Perhaps only a handful of authors have been able to maintain a five-year run on the bestseller lists, amass a global following, and build a multimillion-dollar commercial empire entirely through the genre of self-help and business writing – Stephen Covey was one of them. This New York Times bestselling author is widely regarded as the world’s most successful management guru.’ He established the standard for personal and professional effectiveness and impacted the lives of millions of people worldwide. Numerous Fortune 500 corporations, government organizations, institutions, students, and people were among his clients, as was former US President Bill Clinton. He is most known for his book ‘The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People,’ which spent an unprecedented 250 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. His other publications include ‘Principle-centered Leadership,’ ‘The 8th Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness,’ and ‘The Leader Within Me.’ Apart from writing books that changed people’s lives, he was a renowned motivational speaker and professor at Brigham Young University. He earned a master’s degree in business administration from Harvard Business School and also worked as a missionary.
Childhood & Adolescence
Stephen Glenn Covey and Irene Louise Richards Covey had Stephen Richards Covey on October 24, 1932, in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States of America.
He was diagnosed with slipping capital femoral epiphysis in junior high school, preventing him from participating in athletics. Despite this, he was an avid participant in high school debates and public speaking activities.
He earned a Bachelor of Science in business administration from the University of Utah. He served a two-year church mission in England as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
He returned to Harvard University, where he earned an MBA. He was elected president of the church’s Irish Mission in 1962 and continued to work for the church’s mission.
Stephen Covey’s Career
He was selected as the president of Brigham Young University’s assistant to the president. Additionally, he served as a professor of business management. During his time at the institution, he pursued a doctorate in religious education.
He wrote the book ‘Spiritual Roots of Human Relations’ in 1970. This book addressed the underlying causes of relationship issues and offered readers spiritual alternatives.
He published the book ‘The Divine Center’ in 1982. The book was one of several devotional writings he authored for members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a Christian primitivist sect.
In 1984, he left his teaching job at Brigham Young University to create ‘Stephen R. Covey and Associates, a training organization.
Stephen R. Covey and Associates was renamed the ‘Covey Leadership Center’ in 1987. This organization was founded with the intention of providing training and productivity tools to both businesses and individuals.
He published ‘Principle-centered Leadership’ on April 1, 1989. The book discussed a variety of ways for increasing one’s personal and professional performance. Additionally, it provides insight on how to grow individuals and organizations.
In 1989, he released ‘The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, a best-seller. This was his most acclaimed business and self-help book, receiving worldwide praise. The book has been translated into 38 languages and has sold over 25 million copies.
In 1994, he released his next book, ‘First Things First.
The book, co-authored by A. Roger and Rebecca R. Merrill, emphasized the critical nature of time management.
Meanwhile, the united ‘Covey Leadership Center’ with ‘Franklin Quest’ to form ‘Franklin Covey’. It was a multinational professional services enterprise specializing in the sale of training and productivity solutions to people and businesses.
He wrote ‘The 8th Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness’ in 2004 as a follow-up to his previous book, ‘The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. The book encourages readers to develop their own voices and to inspire others to do the same.
He published the book ‘The Leader in Me — How Schools and Parents Around the World Are Inspiring Greatness, One Child at a Time’ in 2008. This book examined how specific schools, institutions, and individuals prepared the next generation to handle the problems and opportunities of the twenty-first century.
In 2008, he developed ‘Stephen Covey’s Online Community,’ an online course collection and social networking site. With millions of individuals connected to the World Wide Web, he used the internet platform to share his thoughts on current events and self-leadership.
He authored the article ‘Our Children and the Education Crisis’ for the Huffington Post in 2010. He also used a website to host conferences and workshops to instruct primary school leaders.
His Significant Works
His book, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, was named one of Time magazine’s 25 Most Influential Business Management Books. This book was published in 38 different languages throughout the world. Additionally, it became the first non-fiction audiobook to achieve over one million copies sold.
Awards and Accomplishments
He received the International Entrepreneur of the Year Award in 1994.
He was named one of ‘Time’ magazine’s ’25 most influential Americans’ in 1996.
He received The Sikh’s International Man of Peace Award in 1998.
In 2003, he was presented with the ‘Fatherhood Award’ by the non-profit organization The National Fatherhood Initiative.
He received the ‘Golden Gavel’ award from Toastmasters International, a non-profit educational organization, in 2004.
He was recognized in the Utah Valley Entrepreneurial Forum Hall of Fame on November 14, 2009.
Personal History and Legacies
He was married to Sandra and fathered nine children with her. He was fortunate to have fifty-two grandchildren.
He died on July 16, 2012, in Idaho Falls, Idaho, at the age of 79, following complications from a bicycling accident.
Estimated Net worth
Stephen is one of the wealthiest Self-Help Authors and is included on the list of the most popular Self-Help Authors. Stephen Covey’s net worth is estimated to be $1.5 million, based on our review of Wikipedia, Forbes, and Business Insider.
Trivia
This American author, keynote speaker, and businessman first spoke out against homosexuality and same-sex marriage during a keynote talk in Honolulu for ‘Save Traditional Marriage – 98’. He then apologized for his remarks.