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Stephen Covey

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Stephen Covey
Covey in 2005
Born
Stephen Richards Covey

(1932-10-24)October 24, 1932
Salt Lake City,Utah,U.S.
DiedJuly 16, 2012(2012-07-16)(aged 79)
Idaho Falls,Idaho,U.S.
Alma materUniversity of Utah(B.S.)
Harvard University(M.B.A.)
Brigham Young University(D.R.E.)
Occupation(s)Author,professional speaker,professor,consultant,management-expert
SpouseSandra Covey
Children9 (includingSean Covey,Stephen M. R. Covey)
Websitestephencovey

Stephen Richards Covey(October 24, 1932 – July 16, 2012) was anAmericaneducator, author, businessman, and speaker. His most popular book isThe 7 Habitsof Highly Effective People.[1]His other books includeFirst Things First,Principle-Centered Leadership,The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Families,The 8th Habit,andThe Leader In Me: How Schools and Parents Around the World Are Inspiring Greatness, One Child at a Time.In 1996,Timemagazine named him one of the 25 most influential people.[2]He was a professor at theJon M. Huntsman School of BusinessatUtah State University(USU) at the time of his death.

Early life and education[edit]

Covey was born to Stephen Glenn Covey and Irene Louise Richards Covey inSalt Lake City,Utah, on October 24, 1932.[3]Louise was the daughter ofStephen L Richards,anapostleand counselor in theFirst Presidencyofthe Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints(LDS Church) toDavid O. McKay.Covey was the grandson of Stephen Mack Covey who founded the original Little America Wyoming near Granger, Wyoming. He was athletic as a youth but suffered from aslipped capital femoral epiphysisin junior high school, requiring him to change his focus to academics and a member of the debate team and graduated from high school early.[3]

Covey earned abachelor's degreein business administration from theUniversity of Utah,anMBAfrom theHarvard Business School(HBS), and aDoctor of Religious EducationfromBrigham Young University(BYU). He was a member ofPi Kappa Alphafraternity. He was awarded tenhonorary doctorates.[4]

Philosophical background[edit]

Covey was heavily influenced byPeter DruckerandCarl Rogers.Another key influence on his thinking was his study of American self-help books that he did for his doctoral dissertation.[5]A further influence on Covey was his affiliation with theLDS Church.According toClayton Christensen,The Seven Habits was a secular distillation of Latter-day Saint values.[6]

Books[edit]

Covey's bookSpiritual Roots of Human Relationswas published in 1970 byDeseret Book Company.Reading this book will identify how Covey's later works were a secular development of these earlier ideas.

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People[edit]

Main article:The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People,Covey's best-known book, has sold more than 20 million copies worldwide since its first publication in 1989. The audio version became the first non-fiction audio-book in U.S. publishing history to sell more than one million copies.[7]Covey argues against what he calls "The Personality Ethic", something he sees as prevalent in many modern self-help books. He promotes what he labels "The Character Ethic": aligning one's values with so-called "universal and timeless" principles. Covey adamantly refuses to conflate principles and values; he sees principles as externalnatural laws,while values remain internal and subjective. Covey proclaims that values govern people's behavior, but principles ultimately determine the consequences. Covey presents his teachings in a series of habits, manifesting as a progression from dependence viaindependencetointerdependence.

The 8th Habit[edit]

Covey's 2004 bookThe 8th Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatnesswas published byFree Press,an imprint ofSimon & Schuster.It is the sequel toThe 7 Habits.Covey posits thateffectivenessdoes not suffice in what he calls "TheKnowledge WorkerAge ". He says that" the challenges and complexity we face today are of a different order of magnitude. "The 8th habit essentially urges:" Find your voice and inspire others to find theirs. "

The Leader in Me[edit]

Covey releasedThe Leader in Me: How Schools and Parents Around the World Are Inspiring Greatness, One Child at a Timein November 2008. It tells how "some schools, parents and business leaders are preparing the next generation to meet the great challenges and opportunities of the 21st Century. It shows how an elementary school inRaleigh, North Carolina,decided to try incorporatingThe 7 Habits of Highly Effective Peopleand other basic leadership skills into the curriculum in unique and creative ways. Inspired by the success of Principal Muriel Summers and the teachers and staff of A.B. Combs Elementary School in Raleigh, other schools and parents around the world have adopted the approach and have seen remarkable results ".[8]

