7432-8793-7 (Pbk) ISBN-10: 0-7432-8793-2 (Pbk) “The Paradoxical Commandments” are reprinted by permission of Kent M Keith, © Copyright Kent M Keith 1968, 2001 Excerpt from “Two Tramps in Mud Time” from The Poetry of Robert Frost edited by Edward Connery Lathem Copyright 1936 by Robert Frost, © 1964 by Lesley Frost Ballentine, © 1969 by Henry Holt and Company Reprinted by permission of Henry Holt and Company, LLC Cover design by Eric Fuentecilla ... developers are more productive than average software developers not by a factor of 10X or 100 X or even 100 0X but by 10, 000 X.” Quality knowledge work is so valuable that unleashing its potential offers... than 46 ,00 0 villages in Bangladesh, through 1,267 branches and over 12 ,00 0 staff members They have lent more than $4.5 billion, in loans of twelve to fifteen dollars, averaging under $ 200 Each... anything that had a significant impact on the organization I took a $2 50, 000 -a-year premium and got it reduced to $1 98 ,00 0 Plus I got them to waive the fee for terminating midstream on our contract