Product Description

How do we as individuals and organizations survive and thrive amid tremendous change? Why are efforts to improve falling so short in real results despite the millions of dollars in time, capital, and human effort being spent on them? How do we unleash the creativity, talent, and energy within ourselves and others in the midst of pressure? Is it realistic to believe that balance among personal, family, and professional life is possible?

Stephen R. Covey demonstrates that the answer to these and other dilemmas is Principle-Centered Leadership, a long-term, inside-out approach to developing people and organizations. The key to dealing with the challenges that face us today is the recognition of a principle-centered core within both ourselves and our organizations. Dr. Covey offers insights and guidelines that can help you apply these principles both at work and at home -- leading not just to a new understanding of how to increase quality and productivity, but also to a new appreciation of the importance of building personal and professional relationships in order to enjoy a more balanced, more rewarding, more effective life.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3707 in Books
• Published on: 1992-10-01
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 336 pages

From Library Journal
The great "angst" of life has seemingly gripped us all, and there seems to be no limit to the number of writers offering answers to the great perplexities of life. Covey, however, is the North Star in this field. Following his successful Seven Habits of Highly Effective People (S. & S., 1989), Covey now responds to the particular challenges of business leaders by applying his natural laws, or principles, of life to organizations. Covey explains these laws (security, guidance, wisdom, and power), and discusses how seven-habits practice and focus on these principles will result in personal and organizational transformation. He reminds us that personal and organizational success is hard work, requires unwavering commitment and long-term perspective, and is achievable only if we are prepared for a complete paradigm shift in our perspective. Without hesitation, strongly recommended for all management collections.
- Dale Farris, Groves, Tex.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review
Sam Walton

Chairman, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.

Covey's philosophy for creating more meaningful relationships and successes in the workplace is one we should be striving to implement throughout business and industry, in the home and elsewhere, if we expect to be rewarded with happiness and a fulfilling future. I truly believe that the values he stresses in Principle-Centered Leadership are fundamental to developing a total quality environment.

Catherine Crier

CNN News Anchor

The world is in dire need of a paradigm shift in attitudes and values. Stephen Covey gives us the blueprint with which to create a better personal, business, and political environment and produce this fundamental change. All we need do -- is act!

Thomas R. Horton

Chairman, American Management Association

As if Covey's first book The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, was not enough, his new book Principle-Centered Leadership is a real tour de force.

Phyllis J. Dudenhoffer

International President, General Federation of Women's Clubs

Principle-Centered Leadership gave me new insights into working with and for our volunteers. The ideas are basic, yet as we go through our life's work we sometimes overlook the simple basic truth. This book inspires me to build a better life.

Joshua Hammond

President, American Quality Foundation

We consider Stephen R. Covey to be one of the five most important contributors to shaping America's next level of thinking in quality.

Willard Jule

Total Quality Manager, Westinghouse

While the works of Deming and Juran have had a big impact on total quality, they give merely the pieces -- the 'things' part; Covey brings the 'people' part -- the glue that holds the pieces together -- that goes way beyond the 'things' and creates an exponential impact by empowering people.

Review
Joshua Hammond President, American Quality Foundation We consider Stephen R. Covey to be one of the five most important contributors to shaping America's next level of thinking in quality.

Customer Reviews

An Interesting Model of Leadership
I approached Stephen Covey's Principle-Centered Leadership not long after having read his famous The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. Given the very high benchmark, I was a bit disappointed by the chaotic structure and repeating content. However, the key insights of Dr. Covey's teachings on leadership sum up to quite an interesting model of leadership within organizations.

The key notion of the book is that leadership, in the same way as life in general, should be governed by principles. Dr. Covey describes four levels of leadership and corresponding four key principles that should be followed by effective leaders and organizations.

Personal level. The means to becoming an effective leader on the personal level is following the principle of trustworthiness. In order to be trustworthy, you need to show character and develop competence.

Interpersonal level. Leading people, which happens on the interpersonal level, can only be successful if it is based on the principle of trust. This in turn requires that both sides of the relationship are trustworthy (showing character and competence).

Managerial level. On the managerial level, a leader can obtain best results by following the principle of empowerment. People should supervise themselves - as a manager, you should become a source of help rather than a supervisor.

Dr. Covey lists six conditions of empowerment:
1. Character
2. Skills
3. Win-win agreement
4. Self-supervision
5. Helpful structure and systems
6. Accountability

Organizational level. In the design of leadership-centered organizations, one should focus on the principle of alignment. Great organizations should be aligned on the correct principles, values, strategy, style, structure and systems.

This might be a potentially interesting read to anyone who has not read 7 Habits before. Otherwise, I would recommend only a scanning and selective read of this book to anyone interested in the topic.

Quality author, disappointing content
Covey's follow up to his best seller does not quite merit the high regard his first work attained. Many of the topics are merely restated common themes found among even average business degrees giving the impression Covey may have been seeking to benefit off his first significant success rather than provide any fresh ideas.

I have always held to the belief that a single concept derived from a book, even if only discovered amid a single sentence, justifies the value of the book if the concept is new and profound. I did not find such a new concept among the entire book, and thus unless new to business leadership and management theory, I would not recommend this book.

Leadership
This book is great for anyone looking to reign in their strategy for leading other's, as well as yourself. Good as a supplemental reading for secondary education.