THE WISDOM AND TEACHINGS OF STEPHEN R. COVEY

New Book Features The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People Author, Stephen Covey: 

THE WISDOM AND TEACHINGS OF STEPHEN R. COVEY

 

Invaluable Gift Book – The Most Memorable and Important Teachings of Stephen Covey, Beloved Leadership Expert and Bestselling Author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

NEW YORK & SALT LAKE CITY--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Simon & Schuster and Franklin Covey Co. (NYSE: FC) today announced the launch of a new book featuring Stephen Covey, the bestselling author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, entitled THE WISDOM AND TEACHINGS OF STEPHEN R. COVEY (November 13^th, 2012/$18.00 hardcover).

Stephen Covey passed away in July 2012, leaving behind an unmatched legacy with his teachings about leadership, time management, effectiveness, success, love, education and family. A multi-million-copy bestselling author of business and self-help, Stephen Covey strove to help readers recognize the key elements that would lead them to personal and professional effectiveness. His seminal work, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, transformed the way millions of people act on their problems with a compelling, logical and well-defined process. Indeed, many of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People have been assimilated into everyday thinking and everyday conversation. For example, the expressions “win/win” and “first things first,” to name a few, have been incorporated into almost every culture around the world.

THE WISDOM AND TEACHINGS OF STEPHEN R. COVEY is a compilation of Stephen Covey’s most insightful, inspiring teachings and sayings. His profound influence spread beyond individuals and businesses and continues to be integrated into governments, educational systems, and many other institutions with great success. This book covers Stephen Covey’s most impactful topics: time management, success, leadership – including principle-centered leadership – all of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, love and family. This powerful collection is a lasting tribute to the luminary that will be missed by so many.

“THE WISDOM AND TEACHINGS OF STEPHEN R. COVEY is a collection of my father’s most memorable and important teachings, all from his bestselling books, such as The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People,” said Sean Covey, Executive Vice President of Global Solutions and Chief Product Architect, Franklin Covey. “For anyone who has read Stephen Covey’s books, they have personally experienced his approach and commitment to teaching universal principles. His teachings are enormously empowering and transcend differences of every kind in every culture, in every age. These principles have withstood the test of time with millions of people throughout the world and will continue to do so in the future. My father’s legacy continues on.”

About the author

Stephen Covey, one of Time magazine's 25 most influential Americans, was an internationally respected leadership authority, family expert, teacher, organizational consultant, and author. He sold over 25 million books (in 38 languages), and The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People was named the #1 Most Influential Business Book of the 20th century. Stephen Covey was the co-founder of Franklin Covey Co., a global performance improvement company with more than 40 direct and licensee offices providing professional services in over 140 countries. Stephen Covey was also professor of management at the Jon M. Huntsman School of Business at Utah State University, where he held the first Jon M. Huntsman Presidential Chair in Leadership. He passed away in July 2012.

About Franklin Covey

Franklin Covey Co. (NYSE: FC) is a global company specializing in performance improvement. We help organizations achieve results that require a change in human behavior. Our expertise is in seven areas: leadership, execution, productivity, trust, sales performance, customer loyalty and education. Franklin Covey clients have included 90 percent of the Fortune 100, more than 75 percent of the Fortune 500, thousands of small- and mid-sized businesses, as well as numerous government entities and educational institutions. Franklin Covey has more than 40 direct and licensee offices providing professional services in over 140 countries. For more information, visit www.franklincovey.com.

FranklinCovey Online Learning Special!

 

Online Learning Special for a Limited Time!

77 On Demand Courses for only $299!

Access to FranklinCovey’s On Demand Catalog includes 77 online self-paced courses which cover a wide range of leadership, productivity and business skills. They incorporate concepts from the FranklinCovey popular workshops including The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Leading at the Speed of Trust and Great Leaders, Great Teams and Great Results.  Catalog includes:

LiveClicks Encore

Access to 10 self-paced courses which are 30 to 60 minutes in length. All courses are online and include content-based instruction through videos, animation, interactive quizzes and assessments, PDF toolkits as well as other resources and tools

The 7 Habits Jump Start: Habits 1–3

Learn to: Be proactive, keep commitments, become accountable for your actions and have a positive influence.

The 7 Habits Jump Start: Habits 4–7

Learn to: Collaborate effectively, form productive business relationships, develop listening skills and apply effective persuasion techniques.

Building Process Excellence

Learn to: Create excellent systems and processes using the Six Building Blocks of Process Excellence.

