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New Zealand Business and Management Audio Books
About Business management leader Stephen R. Covey is the author of the bestselling book, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, as well as other books (First Things First, Principle -Centered Leadership). He is the founder of the Covey Leadership Center in Salt Lake City, Utah, and is the "Covey" of the Franklin-Covey Corporation, which makes planners and organizers and does management consulting. He has his BS in Business Administration from University of Utah in Salt Lake City, his MBA in Business Administration from Harvard University, and his DRE in Church History and Doctorate from Brigham Young University.
The Seven Habits, Covey's most well-known book, was extremely successful and has sold over 15 million copies since first publication in 1989. In this book, Covey argues against what he calls "The Personality Ethic", something he sees as prevalent in many modern self-help books. He instead promotes what he labels "The Character Ethic," which is based largely upon one's principles and code of conduct, specifically:
* Habit 1: Be Proactive: Principles of Personal Vision
* Habit 2: Begin with the End in Mind: Principles of Personal Leadership
* Habit 3: Put First Things First: Principles of Personal Management
* Habit 4: Think Win/Win: Principles of Interpersonal Leadership
* Habit 5: Seek First to Understand, Then to be Understood
* Habit 6: Synergize Principles of Creative Communication
* Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw: Principles of Balanced Self-Renewal
Covey's aim is to help others gain proficiency in their lives, especially within the context of business and management and make money doing it. However, his books also emphasize family and personal leadership. They are marketed to a wide-ranging audience, from high-powered executives to stay-at-home mums. Similar authors might include Peter Drucker or David Allen, as well as other more business-centered writers. Covey's works also exhibit a central philosophical ideal, which some would interpret as right of center or conservative, although he was for a time a consultant to President Bill Clinton.
Follow-up titles to The Seven Habits are meant to both add to the original and form a cohesive philosophy on personal, principle-based leadership. They are available as audio books as well. Covey has also written a number of learning books for children.
Critics of Covey's methods contend that the author offers a "quick fix" that dissipates when measured against the reality of day-to-day life. When confronted with situations that contain elements that are outside the realm of their personal influence, those imbued with Covey's summary accountability can become frustrated at the "habits'" failure to place situations within their locus of control. In short, Covey is sometimes said to preach impractical, idealistic methods.
Advocates of Covey's methods point out that the author consistently opposes "quick-fix" solutions to life or business problems and insists that changes in paradigm or mindset to align with natural principles are the true source of solutions. Covey points out, for example, that the paradigm that produces short-term results in business inevitably leads to an inability to produce results for the long term. He calls this "killing the golden goose." The most effective mindset for the business person is to balance short- and long-term productive capacities.
About The Author Jim Collins
Jim Collins is a student and teacher of enduring great companies -- how they grow, how they attain superior performance, and how good companies can become great companies. Having invested over a decade of research into the topic, Jim has authored or co-authored four books, including the classic BUILT TO LAST, a fixture on the Business Week best seller list for more than six years, and has been translated into 25 languages. His work has been featured in Fortune, The Wall Street Journal, Business Week, Harvard Business Review, and Fast Company.
Jim’s most recent book, GOOD TO GREAT: Why Some Companies Make the Leap … And Others Don’t attained long-running positions on the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Business Week best seller lists, has sold 2.5 million hardcover copies since publication and has been translated into 32 languages.
Driven by a relentless curiosity, Jim began his research and teaching career on the faculty at Stanford Graduate School of Business, where he received the Distinguished Teaching Award in 1992. In 1995, he founded a management laboratory in Boulder, Colorado, where he now conducts research and teaches executives from the corporate and social sectors.
Jim has served as a teacher to senior executives and CEOs at over a hundred corporations. He has also worked with social sector organizations, such as: Johns Hopkins Medical School, the Girl Scouts of the USA, the Leadership Network of Churches, the American Association of K-12 School Superintendents, and the United States Marine Corps. In 2005 he published a monograph: Good to Great and the Social Sectors.
Jim invests a significant portion of his energy in large-scale research projects -- often five or more years in duration -- to develop fundamental insights and then translate those findings into books, articles and lectures. He uses his management laboratory to work directly with executives and to develop practical tools for applying the concepts that flow from his research.
In addition, Jim is an avid rock climber and has made free ascents of the West Face of El Capitan and the East Face of Washington Column in Yosemite Valley. About the co-Author Jerry Porras Jerry Porras, Lane Professor of Organizational Behavior and Change, Emeritus, at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business, is co-author of Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies, one of Forbes’ 20 most influential business books.
Thirty years ago Porras co-developed the highly successful MBA class Interpersonal Dynamics, designed to lead students through the process of understanding personal style and improving the way they relate to others. He has an extensive and impressive background including having served on the editorial boards of half a dozen journals and has authored two books and over 40 scholarly articles. He also served Stanford University as the faculty athletic representative to the NCAA and as president of the Pacific-10 Conference Council.
Porras enlightens audiences with his groundbreaking theories of successful organization. He debunks myths about what makes companies successful by tracing the attributes of a selected group of visionary companies that demonstrate enduring core values, a purpose beyond profits, and a devoted workforce.
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