Stephen Covey facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Stephen Covey
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Covey in 2005
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Stephen Richards Covey
October 24, 1932 |
| Died | July 16, 2012 (aged 79) |
| Alma mater | University of Utah (B.S.) Harvard University (M.B.A.) Brigham Young University (D.R.E.) |
| Occupation | Author, professional speaker, professor, consultant, management-expert |
| Spouse(s) | Sandra Covey |
| Children | 9 (including Sean Covey, Stephen M. R. Covey) |
Stephen Richards Covey (born October 24, 1932 – died July 16, 2012) was an American teacher, author, and speaker. He was known for his books about how to be successful and effective. His most famous book is The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.
Covey also wrote other popular books like First Things First and The Leader In Me. In 1996, Time magazine called him one of the 25 most influential people. He taught at Utah State University until his death.
Contents
Early Life and Learning
Stephen Covey was born in Salt Lake City, Utah. This was on October 24, 1932. As a young person, he was good at sports. However, he had a leg injury in junior high school. This made him focus more on his studies. He became part of the debate team. He even finished high school early because of his strong focus on learning.
Covey went to college and earned several degrees. He got a bachelor's degree in business from the University of Utah. He then earned an MBA (Master of Business Administration) from Harvard Business School. Later, he received a doctorate degree from Brigham Young University (BYU). He also received ten honorary doctorates during his life.
Ideas Behind His Books
Stephen Covey's ideas were shaped by many thinkers. He studied American self-help books for his doctoral project. He was also influenced by his faith, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Some people say his book The 7 Habits shares many values from his church in a way that anyone can understand.
Important Books by Covey
Covey wrote many books that helped people. His most famous ones teach about being effective and finding your purpose.
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People is Covey's most well-known book. It has sold over 20 million copies worldwide since 1989. The audio version was the first non-fiction audiobook to sell over one million copies in the U.S.
In this book, Covey talks about two ways people try to succeed. He calls one "The Personality Ethic." This is about trying to seem good or using quick tricks. He prefers "The Character Ethic." This means living by strong, timeless principles like honesty and fairness. Covey believed that principles are like natural laws. They determine what happens in the end. Values are what we believe inside. He teaches that if our actions (based on our values) follow these natural principles, we will have good results.
The book presents seven habits. They help people move from being dependent (relying on others) to independent (relying on themselves). Then, they move to interdependence (working well with others).
The 8th Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness
In 2004, Covey released The 8th Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness. This book is a follow-up to The 7 Habits. Covey felt that just being "effective" wasn't enough anymore. He said that today's world has new, bigger challenges. The 8th habit encourages people to "Find your voice and inspire others to find theirs." This means discovering your unique talents and helping others do the same.
The Leader in Me
Covey's 2008 book, The Leader in Me, shows how schools and parents can help kids become great leaders. It shares the story of an elementary school in North Carolina. This school started using The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People in its lessons. They also taught other basic leadership skills. The book explains how this approach helped students and led to amazing results. Many other schools around the world have now adopted this program.
Other Projects and Work
Stephen Covey was involved in many projects. These helped share his ideas with more people and organizations.
FranklinCovey Company
In 1985, Covey started his own company. It later merged with another company to form FranklinCovey in 1997. This company helps people and organizations improve. They offer training and tools to help people be more productive. Their goal is to "enable greatness in people and organizations everywhere."
Teaching at Universities
Covey was a professor at the Marriott School of Management at BYU for many years. He helped create a program about how organizations behave. Later in his life, he returned to teaching. He became a professor at the Huntsman School of Business at Utah State University.
Education Programs
Covey turned his book The Leader in Me into several education projects. FranklinCovey created a special website for The Leader in Me concept. They also hold workshops to train teachers and school leaders. These workshops help schools bring the "Leader in Me" process into their classrooms.
Personal Life
Family Life
Stephen Covey lived in Provo, Utah, with his wife, Sandra Merrill Covey. They had nine children and 55 grandchildren. In 2003, Stephen Covey received the Fatherhood Award. This award recognized his dedication to being a good father.
Covey's grandson, Britain, played college football. He later joined the Philadelphia Eagles professional football team.
His Faith
Covey was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He served as a missionary for his church in England for two years. He also led the church's mission in Ireland starting in 1962. Covey wrote several books about his faith, including The Divine Center.
Later Years and Passing
In April 2012, Covey had a bike accident in Provo, Utah. He was wearing a helmet, but it slipped. He hit his head and also broke some ribs.
Stephen Covey passed away on July 16, 2012. He was 79 years old. His death was due to problems from the bike accident. He died at a hospital in Idaho Falls, Idaho.
Awards and Recognitions
Stephen Covey received many awards for his work and influence:
- The Thomas More College Medallion for helping humanity.
- The National Entrepreneur of the Year Lifetime Achievement Award.
- One of Time Magazine's 25 most influential Americans in 1996.
- The Sikh's 1998 International Man of Peace Award.
- The 2003 Fatherhood Award from the National Fatherhood Initiative.
- The 2004 Golden Gavel award from Toastmasters International.
- Inducted into the Utah Valley Entrepreneurial Forum Hall of Fame in 2009.
Books by Stephen Covey
- Spiritual Roots of Human Relations (1970)
- How to Succeed with People (1971)
- The Divine Center (1982)
- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (1989)
- Principle Centered Leadership (1989)
- First Things First (1994), with Roger and Rebecca Merrill
- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Families (1997)
- Living the 7 Habits (2000)
- 6 Events: The Restoration Model for Solving Life's Problems (2004)
- The 8th Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness (2004)
- The Leader in Me: How Schools and Parents Around the World Are Inspiring Greatness, One Child At a Time (2008)
- The 3rd Alternative: Solving Life's Most Difficult Problems (2011)
See also
In Spanish: Stephen Covey para niños