Building a High-Trust Organization

Learn to: Develop trust in your role and identify processes that need improvement by using the 13 Behaviors of Trust

The Speed of Trust Foundations

Learn to: Increase speed to market, accelerate growth and enhance innovation

 

Time-Management Fundamentals

Learn to: Apply time management principles to your life and master the skills of planning your weeks and organizing your days.

 

Business Writing Skills

Learn to: Increase writing productivity, resolve issues and avoid errors and write faster with more clarity

Unleashing Your Team’s Talent

Learn to: Engage in meaningful conversations that enable team members to contribute their talent to the organization’s needs.

The Diversity Advantage

Learn to: Increase understanding, gain deeper trust and achieve high levels of collaboration.

Resolving Generational Conflict

Learn to: Manage employees from different generations and understand why and how each generation responds differently in the workplace.

 

Excelerators

Access to 4 self-paced courses which are 45 to 60 minutes in length. Excelerators offer a highly interactive experience  through videos, animation, interactive quizzes and assessments, PDF toolkits as well as other resources and tools.

Clarifying Your Team's Purpose and Strategy

Learn to: Connect your team’s purpose to the mission and strategy of the organization and gain the skills for leading your team in executing on goals

The Speed of Trust: Relationship Trust

Learn to: Set a positive example, take responsibility and restore trust

The Speed of Trust: Self Trust

Learn to: Act with integrity, take responsibility, and build confidence

The 4 Imperatives of Great Leaders

Learn to: Inspire trust within your team, identify and address the four chronic problems that undermine success, creating an environment where productivity and creativity thrive

 

InSights On Demand

Access to 63 single-point lessons based around FranklinCovey's award winning vidoes. These bite-sized courses are 10 to 15 minutes in length and fall under 15 competencies below:

Business Acumen

3 Courses: The Power of Keeping Score, Make Your Systems Succeed, Understand How You Affect the Bottom Line

Learn to: Set clear objectives, create effective team processes and be accountable for key measures.

 

Communication

3 Courses: How to Give and Receive Feedback, Empathic Listening, Win-Win Thinking

Learn to: Communicate candidly and respectfully, create a “win-win” culture and respect the viewpoints of others.

 

Conflict Management

5 Courses: Resolve a Conflict, Build a Relationship, Turn Your Adversaries Into Allies, Negotiating Breakthrough Solutions, Win-Lose Conditioning

Learn to: See conflicts as opportunities, eliminate sources of unhealthy competition and collaborate for the good of the team.

 

Customer Focus

4 Courses: Build Your Brand, Know What Your Customers Really Want, Earn the Loyalty of Your Customers, How to Partner With Your Customers

Learn to: Build a trusted brand, build relationships with customers and make customers into promoters.

Execution

7 Courses: Overcoming the Execution Gap, Staying Focused on Key Priorities, Lead Measures, Steps to Effective Team Execution, Whirlwind, Creating an Accountability System, Turn Strategy into Action

Learn to: Execute strategy with excellence, eliminate barriers to achieving goals, and focus on the “critical few” instead of the “trivial many.”

Innovation/Creativity

3 Courses: Building an Innovative Culture, What Positive Difference Can Your Team Make?, Achieving Creative Breakthroughs

Learn to: Come up with innovative solutions to problems, develop a creative approach to work and leverage diverse points of view.

Managing Change

4 Courses: Taking Charge of Your Life, Becoming a Force for Positive Change, Initiate Change, Navigate Through Turbulent Times

Learn to: Take responsibility for results, see opportunity in adversity and deal successfully with a changing and uncertain environment.

 

Performance Management

3 Courses: Holding Each Other Accountable for Results, The Art of Demotivation, Win-Win Agreements

Learn to: Demonstrate accountability for results, develop individual talents and leverage the potential of each person.

 

Personal Productivity

7 Courses: Big Rocks, Circle of Influence, Understanding the Stress Cycle, Sharpen the Saw, Survival/Revival, How to Manage Your Time Effectively, Weekly Planning

Learn to: Focus on what is important, handle stress productively, balance work and life priorities and take initiative and plan daily and weekly.

Problem Solving

3 Courses: How to Change the World, Prevent Crises Before They Arise, See-Do-Get

Learn to: Anticipate and prevent crises, attack problems at their roots, make a meaningful contribution and deal successfully with change and ambiguity.