Other projects[edit]

Academia[edit]

Covey was a professor at theMarriott School of Managementat BYU for several years, helping to establish the Master of Organizational Behavior program, which has since been merged into the MBA program. While at BYU Covey served as an assistant to the university president.[9]

During the late part of his life, Covey returned to academia as a professor at the Huntsman School of Business at USU, holding the Huntsman Presidential Chair.[10]

Education[edit]

Covey developed his 2008 bookThe Leader in Meinto several education-related projects. On April 20, 2010, he made his first post to an education blog entitled"Our Children and the Crisis in Education"which appears on theHuffington Postnews and blog-aggregation website. FranklinCovey also established a Web site dedicated exclusively toThe Leader in Meconcept,[11]and it holds periodic conferences and workshops to train elementary school administrators who want to integrateThe Leader in Meprocess into their school's academic culture.[12]

Personal[edit]

Family[edit]

Covey lived with his wife, Sandra Merrill Covey, and their family inProvo, Utah,home to BYU, where Covey taught prior to the publication of his best-selling book. Parents of nine children and grandparents of fifty-five,[citation needed]Stephen Covey received the Fatherhood Award from theNational Fatherhood Initiativein 2003.

Covey's grandson,Britain,played college football at his alma mater, University of Utah, and signed as an undrafted free agent to thePhiladelphia Eaglesfollowing the2022 NFL Draft.

Religion[edit]

Covey was a practicing member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He served a two-yearmissionin England for the Church.[13]Beginning in July 1962, Covey served as the firstpresidentof the church's IrishMission.[14]Starting in 1973, Covey served for a time as a mission representative of theQuorum of the Twelve,where he oversaw training of missionaries in missions in the eastern United States.[15]

When Covey studied as an MBA student at HBS, he would, on occasion, preach to crowds onBoston Common.[16][17]

Covey authored several devotional works forLatter-day Saintreaders, including:

  • Spiritual Roots of Human Relations(1970)
  • The Divine Center(1982)
  • 6 Events: The Restoration Model for Solving Life's Problems(2004).

Injuries and death[edit]

In April 2012, Covey was riding a bike in Rock Canyon Park in Provo, Utah, when he lost control and fell. He was wearing a helmet but according to his daughter, the helmet slipped and his head hit the pavement. She said Covey "went down a hill too fast and flipped forward on the bike. It was a pretty big goose egg on the top of his head." Covey also suffered cracked ribs and a partially collapsed lung.

Covey died from complications resulting from the bike accident at the Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center inIdaho Falls, Idaho,on July 16, 2012, at the age of 79.[18][19]

Honors and awards[edit]

Works[edit]

  • Spiritual Roots of Human Relations(1970) (ISBN0-87579-705-9)
  • How to Succeed with People (1971)ISBN0875796818
  • The Divine Center(1982) (ISBN1-59038-404-0)
  • The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People(1989, 2004) (ISBN0-671-70863-5)
  • Principle Centered Leadership(1989) (ISBN0-671-79280-6)
  • First Things First(1994), co-authored with Roger and Rebecca Merrill (ISBN0-684-80203-1)
  • The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Families: building a beautiful family culture in a turbulent world(1997) (ISBN0-307-44008-7)
  • Quest: The Spiritual Path to Success(Editor) (1997) with Thomas Moore,Mark Victor Hansen,David Whyte,Bernie Siegel,Gabrielle RothandMarianne Williamson.Simon & Schuster AudioBookISBN978-0-671-57484-0
  • Living the 7 Habits(2000) (ISBN0-684-85716-2)
  • 6 Events: The Restoration Model for Solving Life's Problems(2004) (ISBN1-57345-187-8)
  • The 8th Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness(2004) (ISBN0-684-84665-9)
  • The Speed of Trust: The One Thing That Changes Everything(2006), Stephen M. R. Covey, co-authored with Rebecca Merrill; foreword by Stephen R. Covey
  • The Leader in Me: How Schools and Parents Around the World Are Inspiring Greatness, One Child At a Time(2008) (ISBN1-43910-326-7)
  • The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Network Marketing Professionals(2009) (ISBN978-1-933057-78-1)
  • The 3rd Alternative:Solving Life's Most Difficult Problems(2011) (ISBN978-1451626261)
  • The Leader in Me: How Schools Around the World Are Inspiring Greatness, One Child at a Time (Second Edition)(2014) (ISBN978-1476772189)

