Motivational author Stephen Covey passes away

Renowned motivational author Stephen R Covey passed away late Monday evening (Indian Standard Time), a bicycle accident in April taking its toll. He was 79.

Covey was co-founder and former vice-chairman and director of FranklinCovey.

Covey started his career as a professor in Brigham Young University before becoming an internationally-renowned author, speaker and consultant. He devoted his life to teaching principle-centered leadership to various segments— from grade school and university students to chief executives of Fortune 100 companies and heads of states.

In 1984, Covey decided to quit full-time university professorship to establish his own business organisation, Covey Leadership Center, to spread principle-centered leadership. In 1997, Covey Leadership Center merged with FranklinQuest to form Franklin Covey Co, a global performance improvement company that now operates across 125 countries.

 

Covey’s book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change, published in 1989, sold about 20 million copies in 40 languages globally and remains an international bestseller. Covey visited India on several occasions, the last in 2008, when he addressed government and business leaders. Mahatma Gandhi, whom he quoted in a lot of his works, was his idol. Lavleen Raheja, Chairman and chief executive of FranklinCovey India, said, “Stephen loved visiting India and meeting people throughout the country. His seminars were always overbooked. He lived by the principles he taught and we will miss him greatly.”