 

Strategic Leadership

5 Courses: Create a Clear and Compelling Strategy, Principles of Long-Term Success, How to  Lead a Team to Victory,  Balancing Short- and Long-Term Thinking, What Great Leaders Are Made Of

Learn to: Think beyond the short term, become principle-oriented, develop the leadership qualities of character and genuine concern for people.

Talent Development

4 Courses: Seeing the Potential in Others, Empowering Ourselves to Succeed, Light the Fire, Unleashing the Full Capacity of People

Learn to: Empower one another to succeed, build the confidence of others and create a climate where everyone wants to give their best.

 

Team Building

3  Courses: Reaching the Summit as a Team, Build a Great Team by Leveraging Diversity, Speed Up Your Team

Learn to: Develop team routines and processes to ensure excellence, learn to solve new problems and value diverse perspectives.

Trust/Integrity

5  Courses: How to Destroy Your Credibility, Building High-Trust Relationships, Building Personal Credibility, The Case for Trust, The High Cost of Low Trust

Learn to: Build trust by demonstrating  integrity, restore trust by being truthful and righting wrongs, extend trust to others, walk your talk” in living up to your values.

Vision/Purpose

5 Courses: Develop a Powerful Personal Mission, Contribution, Discovery of a Character, Live, Love, Learn, Leave a Legacy, Paint a Picture of Your Best Life

Learn to: Think beyond the short term, define a set of core values and engage your passion and sense of purpose.

 

After purchasing, you will receive an email containing the details you need to access the entire library. All courses are organized by competency. You can move through the courses as you please. You will have access for one year after the time of purchase.

Ready to get started?  If so, contact your regional Business Partner, John Vakidis at 214-387-9960.

80th Birthday

Today, October 24^th,  would have been Stephen R. Covey’s 80^th Birthday.  SRC passed away earlier in July 2012.  Read the announcement here.

Dr. Covey's work, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (and several other books), has made a trememndous impact on millions of people and thousands of organizations across the globe (both directly and inderectly).  In The 7 Habits book (and workshop) readers/participants are encouraged to work on their mission statement and and think about "Leaving a Legacy."

Below is a sample of a video used in our 7 Habits Signature Program titled, 80th Birthday.  Take a moment out of your busy day and watch this heartfelt video.  Then in the next 24 hours, take some time to think about your life, you work and the direction you are heading and then ask yourself this question, "Will I be remembered for making lives of others better?"  Enjoy the video!

What type of legacy would you like to leave?

 

Click here to begin your mission statement!

 

Live, love, laugh, leave a legacy! - Stephen R. Covey

 

 

 

Buy 10 - Get 1 FREE

At FranklinCovey, we have a variety of principle-based, training solutions that provide participants the right “Mind-Set, Skill-Set and Tool-Set” to make necessary changes in their behavior to achieve their desired results.

We have over 45 programs, that can help leaders and individual contributors thrive even in today’s challenging and unpredictable times.  Click here to download a current catalog to learn more about these solutions below.

·         Leadership Solutions

·         The 7 Habits Solutions

·         Business Execution Solutions

·         Business Communication Solutions

·         Project Management Solutions

·         Diversity Solutions

·         Sales Performance Solutions

·         Customer Loyalty

·         Online Learning Solutions

 In addition to public training programs and private onsite team engagements, one of our most popular ways to partner with organizations is through Licensed Certification.  We certify individuals (Leaders, Trainers and HR Managers, etc.) to take our content and tailor it for their workforce.  Not only is this an extremely effective way to bring our content in house, it is our most affordable option for training the masses!

 

 

Once a year, FranklinCovey holds a promotion specifically for our 100,000+ facilitator clients and it only runs in August.  As of today, we have 1 week remaining in our 15^th Annual Buy 10 Get 1 Free Offer (offer expires 8/31/12).

 

Offer details:

·         Materials must be ordered at one time to qualify.

·         This offer applies only to client-facilitator orders and does not apply to programs facilitated by FranklinCovey delivery consultants.

·         To qualify for the bonus offer, a minimum purchase price of $50 applies to each participant guidebook, participant kit, or tool. If the price is less, contact your client-service coordinator to determine the minimum purchase requirement for promotion eligibility.

 

·         Like materials must be ordered to qualify (i.e., ten 7 Habits Signature participant kits to receive one free 7 Habits Signature participant kit). Products cannot be combined (i.e., five Leadership participant kits and five 7 Habits Signature participant kits would not qualify for one free kit).

