Stephen Covey's management theory is best known through his works, but it's important to know he lives the Covey model in personal relationships, too. The Stephen Covey background reveals that he is a devoted family man with a strong spiritual foundation that he interlaces with leadership principles. He examines the whole person - not just the worker - because you take yourself to work. His best known book is "7 Habits of Highly Effective People," but he has done much more than write a book.

Principle-centered leadership is a Covey theory that is the basis of the Franklin-Covey organization, which specializes in Stephen Covey management and leadership education. He focuses on utilizing time wisely, incorporating leadership, teamwork and customer-focused service for the greater good. He knows, by transforming leadership and bringing your decision process into consciousness, one person makes a difference. To engage in management theory of Stephen Covey education and training, consider implementing the following:

1. Study the Stephen Covey "7 Habits of Highly Effective People."

2. Learn about the Stephen Covey time management matrix.

3. Obtain knowledge of the Stephen Covey leadership theory.

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Learn about the Covey '7 Habits of Highly Effective People'

When Covey wrote about the seven habits, he did not provide new information, but he put it into a framework and language that exposed timeless success principles. The habits are common knowledge, but often go unused. Here Covey emphasizes a proactive attitude that works toward the collective good, and he ties in a spiritual component compatible with all religions. Even when he wrote 'The 8th Habit,' it was to teach people how to move from effectiveness to greatness when developing habits.

I recommend: Expand your knowledge about the Stephen Covey theory with free articles, audio and video samples and more from SelfGrowth.com. Take a tour of Stephen Covey's eCompass Connection for webinar, newsletter, library and econnection learning sites.

Train yourself to improve priorities with Stephen Covey time management

'First Things First' is the number one time management book sold, and it elaborates on step three of the seven habits. Covey teaches how to reorganize time based on importance, instead of urgency. His time management matrix leads you to label issues as urgent, non-urgent and important, not important. When filling in the matrix for your particular issues, you may quickly see that most of your time is spent on non-urgent, unimportant issues.

I recommend: Shared Visions Unlimited offers a more detailed explanation and view of the time management matrix. CarltonsTraining.com brings you the Covey Leadership Library to learn five core skills to improve skills within your organization.

Gain knowledge of Covey management skills of principle-centered leadership

In 'Principle-Centered Leadership,' Covey offers leadership guidelines and insights to apply at work and home. He teaches the necessity of recognizing the principle-centered core within our organizations and ourselves to face today's challenges. He lends a new perspective on increasing quality and productivity, and he values the importance of building personal and professional relationships. The ultimate goal is to enjoy a more balanced life.

I recommend: FranklinCovey Personal Coaching provides a variety of programs to suit you and your organization. If you're looking for topics Stephen Covey management training offers as speaking engagements, as well as information about having him come to your organization, see the Stephen R. Covey website.

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Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  The Covey model of leadership and management is a simple concept that changes the way you do business, so stay focused, pay attention and remove extraneous distractions.

A look at Stephen Covey's background reveals a lifelong dedication to helping others control their destiny with uplifting and straight-forward guidance. His book “Seven Habits of Highly Effective People,” is the most influential business book of the 20th century. He is a recipient of the International Man of Peace Award, the National Fatherhood Award, International Entrepreneur of the Year and eight honorary doctorate degrees.

The Stephen Covey seven habits of highly effective people are among the most widely used management innovation strategies in recent years. The Covey model is an “inside-out” philosophy, meaning that change starts inside each of us and works its way out. He finds a person’s character to be a collection of habits that consist of skill, knowledge and desire. Covey claims that effective people have seven important habits. The Covey seven habits of highly effective people are as follows:

1. The Covey model requires you to “be proactive.”

2. Think of the future and “begin with the end in mind.”

3. “Put first things first” when adopting Covey motivational theory.

4. Consider everyone’s needs and desires to develop “win-win” situations.

5. Covey theory asks you to “seek first to understand and then to be understood.”

6. “Synergize” for creative cooperation.

7. Continue to develop and learn as you “sharpen the saw” with Stephen Covey theory.

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Grow from dependence to independence under the Stephen Covey management theory

Stephen Covey believed that all of our actions are the result of past conditioning and that we must change our habits, and who we are, in order to succeed with making large changes in our lives. We start our lives dependent upon others. The initial three habits of Stephen Covey management training take you from dependence to independence. Habit one calls managers to be proactive, rather than reactive, and take control of their environment. Habit two requires the manager to think of the future, always keeping in mind the desired outcome. The third habit means that a manager must first manage herself, implementing activities that accomplish the second habit.

