Principle Centered Leadership

by Stephen R. Covey

The author invites business readers to center their professional lives around principles of excellence and quality and discusses the six conditions of effectiveness and the patterns of organizational excellence

Genres: Leadership, Business, Self Help, Nonfiction, Personal Development, Management, Psychology

334 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 1990

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.

Stephen Richards Covey was an American educator, author, businessman, and speaker. His most popular book is The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. His other books include First Things First, Principle-Centered Leadership, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Families, The 8th Habit, and The Leader In Me: How Schools and Parents Around the World Are Inspiring Greatness, One Child at a Time. In 1996, Time magazine named him one of the 25 most influential people. He was a professor at the Jon M. Huntsman School of Business at Utah State University (USU) at the time of his death.

Reviews

[T · Rating 5 out of 5]

This has been one of the best books on life I have read in some time. I would agree with many of the other reviewers that this was a fairly repetitive book, and normally I would have only given something like this 4 stars, but the difference for me was that the concepts are powerful enough that it deserves a lot of praise. The book is a good companion to Covey's phenomenal 7 Habits book, by acting as a new lens through which to view the 7 Habits concepts. This book illustrates how the use of solid principles can enhance everything we do in life, and specifically our families and businesses. Dr. covey will be greatly missed, but I believe he accomplished what he pledged in the final chapter of this book. He lived life to the fullest and continued to strive to better the lives of those around him as well.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent book that shows how to implement the 7 Habits of Highly-Effective People in organizations and relationships. I think that this book gives great insights into effective human resource planning and strategy. You have to look at your organization as a whole and people as a whole. What motivates? What inspires to do better? A mission and common goal are important. I found the chapters on managing expectations, and involving and empowering people very interesting...especially because of situations I have seen before in work settings. Successful organizations and families and individuals thrive amidst change and challenges as they have common values and principles to hold to and use as a guide.

[Aram · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Covey; he really goes in depth while keeping everything plain and simple. This book basically goes over four levels of Leadership; Personal, Interpersonal, Managerial and Organizational and how you will succeed at each level by applying the key corresponding principles; Trustworthiness, Trust, Empowerment and Alignment.

If you are familiar with Covey you will tie a lot of these principles with other of his concepts, I felt this gave me an extra layer of understanding. Read It!

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stephen R. Covey never could have survived or probably stomached serving in a Trump Cabinet 😂. This is a great book for business leadership strategies. Covey had such a brilliant mind! He was way ahead of his time. This book definitely illustrates some of the more successful business leadership paradigms in today’s world and business cultures. The old school autocratic management style no longer works.

⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️

[حاتم عاشور · Rating 3 out of 5]

من المحزن أن أكتب هذا الكلام من بعد وفاة ستيفن كوفي بيوم واحد !

الكتاب في وصفه الأول "كثير حكي" يمكن كان اختصار الكثير من المقدم
وإعطاء خلاصات مفيدة بشكل أجمل، يحتوي على الكثير من النظريات
والجانب الذي يتحدث فيه الكتاب مبني على البعد العملي تماماً.

تشعر في لحظات أنك ضائع في صفحاته لعدم وجود بعض الترابط، الترجمة أثرت ! من الممكن.

النجمة الثالثة استحقها لأنه في أجزاء يعطيك كلاما ً رائعا ً يمكن استقراءه من الواقع أو تحويله إلى الواقع.

وللأمانة الكتاب من الممكن أن يعطى كدورة أو مادة تدريسية، ولكن لا يصلح كتابا ً للقراءة فقط.

