The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People - A tribute to the late Stephen R. Covey

I first heard of the book from my sister who had interacted with his material. In a word, she told me that I simple had to attend the programme. I never thought that I would have an opportunity to interact deeply with his material, leave alone meet him in person....but only God knows the future....and if he had told me what lay ahead, I would have probably told me "you've got to be kidding".

In 2004, the impossible became possible and I began working with the organization that represented Dr. Covey's organization locally. I got the opportunity to read the book and attend the 3 day programme. As the people who had that privilege can attest - it was and still remains today an absolutely life changing experience! We are not talking about flimsy, self-help mambo jambo but rather deep reaching, practical life principles! His video's were piercing, provoking - honestly, only a blind and deaf person would walk away unchanged because you CANNOT interact with his material and remain the same.

When I finally got to meet him in 2006, it was such a pleasurable experience. He is one of the few people I have met who smiles with his eyes and has such a deep, honest, warm gaze that reaches deep into your heart. I could see immediately, that he lives what he teaches. His first question to me was "Vickee...do you have a boyfriend?" :-). I can't remember what I told him....only that I blushed and blushed! I should have asked him if one of his sons was still single ;-). My colleagues and I spent one and a half hours locked up in a room with him....and we got to share some special moments. One of the funny things he taught us was to not to say "Cheers" as we took photos but rather to say 'Eight" because it's impossible to say "Eight" without smiling. Try it and see! He was warm, kind, loving and an absolute gentleman. Here we are trying the eight thing out!

Say "Eight"! - Nairobi, Kenya

Out of all the 'Guru's" I have met.....I admired him the most. A few years later, I had the privilege of heading the section that oversaw the partnership with FranklinCovey, SA and I got the opportunity to delve deeper into his material around Time Management, Execution, Leadership, Trust etc. Solid...ROCK SOLID is all I can say. Many organizations and individuals globally have greatly benefited from his works. Around execution, I cannot forget the processes I learnt from the "4 Disciplines of Execution" or 4Dx as it is known internally within FranklinCovey. I also had the opportunity to meet him again in Cape Town in 2008.

As a parent, I plan to bring up my son knowing the love of Jesus Christ & his principles PLUS the 7 Habits as part of the life principles that he MUST live by and pass on to generations to come. I have a copy of the " The 7 Habits for Kids", beautifully illustrated and waiting for Levi to learn how to read.

I feel such a deep sadness at his passing but am more determined to make sure that I do the things I have purposed to do around sharing his material. One of the key ones is giving out his books to students who are performing poorly in school and who have given up on themselves as I believe the principles can transform their lives. Here is a summary of the 7 Habits.

RIP SRC...true to your teachings, you have left a strong LEGACY.

I shed tears for you sir.....I truly do!

Other Books by Dr. Stephen R. Covey

• The Leader in Me
• First Things First
• The 8th Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness
• Living the 7 Habits
• Beyond the 7 Habits
• FOCUS
• AND MANY MORE!

For more information, visit www.stephencovey.com or www.franklincovey.com


If you have never read the 7 Habits, go out and buy a copy now!