FranklinCovey Blog | Leadership

Stephen R. Covey joins the School of Business at Utah State University

Friday, February 19th, 2010 | FranklinCovey News | No Comments

The Jon M. Huntsman School of Business announced this week that Stephen R. C­ovey, has agreed to join its faculty as a tenured, full professor at Utah State University and the first incumbent of the Jon M. Huntsman Presidential Chair in Leadership.

Dr. Covey is best known for his book, “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.” His books have sold more than 20 million copies in 38 languages and “Forbes” named the 7 Habits book one of the top 10 most influential management books ever written.

“Dr. Covey’s life’s work has been to teach principle-centered leadership and that is a key part of what we do here at the Huntsman School of Business,” Anderson said. “We know the work we will do with him will leave a legacy in the lives of our students.” › Continue reading

Tags: Business, Leadership, Stephen Covey, Trust

Be Proactive – The Most Important Habit

Tuesday, July 21st, 2009 | FranklinCovey News, From the Desk of Stephen R. Covey | 12 Comments

I am often asked if there is one habit out of the 7 Habits that is more important than the others. Of course, if you ask me all the habits are important and they form an inter-connected whole or a continuum. I believe for maximum effectiveness, you have to build from one to the other and apply them consistently. From that perspective, Habit 1: Be Proactive provides the foundation for all the other habits. Habit 1 is, undoubtedly, the foundation for leadership at home or at work because it begins with the mindset “I am responsible for me, and I can choose.”All the other habits are dependent upon being proactive and choosing to master and practicing principle-centered living.

The key to being proactive is remembering that between stimulus and response there is a space. That space represents our choice- how we will choose to respond to any given situation, person, thought or event. › Continue reading

Tags: 7 Habits, Array, Conscience, Continuum, Experiences, Habit, Habit 1, Leadership, Maximum Effectiveness, Meaningful Purpose, Mindset, Pause Button, Perspective, Principle, Proactive, Stephen Covey, Stimulus And Response, Synergy

Leading the 21st Century Workforce

Wednesday, June 10th, 2009 | The Leader In Me | 1 Comment

Have you ever wanted something to change but didn’t know how to start?  We have all been in the position of making a choice; the choice to walk away or to work within our Circle of Influence.

When Andrew Cherng, co-founder of Panda Express, read Dr. Stephen R. Covey’s, The 8^th Habit, he found something intriguing in the back of the book-a CD with video clip from A.B. Combs Elementary School in Raleigh, North Carolina. Mr. Cherng already knew, firsthand, how powerful the 7 Habits could be.  But, could children as young as kindergarten be taught the timeless principles? Andrew and Peggy Cherng decided to visit the school.

The theme at A.B. Combs is leadership. It permeates everything they do and every choice they make. They do not believe that every child will be or should be a CEO. Rather they focus on leadership principles with the 7 Habits as their foundation. › Continue reading

Tags: 7 Habits, A.B. Combs, Andrew Cherng, Career Lives, Children Of Today, Circle Of Influence, Co Founder, Doing The Right Thing, Dr Stephen, Foundation Leadership, Habit 6 Synergize, Habit 7 Sharpen The Saw, Leadership, Leadership Principles, Panda, Panda Express, Raleigh North Carolina, Self Confidence, Six Schools, Stephen Covey, Stephen R Covey, The 8th Habit, Timeless Principles, Working With Others

____ In a Crisis (you fill in the blank)

Wednesday, February 18th, 2009 | Leadership | 1 Comment

One of the great opportunities this downturn has created is the selling of how to do something in a crisis.  I get many emails a week offering to educate me on how to do something I thought I knew how to do, but no apparently do not because we are in a crisis and everything is different.  ‘How to lead in a crisis’, how to project manage in a crisis’, ‘how to sell in a crisis’, ‘how to buy a car in a crisis’, ‘how to make French onion soup in a crisis’ (well, that one wasn’t real).    While everyone is on the bandwagon, they are with good cause.  The crisis demands at times new actions for new challenges.  However, at other times, what it demands is a recommitment to what has always worked, but was less understood in good times.  This is the case with leadership.

Given that our job as leaders is ultimately to get results through our teams, and given that declining results are one of the big problems in this economy, then our problem to solve is results.  And, given that we need to achieve results through people, our challenge is to help a group of people who are bombarded daily both in the workplace and the press with dour forecasts for the future, feel motivated, energized and engaged. 

The good news is not only is it possible, it is probable if the leader does the right things.  A crisis sets the stage for the leverage and changing of the most powerful force over behavior in an organization – culture. › Continue reading

Tags: Bandwagon, Challenges, Crisis, Culture, Downturn, Economy, French Onion Soup, Good Times, How To Buy A Car, How To Make French Onion Soup, Job, Lead, Leadership, Leadership Training, Leverage, Organization Culture, Purpose, Trust