[Glen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Characteristics of principle centered leaders
Continually learning - question self improving
Service orientated
radiate positive energy - be peacemaker, Hermosa or reverse destructive energy
Believe in other people - the unseen potential - don't carry grudges
Lead balanced lives- actions proportionate to the situation
See life as an adventure - have flexibility as a key principle
Synergistic - complement with the strengths of others
Exercise for self renewal - physical, mental, emotional, spiritual
7 Habits
Be proactive
Begin with the end in mind - goals
Put first things first
Think win-win
Seek first to understand - Then to understand
Synergise
Three Resolutions - to over come forces working against our resolutions: appetites and passions, pride & pretension, aspiration & ambition
To exercise self-discipline & self denial
To work on character & competence
To dedicate my talents an resources to noble purposes and to provide service to others
Primary Greatness
primary greatness through character, personality is secondary
three essential character traitsfor primary greatness
integrity - the value we place on ourselves
maturity - bamlance between courage & consideration
Abundance mentality - that there is plenty out there for everybody - the oppoaite of the sarcity mentality
start from inside-out rather than outside-in
Dag Hammarskjold (past UNSG): " It is more noble to give yourself completely to one individual than to labour diligently for the salvation of the masses
Orginisational develpment Process
gather adn diagnose data
select priorities, values & objectives
identify and evaluate alternatives
plan and decide action steps
compare results with orgaisational goals and objectives
Ten suggestions to increase aleader's honour and power with others:
Persuasion - sharingideas, respecting input, keeping comms alive
patience - maintain a long term perspective
gentlenss - when dealing with vulnerabilities of followers
teacheableness - accepting you don't have all the answers
acceptance- giving benefit of the doubt, withholding judgement
kindness - thoughtful inrelationships
opennes
compassionate cnofronttion - making it safe for followers totake risks
consistency - in leadership style
integrity- matching words and feelings with thoughts and actions
Clearing Communcation lines
Required attitudes:
assume good faith, do not question person's sincerity or sanity
care about the relationship and want to resolve the difference in perception - seek their help in understanding their point of view
be open to influence nd be repared to chnge
Required behaviours:
listen to understand
speak to be understood
start dialogue from coomon point of understanding - move slowly into areas of disagreement
Methods of Influence:
by example - who you are and how you act:
refrain from saying the unknd or negative thing
exercise patience with others
distinguish between the person and the behviour or performance - important ot recognise person's intrinsic worth
perform anonymous service - increases sense of intrinsic worth
choose the proactive response - ie decide don't wait to be forced to react
keep promises you make to others
focus on circle of influence
live the law of love - recognising people's intrinsic worth
building caring relationships -do you understand and care
assume the best in others
seek first to understand
reward open, honest expressions or questions
give an understanding response
if offended, take the initiative
admit your mistakes, apologize, ask for forgiveness
let arguments fly out open windows - give no answer to contentious arguments or irresponsible accusations- let them expen themsleves rather than ignite pent-up hostility
go one on one - one to ne tme for spouse and children
renew your comitment to thingd you have in common
be influenced by them first -- we have influenc ewith others to the degree they feel they have influence with us
accepttheperson and the situation - the first step in changing or improving another is o accept him as he is
by mentoring though instruction - what you tell me
prepare yourmind and heart before yuo prepareyour speech - I rprepareyurself before going into the house each night - how can Ibless my wife andchildren
avoid fight or flight - talk through differencesrecognise and take time to teach. It is time to teach when:
people do not feel threatenedyour are not angry or frustrated
when the other persn needs help and support
agree on the limits, rules, expectations and cnosequences
don't give up or in to bad behaviour - don't protect from the consequences
be there at the cross roads - support those makig decisions - think before you act, takethe long term perspective - remember hat eople tend to act in terms of howtey feel rather than howthey act
speak the languages of logic and emotion - be prepared to comunicate in one of fourother ways:
to give time - transfers worth
be patient - also recognises worth
seek to understand
openly express our feelngs
delegate effectively - three phases:
initial agreement - people have a clear understanding of what is expected and what resoucrs, authority, lattitude and guidelines
sustainingthe delegatees - supervisor as the source of help
accountability process - ie self evaluation asdelegatees are supervisedby results/performance
involvepeople in meningful projects - projectstake on meaing when people are involed in the planning
law of he harvest - we reap what we sow
let natural consequences teach responsible behaviour
Three big mistakes:
advising befre being understood - must seek to understand first
attempting to rebuild relationships without chnaging conduct or attitude - mustshow consistencey and sincerity
assuming that good example and relationship are sufficient - must teach as well
Eight Ways to enrich marriage and family relationships
retain a long term perspective -where there is a will there is a way
rescript your marriage/family on the people involved not your own experiences and expectations
reconsider your roles - producer, manager, leader
reset goals - focus on production capacity of each memeber of family rather than the production of desired results
re-align family systems -
goals and plans
teaching & training
communicating & problem solving
Refine three vital skills
time mngt - self mngt
communication
problrm solving
Regain internal security - most people derive their secuirty from external sources - possessions & environment - life made insecure by what ever happens to these source. Seven independent sources
God
appreciate nature
sharpen the saw - physically, mentally & spiritually
give service
show integrity
the person tha loves
develop a family mission statement
Ten keys to making champions of your children/employees
work to build children's self-esteem
encouraging 'character' over 'personatity'
encourage them to develop their oen interests
create an enjoyable family culture
plan ahead
set an example of rxcellence
teach them to visualise to help them reach their own potential
adopt teir friends
teach them to have faith, believe and trust in others, and to affirm, build, bless and serve othes
provide support, resources and feedback
Seven Characteristics of abundance Managers
return often to sources of internal security
seek solitude and enjoy nature
sharpen the saw regularly
serving others anonymously
maintan a long term relationship with another person
they forgive themselves and others
they ae problem solvers
Seven Chronic Problems
no shared vision or values
no strategic path
poor alignment - between structure and shared values, vision and systems
wrong style - mngt philosophy does not sit ith shared vision
Low trust
no itegrity - values do not equal habits
Steps for settng up win-win agreement
specify desired results
set some guidelines
identify available resources
define accountability - specify how performance willbe evaluated
determine the consequenes
Six conditions of empowerment
Character - integrity, maturity, abundance mentality
Skills - communcations,planning/organisation, synergistic probelm-solving
win-win agreement
self-supervision
helpful structure & systems
accountability - self-evaluation
Perforance agreements - managing expectations
Preconditions: trust & communication
use win-win principles for the agreement
How to get comleted staff work (ie for delegation to work)
provide a clear understanding of the desired results
give aclear sense of what level of initiative people have
claify assumptions
provide as much time resources and access as possible
set a time and space for reviewing the completed staff work
Four areas of total quality:
personal & professional development
interpersonal relaionships
managerial effectiveness
organisatinal productivity