I recommend: Acquire one of the many helpful books and articles from Stephen Covey’s personal recommendations list. Purchase “Seven Habits of Highly Effective People” on Amazon.com.

Rely on interdependence through the management theory of Stephen Covey

Once you accomplish the first three habits of the Stephen Covey seven habits of highly effective people, the next three habits allow you to become interdependent. In other words, managers become just as dependent upon their staff as their staff is dependent upon them. It's a mutually beneficial relationship; habit four is think win-win. To be successful at interdependence, you must have good communication with others to develop positive relationships, as habit five means you try to understand others before you get them to understand you. Then, the synergy of habit six means you must all work together to achieve mutual goals.

I recommend: Learn continually from Stephen Covey through the blog on his website. Hire a consulting firm to help guide your business to an effective renovation, such as Stephen Covey’s firm FranklinCovey.

Improve yourself continually with the Covey Model

Habit seven, 'sharpen the saw,' means that you continually learn from your experiences in order to make yourself a better person. In 2004, Covey added habit eight to the mix, which allows you to go 'from effectiveness to greatness.' Covey believes that we should always aspire toward greatness, on personal, leadership and organizational levels, and that requires us to always act with integrity and inspire others to do the same.

I recommend: Purchase Covey’s book “The Eighth Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness,” from Leadership Now. Join the Stephen Covey Community for additional enlightenment, inspiration and enabling information.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  The renovation and growth of your company begins when you change the core elements of who you are. Once you determine to make the change, implement the Stephen Covey seven habits of highly effective people and refuse to give up, then innovation is sure to follow.

The management theory of Stephen Covey explores the concept of principled-centered leadership and the development of intrinsic core values based on abundance mentality traditionally deemed secondary in the business world. The abundance mindset is a business concept in which a person believes there are enough resources and success to share with others. The key terms associated with Covey’s inside-out philosophy teaches a proactive leader that thinks "win-win" and creates productive employees who enjoy a higher level of job satisfaction. Leaders who operate within a service-oriented management style encourage the growth of optimistic subordinates working to achieve more than just external rewards.

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Proactive

Stephen Covey explains that a proactive attitude is the ability to respond to a situation by making a choice in advance, actively aware that the response has present and future consequences. This concept is the ability and attitude to rise above a knee-jerk reaction to choose a constructive response to create positive results in negative or difficult circumstances.

I recommend: Franklin Covey.com offers insight into being proactive as a choice and The Free Dictionary gives a practical definition.

Habit

A habit is the place where knowledge, skills and willpower meet. Stephen Covey observed core values naturally practiced by people that encourage personal development centered on the power of choice. The theory found that habits practiced over time form principles or a value system that dictates personal action. The constructive practices espoused by Covey are a mind-set or attitude that claims serving others, not self-seeking extrinsic motivational methods.

I recommend: BNET, sponsored by CBS Interactive, provides information defining habit according to Covey's work.

Principle-centered leadership

This leadership style is an inside-out approach to developing people and organizations. One of Covey's habits of highly efficient people is the principle, 'begin with the end in mind' which is the source of the vision carried out by a servant leader, a term synonymous with principle leadership. Principle-centered leadership is based on management leading with principles that internalized turn into 'habits' rather than practices.

I recommend: View Ten3 Business e-Coach for a broad range of examples and methods to lead as a principle centered leader.

Win-win

Win-win is a major principle as taught by Covey. Defined as the value of mutual benefit, this concept celebrates working together in the process of decision making with the goal of committing to a solution that benefits both parties in conflict, not merely agreeing to compromises. Covey wrote a separate book emphasizing the significance of leading with the intention to seek highest good for all involved as opposed to self-serving motives.

I recommend: Learn Out Loud.com gives an overview of the book entitled, "Think Win-Win" by Stephen Covey. Leadership U explores the six paradigms of human interaction, including win-win.

Interdependence

Covey's theory debunks independence as a myth at best and misleading with regards to relationships with humans and organizations. It's a practiced belief that interconnections are powerful and celebrates the idea of being in relationship to others linked by choices and decisions that impact every person in the business, market community and work team.

I recommend: AbsoluteAstronomy.com offers an explanation of interdependence and a section that provides examples of the use of this term.

Synergize or Synergise

According to Covey, synergy is specifically defined as a creative process when two parties come together and negotiate or brainstorm to reach a solution. A synergistic solution presents a positive outcome that exceeds the expectations of all involved and is conditioned on the concept that the sum is greater than its parts.

I recommend: Define.com dictionary and thesaurus offers a brief definition of synergy and a list of synonyms. Scroll down to Habit 6 on the website White Dove Books for a complete definition within the context of the other habits outlined by Covey.