Covey's message of 'restoring the character ethic' was so old-fashioned it seemed revolutionary. Suddenly, aspiring to be a 'Master of the Universe' in a shoulder-padded world did not seem to satisfy, and people were ready for a different prescription for getting what they really wanted out of life. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People came out just as we entered the 1990s. What lifted it above the mass of books that claim the secret to a better existence?įirstly, it was timing.
Stephen Covey's book is one of the phenomena of modern personal development writing. With reputed sales of over 15 million copies and translations into 32 languages, it also forms the intellectual basis of a large company, Franklin Covey.