[Greg Strandberg · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was pretty good, but I got a little tired of reading it and decided to take it back to the library. I think it has some good tips on being effective in life and business and leadership, while also having good habits. The first couple of chapters, Covey reiterates what he said in his book "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People." I never read that, but enjoyed the recap.

All in all, if you want good motivational business/leadership books, this is a good one to look at.

[Maen · Rating 1 out of 5]

كتاب ضعيف لكاتب مميز...
لا أنصح بقراءته
كلام كثير برايي الشخصي اللي قرأ العادات السبعة للناس الأكثر فعالية مالو بحاجة هاد الكتاب
واللي ما قرأ العادات السبعة ما حيفهم هاد الكتاب

[Ameera Almousa · Rating 3 out of 5]

يحتوي على مجموعة من المبادئ التى ترتكز عليها القيادة الناجحة , في المشاريع والأعمال والإدارة .

يُلم بعض الجوانب والقيم الإجتماعية والصفات والطبائع الشخصية التى قد تُعد من العقبات لشخصية القائد في الإدارة .

بعض اللمحات أيضا فيما يتعلق بالقيادة ومدى تكوين علاقات جادة ومفيدة في مواقع العمل , والنجاح في التواصل وعلاقتة بأفراد العمل خارج المؤسسة .

يعاب على الكتاب كثرة السرد وعدد الصفحات .

[Betül Bozkurt · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Genel zaferden önce özel zafer gelir” mottosuyla yola çıkıp öncelikle Etkili İnsanların Yedi Alışkanlığı kitabını, sonrasında da bu kitabı okudum. Metaforlar ve yaşanmışlıklarla dolu, detaylı bir kılavuz diyebilirim. İnsanların kendilerini anlamlı bir bütünün parçası hissetmeleri için neler yapılabilir, böyle hissederlerse neler değişir sorularının cevabını bu kitapta bulabilirsiniz.
🍀
Benim gibi satır aralarından, sürekli tavşan kovalayan; anlamlı bir hedefe varmaktan uzak bir çalışma stilinin neden işe yaramayacağını da çıkarabilirsiniz belki. Kim bilir😊

[Aaron Hutmacher · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was very good. However, the concepts and topics were very in depth and honestly deeper then my limited understanding could comprehend. Most books of this type take me a few weeks to read. I have been reading this book for a few months. I would read a few paragraphs and then have to digest what it said. I underlined or highlighted several key points and will likely keep this book on my bookshelf to refer to in the future.

[Margaret · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent. Everyone in any type of management position should read this book. Actually, I listened to it...over and over...and then bought the cd. Simple, thoughtful and encouraging. I want to buy a copy for those who don't think they need it.

[Carole Skees · Rating 3 out of 5]

Felt a little all over the place even though he claims otherwise.

