'' The 8th Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness'' is a book written by Stephen R. Covey, published in 2004. It is the sequel to ''

The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People ''The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People'' is a business and self-help book written by Stephen R. Covey. First published in 1989, the book goes over Covey's ideas on how to spur and nurture personal change. He also explores the concept of effe ...

'', first published in 1989. The book clarifies and reinforces Covey's earlier declaration that "

interdependence Systems theory is the transdisciplinary study of systems, i.e. cohesive groups of interrelated, interdependent components that can be natural or artificial. Every system has causal boundaries, is influenced by its context, defined by its structur ...

is a higher value than independence." This book helps its readers increase the dependence of themselves and others.

8th habit

The eighth habit is ''Find your voice and inspire others to find theirs.'' Voice is Covey's code for "unique personal significance." Those who inspire others to find theirs are the leaders needed now and for the future, according to Covey. The central idea of the book is the need for steady recovery and application of the whole person paradigm, which holds that persons have four bits of intelligence - physical, intellectual, emotional, and spiritual. Denial of any of them reduces individuals to things, inviting many problems. The

Industrial Age The Industrial Age is a period of history that encompasses the changes in economic and social organization that began around 1760 in Great Britain and later in other countries, characterized chiefly by the replacement of hand tools with power-d ...

is assumed to have been a period dependent on such denial. Covey believed the

Information Age The Information Age is a historical period that began in the mid-20th century. It is characterized by a rapid shift from traditional industries, as established during the Industrial Revolution, to an economy centered on information technology ...

and a foreseen "Age of Wisdom" require "whole" people (in whole jobs). The book is divided into two sections, with the first few chapters focusing on finding your voice, while the later chapters are about inspiring others to find their voice. Some versions of the book come with a DVD, although all the short films on this DVD can be viewed via Covey's website. Most of the chapters in the book include a section discussing one of the 'stories' from the DVD, which are intended to illustrate the theme of the chapter (for example the story of

Helen Keller Helen Adams Keller (June 27, 1880 – June 1, 1968) was an American author, disability rights advocate, political activist and lecturer. Born in West Tuscumbia, Alabama, she lost her sight and her hearing after a bout of illness when ...

and another about the

Berlin Wall The Berlin Wall (, ) was a guarded concrete Separation barrier, barrier that encircled West Berlin from 1961 to 1989, separating it from East Berlin and the East Germany, German Democratic Republic (GDR; East Germany). Construction of the B ...

). The book talks of "5 Cancerous Behaviors" (page 135) that inhibit people's greatness: *

Criticism Criticism is the construction of a judgement about the negative or positive qualities of someone or something. Criticism can range from impromptu comments to a written detailed response. , ''the act of giving your opinion or judgment about the ...

* Complaining * Comparing * Competing * Contending People can discover their voice because of the three gifts everyone is born with: #The freedom to choose #The natural laws or principles – those that dictate the consequences of behavior. Positive consequences come from fairness, kindness, respect, honesty, integrity, service, and contribution #The four bits of intelligence – mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual. Covey talks about great achievers expressing their voice through the use of their intelligence. Achievers for example *develop their mental energy into

vision Vision, Visions, or The Vision may refer to: Perception Optical perception * Visual perception, the sense of sight * Visual system, the physical mechanism of eyesight * Computer vision, a field dealing with how computers can be made to gain und ...

*develop their physical energy into

discipline Discipline is the self-control that is gained by requiring that rules or orders be obeyed, and the ability to keep working at something that is difficult. Disciplinarians believe that such self-control is of the utmost importance and enforce a ...

*develop their emotional energy into

passion Passion, the Passion or the Passions may refer to: Emotion * Passion (emotion), a very strong feeling about a person or thing * Passions (philosophy), emotional states as used in philosophical discussions * Stoic passions, various forms of emotio ...

*develop their spiritual energy into conscience – their inward

moral A moral (from Latin ''morālis'') is a message that is conveyed or a lesson to be learned from a story or event. The moral may be left to the hearer, reader, or viewer to determine for themselves, or may be explicitly encapsulated in a maxim. ...

sense of what is right and wrong and their drive towards meaning and contribution.

References

External links

''The 8th Habit''Creative Habits
Self-help books 2004 non-fiction books {{business-book-stub