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332 of 343 found the following review helpful:
 Valuable Synthesis Presented Abstractly and Ponderously Feb 23, 2005
By Donald Mitchell
"Jesus Loves You!"
If you haven't read The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, I suggest you read that one before this book.
Dr. Covey obviously pulled out all of the stops in trying to make this book as helpful as possible to his readers. The book contains summaries of the material in his other books, repeats many stories from those books, reconciles the material with most of the business book best sellers in recent years, contains a DVD full of inspiring videos, provides references to many free materials on his web site, has extensive appendices and contains many thoughtful sections on questions and answers. As a result, the book comes across like an encyclopedia of his teachings . . . rather than as the simple communication that is so delightful in his other books. I suspect that Dr. Covey changed ghostwriters for this one (at least I assume that the other books were ghostwritten because they avoid the ponderous communications style that Dr. Covey uses in person).
So what is the 8th habit? Allow me to paraphrase. It'll be quicker that way. You act with integrity as an individual and help others to do the same.
In Covey-speak, it's the overlap of personal greatness (applying the 7 habits in the forms of vision, discipline, passion and conscience), leadership greatness (applying the 4 roles of leadership (modeling the 7 habits, path finding, aligning and Empowering), and organizational greatness (turned into a vision, mission and values that bring clarity, commitment, translation, synergy, enabling and accountability). See Figure 14.3 on page 280 for the simplest expression of the 8th habit in Covey-speak.
Can you make a book out of that point? Well, if you put in lots of examples, you can . . . which Dr. Covey did. But the basic point is about a magazine article's worth. Most people will come to that realization when they see the entire book's concepts summarized in chapters 14 and 15. If you want to check this book out, read those two chapters and see if you need more at that point.
Why do millions of people read his books? Well, the earlier ones were beautifully written. This one isn't. All of his books show unadulterated respect for the reader and a belief in the reader's unlimited potential to improve. So it's inspiring to read someone's high opinion of you. Dr. Covey obviously cares that we live moral and positive lives. He's a sort of secular priest expressing moral values that most will agree with. Would we all like to work for Dr. Covey? Sure!
How well will this book translate in the workplace? It'll be a tough row. You can have a company that's good at the 8th habit, but doesn't build the necessary skills to succeed with using the 8th habit. That's because this book is heavy on concepts . . . and light on the practical details. Dr. Covey starts up at about 100,000 feet in the air with his abstract thinking and discussions, and rarely gets any closer. So think of the 8th habit book as helpful . . . but not sufficient in and of itself . . . for creating superior performance. Perhaps it will work better if you employ Dr. Covey's firm to help you (which is abundantly pitched in the book).
Dr. Covey humbly points out that his conclusions are aimed at dealing with the problems of poor communication, lousy alignment, misunderstandings about what to do next, lacks of tools and training, and dumbed-down workplaces . . . but is not supported by research (other than anecdotes from his clients) to support that this actually works better. But you'll agree, I'm sure, that even failure would feel a lot better in such an organization. So it's very humanistic, which is a good thing.
Few will disagree with the point of this book, and most wonder what this adds to Dr. Covey's work on Principle-Centered Leadership. "Not very much" is my impression.
I suspect that this book would have worked a lot better if the material had been simplified and added to the 7 habits book . . . and renamed as "The 8 Habits of Highly Effective People."
May God bless you, Dr. Covey! Keep inspiring us to be our best!
98 of 111 found the following review helpful:
 Topical, but tedious Dec 18, 2004
By Lars Bergstrom
"LarsBerg"
As with most of his previous writings, Dr. Covey has a great point to get across and does an excellent job of motivating it and presenting it in a way that makes it easy to apply to yourself. Unfortunately, unlike his other books, this one was a bit tedious to get through. The mixture of inspirational content (quotes and motivational passages), reiteration of concepts, mapping of his concepts onto the presentations of others in the leadership and self-help community, and just general pacing added up to make this far longer than I would've preferred. I wouldn't recommend it to anybody who isn't a speed reader.
69 of 83 found the following review helpful:
 Profound, inspiring, a must read Oct 29, 2004
By B. Oberland
When I got my hands on a pre-release copy of this book, I expected to enjoy it, simply because his classic, THE 7 HABITS OF HIGHLY EFFECTIVE PEOPLE, has had such a powerful impact on my personal and professional life. But in no way was I prepared for this new book to be so inspiring and riviting, and to speak so clearly and insightfully to my present challenges and desires for my life.
With THE 8TH HABIT, Covey not only acknowledges the on-going need to be effective in today's world, but puts his finger on the human hunger for meaning, contribution, and significance--what he calls "greatness"--and then provides a roadmap for individuals and organizations to achieve it.
You know it's one thing to identify, as his research does, just how disengaged, frustrated, disempowered and straitjacketed most people are in the organizations they work for, but it's another to give insight into how we can actually realize the kind of positive change we desire in our lives, our homes, and in the teams and organizations we are part of.
I love and was moved by the personal examples and experiences Covey shares. It's another great blend of principles and practical, inspiring stories. I also love how the focus is not just centered on oneself. Yes, we can and need to "find our voice," but the equal and perhaps greater key to life lies in "inspiring others to find their voice." That's the leadership challenge--whether it be with your children or with those you work with.
I believe this may very well be Covey's most important and significant work--an idea whose time has come.
17 of 18 found the following review helpful:
I agree with other readers Aug 09, 2005
By A Reviewer
"H"
I'd have to agree with many of the reviews here. Loved Seven Habits, read it many years ago. This one... is... just... a bit... slow... and goes on... and on. I glazed over and haven't read the last bit. I also tired of the repetition - the book is over long as it is, so why add in stories from other books? It seemed unnecessary. Anyway, I admire his intent.
27 of 31 found the following review helpful:
 Bedraggled mess. Not effectively presented. Sep 14, 2005
By coolreviewer1
"coolkayaker1"
Poorly conceptualized. Those are the only words to describe the Eighth Habit, a length tome based on one principle that promises to be the "holy grail" of principles, but instead feels like a soggy loaf of day old bread. I am a disciple of Covey since 7 Habits first came out; own the CDs and listen to them, even now, yearly. They contain realistic, practical advice (not a "Cheerleader" like Tony Robbins et al) that allows you to integrate seven simple skills into your thought pattern. The Seven Habits are lively with example and crisp in its scope. The Eighth Habit, however, is more ethereal, more of a notion as to what the habit of purpose should be than it is a true guidepost on the compass of life (to use Stephen's analogy). Rather than climbing the ladder of success only to find that it is placed on the wrong wall--as Covey so eloquently professed in his milestone first bestseller- this book would preach that it can help you can find "the wall", a true purpose in your life. Therein lies the rub, as the mushy substance of the book does not allow intriguing storylines for example, and the essential notion of the book rapidly becomes repetative and lackluster. I strongly advise those who have not recently read or headr the Sveen Habits to review now. For those hoping for a successful Eighth habit, save your money on this book/audio CD and spend it on a trip to the beach, in a sunset, look to the sky and ask, "What am I all about, (insert your god or goddesses'name here)?" and ---think.
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