[Gulshan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Too much to learn from this book i would always keep it close to me to re-read some chapters

[Eglė · Rating 4 out of 5]

Letuviškas vertimas vietomis atrodė labai prastas ir painus. Idėjų yra tikrai gerų, bet trūksta praktinių pavyzdžių. Knyga skaitėsi sunkiai.

[Piper Oliver · Rating 4 out of 5]

“I am not a product of my culture, my conditioning, and the conditions of my life; rather I am a product of my value system, attitudes, and behavior- and those things I control.”

[Fernando Bragança · Rating 4 out of 5]

Covey argues that authentic leadership is not about quick fixes or manipulative tactics. Instead, it’s about aligning our lives and organizations with timeless, universal principles like fairness, honesty, service, and human dignity. These principles form the foundation for trust, growth, and sustainable success.

"Principle-Centered Leadership" is more than a leadership manual; it’s a call to live and lead with purpose, authenticity, and moral clarity. Covey’s message is clear: when we anchor our lives in true principles, we become better leaders and better people.

[K.G. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stephen Covey's Principle-Centered Leadership paradigm is a very good read. Yes, he's a bit repetitive in this book but I believe he did this to reinforce deep concepts. I love that his ideas are based on universal natural systems, principles or what his calls the "law of the farm" and not the latest sexy, quick fix or power-centered fad of the day. He makes the point that there are four possible paradigms focused on different needs. Covey's own paradigm is spirit and meaning-based teaches one to have an "abundance" versus "scarcity mindset. He stresses the difference between being principle versus value-centered and how doing so will keep you on purpose. He demonstrates the value of believing in others, radiating positive energy, continual learning, service-orientation, leading a balanced life, viewing life as an adventure, synergy and renewing oneself. I think Stephen's a man ahead of his time and has written books that will stand the test of time.

[Bojan Radulovic · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is one of the worst books I’ve ever read. Pages and pages of completely copied stories from The 7 Habits, and pages and pages of non-sensical lists that author makes every 5 seconds to prolong his sentences, paragraphs, points, and the entire book. The topics are all over the place to where it makes you wonder if it’s a book on personal development, marriage, raising children, running a business, consulting large organizations, education, or something else, and ultimately every single topic is covered in a boring, I-know-best manner by the writer who might have mistaken himself for a psychologist when he wrote this trash. Not to mention the constant promotion of his own business, which I imagine was the real reason he wrote this - to get more business back in the day. Read the 7 Habits and stay away from this

[John Johnson · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is really just a collection of smaller essays Covey has written, and it is not put together very cohesively. I read this as part of a study circle, and we spent an enormous amount of energy interpreting what we thought he was really trying to say (instead of what he does say.)
The ideas in the book itself are strong ones, though. If you seriously want to learn his ideas about leadership, just skip this one and go straight to the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, which is far more cogent and compelling.

[La-Shanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author Stephen R. Covey delivers strategies for creating an effective work environment using each employee’s strengths. He identifies the problem with organizational leadership, very few people influence the vision, mission and strategic planning of an organization. There’s a divide between who has the power to control and navigate climate and culture (building relationships and brining everyone to the table). Several great concepts. However, once in a while the author would offer an analogy which didn’t necessarily make sense.

[Ginette Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Who would not like our political leaders to practice the type of leadership described in this book, especially in the contentious climate that seem to be the rule these days? As for the book itself, the constant repetition of the same ideas becomes tedious after a while, though I understand that it is a compendium of articles written for different audiences.

[Samantha Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

Covey delivers another powerful book on leadership, focusing on integrity, long-term thinking, and building trust. His principles apply to both personal and professional life, making this a must-read for anyone striving to lead with purpose and authenticity.

[Jay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Page 154: WTF?

"How do we serve and eat the lunch of champions (feedback) and then the dinner of champions (course correction) within the context of the breakfast of champions (vision)?"

[Carlos Graça · Rating 4 out of 5]

core leadership notions based on principles

[Bright Mind · Rating 4 out of 5]

I recommend every leader to read it. .it's very handy . great book Stephen you are the best

[Sandra · Rating 1 out of 5]

Too much fluff for me... I'm still not entirely sure what these so-called "principles" even are.

[Chisom Akunne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Self help

[Joseph · Rating 5 out of 5]

Covey's work may be a little dated, but that's fine - because his insights are timeless. I've learned something new every time I've read (or re-read) one of his books.

[Than Short · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great book for helping define my personal code of ethics. I will be keeping this as a reference book for my leadership.