References[edit]

  1. ^"7 Habits of Highly Effective People".quickmba.RetrievedJune 9,2020.
  2. ^Bullock, Erin Hong and Blaze."Stephen Covey's achievements | Deseret News".DeseretNews.RetrievedDecember 9,2018.
  3. ^abHarper, Lena M. (Summer 2012)."The Highly Effective Person".Marriott Alumni Magazine.Brigham Young University.Archived fromthe originalon October 4, 2013.RetrievedAugust 11,2012.
  4. ^"Stephen Covey to join USU's Jon M. Huntsman School of Business".Utah State University.February 18, 2010. Archived fromthe originalon April 30, 2010.RetrievedJuly 14,2010.
  5. ^Covey, Stephen R. (1976).Effects of Human Relations Training on the Social, Emotional, and Moral Development of Students, with Emphasis on Human Relations Training Based Upon Religious Principles(PhD thesis). Brigham Young University.
  6. ^"Stephen Covey, RIP".The Economist.July 21, 2012.
  7. ^"'7 Habits' author Stephen Covey dead at 79 ".CNN. July 16, 2012.RetrievedJuly 17,2012.
  8. ^"The 7 Habits Inspire Teachers & Students Worldwide".October 5, 2009. Archived fromthe originalon October 9, 2009.RetrievedAugust 12,2011.The Leader in Me is being used by more than 150 elementary schools in the U.S., Canada, Singapore, Australia, Japan, Hungary and the Philippines.
  9. ^Douglas Martin, "Stephen R. Covey, Herald of Good Habits, Dies at 79",New York Times,July 16, 2012
  10. ^Middleton, Diana (February 17, 2010)."Utah State B-School Hires Stephen Covey".Wall Street Journal.RetrievedFebruary 18,2010.
  11. ^"The Leader In Me".FranklinCovey.RetrievedApril 30,2010.
  12. ^"Elementary Education Solutions – The Leader in Me".FranklinCovey.RetrievedApril 30,2010.
  13. ^Smith, Timothy K. (December 12, 1994)."What's so effective about Stephen Covey? The author of The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People sells a message of moral renewal, and corporate America is buying it. Is this a good thing?".Fortune magazine.
  14. ^LDS Church Almanac, 2006 Edition, p. 492
  15. ^July 1973Ensignarticle on assignments of mission and regional representatives
  16. ^Stahle, Shaun D. (May 17, 2003)."New General Authority: Chip off the ol' block".Church News.RetrievedJanuary 4,2010.
  17. ^"My story about Stephen Covey — fellow Mormon, teacher and friend".The Washington Post.
  18. ^Harvey, Tom (July 16, 2012)."'The 7 Habits' author Stephen Covey dies ".The Salt Lake Tribune.RetrievedJuly 16,2012.
  19. ^"Stephen R. Covey dead after bike accident," The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People "author was 79".Newsday.July 16, 2012.RetrievedJuly 16,2012.
  20. ^abcde"Academy Fellow Stephen R. Covey, Ph.D."World Business Academy. Archived fromthe originalon July 9, 2008.RetrievedAugust 11,2008.
  21. ^"Dr. Stephen R. Covey To Present at Cal U Sept. 11–12".California University of Pennsylvania.August 6, 2007. Archived fromthe originalon December 21, 2008.RetrievedAugust 11,2008.
  22. ^"Golden Gavel Recipients".Toastmasters International.Archived fromthe originalon September 23, 2008.RetrievedAugust 11,2008.
  23. ^"Covey selected for Utah Hall of Fame".Deseret News.October 29, 2009.

External links[edit]

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Stephen_Covey&oldid=1216166512"