In addition to the Buy 10, Get 1 FREE offer for manuals, facilitators also qualify for gifts with a minimum purchase of 30 manuals.  See the photo below for gift options and tiers.

This annual promotion is good for NEW and existing clients.  To learn more about our Virtual Certification Process, follow this link and watch a short video narrated by Scott Miller, CMO & GM of Client Facilitation Services or contact me by email.
 

Don’t forget, this offer expires in 5 business days!  If you would like to learn how FranklinCovey can help give your organization The Ultimate Competitive Advantage, let’s talk … soon!

Enabling Greatness One Organization at a Time,

John Vakidis

In Memory of Dr. Stephen R. Covey

Franklin Covey Co. Announces the Passing of Dr. Stephen R. Covey, Renowned Author, Speaker and Consultant

SALT LAKE CITY--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jul. 16, 2012-- Franklin Covey Co. (NYSE:FC) today announced that Dr. Stephen R. Covey, co-founder and a former vice-chairman and director of FranklinCovey, passed away peacefully this morning due to the residual effects of a bicycle accident he suffered this past April. He was in his 80th year. In his final hours, he was surrounded by his loving wife and each of his children and their spouses.

Dr. Covey made a decision early in his life that his greatest contribution and life's work would be as a teacher. Beginning with his role as a university professor at Brigham Young University and then as an internationally-renowned author, speaker, and consultant, he has impacted the lives of countless millions worldwide. From grade school and university students, to Fortune 100 CEOs and numerous heads of state, he made teaching principle-centered leadership his life's work.

In 1996, Dr. Covey was recognized as one of Time magazine's 25 Most Influential Americans. He is the author of a number of acclaimed books, including the international bestseller The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, which has sold more than 20 million copies in 40 languages throughout the world. Other bestsellers include First Things First, Principle-Centered Leadership, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Families, and The 8th Habit. His most recent books include The 3rd Alternative, The Leader in Me, and Everyday Greatness.

In 2002, Forbes named The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People one of the 10 most influential management books ever written. Chief Executive magazine recognized The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People as one of the two most influential books of the 20th century. Dr. Covey received the Fatherhood Award from the National Fatherhood Initiative, was named Speaker of the Year, received the Sikh's International Man of Peace Award, and The National Entrepreneur of the Year Lifetime Award for Entrepreneurial Leadership.

In 1984, Dr. Covey made the decision to leave full-time teaching as a university professor to establish a business organization, Covey Leadership Center, that could take principle-centered leadership throughout the world. From the inception of that business, Dr. Covey's focus was always on writing and teaching, leaving the leadership and management of the business to others. In 1997, Covey Leadership Center merged with FranklinQuest, to form Franklin Covey Co. (NYSE:FC), a global performance improvement company that now operates in over 125 countries throughout the world. From the time of the merger to his retirement from the board last year, Dr. Covey devoted essentially all of his time and effort to writing and teaching.

To Stephen, more important than his professional work was his work with his family. Stephen was a devoted husband, father and grandfather and spent a considerable amount of time with his immediate and extended family, getting together for vacations, games, celebrations, birthdays, and events of all kinds, and having one-on-one time with each of his children and grandchildren, which he loved doing. Stephen truly believed that the greatest work we do is within the four walls of our own homes and was a model of a loving and committed husband and father to the end.

Bob Whitman, chairman and CEO of FranklinCovey, said, "We lost a dear friend today. Stephen was one of the world's great human beings. His impact is incalculable and his influence will continue to inspire generations to come. We extend our deepest condolences to Dr. Covey's family, his wife Sandra, their nine children and spouses, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. Stephen frequently referred to them as his greatest joy, inspiration, and most significant contribution and legacy to the world."

About Franklin Covey

Franklin Covey Co. (NYSE: FC) is a global company specializing in performance improvement. We help organizations achieve results that require a change in human behavior. Our expertise is in seven areas: leadership, execution, productivity, trust, sales performance, customer loyalty and education. Franklin Covey clients have included 90 percent of the Fortune 100, more than 75 percent of the Fortune 500, thousands of small- and mid-sized businesses, as well as numerous government entities and educational institutions. Franklin Covey has more than 40 direct and licensee offices providing professional services in over 140 countries. For more information, visit www.franklincovey.com.

Source: Franklin Covey Co.

Franklin Covey Co.
Debra Lund, 801-244-4474
Debra.Lund@FranklinCovey.com

Can we get along too well?

Today is the first Friday in May.  You know what that means, right?  Another great blog from my friend and colleague, Mark Murphy.  Mark is a senior consultant with FranklinCovey and has worked with organizations across the globe to help them with everything productivity, leadership and team performance.  If you have ever worked in an organization where teams were “stuck” from achieving their potential, then this month’s post might bring back a few memories. 

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Within the last month I’ve had the opportunity of working with two very different organizations struggling with one very similar issue.  One organization was a small privately held resort company in Colorado and the other was the UK office of an Italian-based multinational organization.  The issue was trust…or more specifically…the lack of trust. 

I was fascinated by how different and yet how similar the teams in both organizations were.  Even though one team was struggling to grow beyond the vision of a single entrepreneur and the other was working to integrate new team members from various cultural backgrounds; they were both essentially stuck in what Bruce Tuckman calls the “storming” stage of team development.

 According to Tuckman, all teams go through a natural process of development that consists of 4 phases:  1) Forming 2) Storming 3) Norming and 4) Performing.  (Bruce Tuckman reference).  Looking at the behavior of small groups in a variety of environments, he recognized the distinct phases teams go through and suggested they need to experience all four stages before they achieve maximum effectiveness.  This process can be subconscious, although an understanding of the stages can help a group reach effectiveness more quickly and less painfully. 

The “Storming” stage is when, as the name suggests, members can become hostile and combative.  As goals and objectives are clarified, team members become aware of any gaps between reality and their initial expectations. They may experience dissatisfaction with the team’s objectives and may begin to question the ability of their leadership.  If these issues are not addressed quickly and openly with what Steven R. Covey in his book, 7 Habits of Highly Effective People,  calls a “combination of courage and consideration”, the team may never get to the next stage which is Norming.  Norming is where members begin to resolve conflicts through increased cooperation and trust.  They settle in to norms on how to work together.  They rally around each other with common spirit and goals and get down to work. 

Norming is an essential step to the final goal of an effective team, which is Performing.  Performing is when team members work together productively and produce high-quality results. They prevent problems or work through them constructively.  They provide their own direction and encouragement and feel satisfaction in working with the team.  These high-performing teams are able to function as a unit as they find ways to get the job done smoothly and effectively without inappropriate conflict or the need for external supervision.

I think the key work here is inappropriate conflict.  Not all conflict is bad.   In seeking the balance of courage and consideration required to get beyond the storming stage teams must be able to, not only experience conflict, but actually embrace it.  I’ve worked with teams and organizations that are overly courageous and frank in their opinions without consideration for the feelings of others. These highly courageous yet inconsiderate teams rarely get beyond the storming stage.   I’ve also worked with teams that are overly considerate and afraid to confront issues with any degree of honesty or courage.  I’ve found that these teams are just as likely to get stuck in the storming stage.   As Steven Covey states, maturity in an individual as well as a team requires balancing both courage and consideration.

 In his book “The 5 Dysfunctions of a Team”, Patrick Lencioni states that ultimately teams fail to get results or Perform because of an Absence of Trust which leads to a Fear of Conflict. 

Notice (below) that the solution to a lack of trust lies, not in removing all conflict, but rather through embracing appropriate conflict with open, honest, thoughtful dialogue.  Steven Covey says the ultimate form of a Win-Win is to find agreement where both parties mutually benefit or to have both parties agree to disagree agreeably. 

So…back to the original question.  Can we all get along too well?  I believe we can.  If we want to create a high performing team that gets consistently superb results we have to create a high trust environment where people feel they can openly disagree.  An environment where differing views are not just tolerated, but actually celebrated.  An environment that understands how Storming can ultimately lead to Performing.  This is as true in the mountains of Colorado as it is in the UK.



- Mark Murphy, FranklinCovey Consultant             

Copyright © 2012 - Mark Murphy

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So it’s time for a little assessment.  Where is your team on the scale below?

1) Forming     2) Storming     3) Norming     4) Performing

If your answer was not 4, then we should chat.  Even if your team is Norming, what would it be worth to your organization if we could help you get to Performing?  For most organizations we visit with the financial ROI is huge.  If you are just Forming or Storming, them the ROI is even greater.

Be courageous enough to admit where you are at and contact me to set up a call with Mark and your FranklinCovey Client Partner.  I am confident to say that the time you give us will be well spent  to learn how we can help.

Helping increase performance one team at a time,

John Vakidis