The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens: The Ultimate Teenage Success Guide – Sean Covey

Being a teenager means facing big decisions and constant pressure: from friends, school, family, relationships, social media and expectations about the future. Sean Covey, son of Stephen R. Covey, wrote this book to give young people a practical framework for handling those challenges with confidence. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens adapts his father’s famous principles to the realities of adolescence.

The book opens by explaining how habits shape who we become and how the way we see ourselves and the world, our paradigms, affects our choices. Covey introduces the idea of the personal bank account, which grows when teens keep promises to themselves, do small acts of kindness, develop talents and treat themselves with respect.

He then walks through the seven habits in language aimed at teens: being proactive and taking responsibility instead of blaming others; beginning with the end in mind by setting goals and writing a personal mission statement; putting first things first by managing time and resisting peer pressure; thinking win-win; seeking first to understand and then to be understood; synergizing by valuing differences and working in teams; and sharpening the saw by caring for body, mind, heart and soul. A section on the relationship bank account offers advice on friendships and family.

Filled with cartoons, quotations, real stories from teens and short activities called baby steps, the book is lively and easy to read, without lecturing.

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens is a helpful resource for teenagers, parents, teachers and youth leaders. Some references to technology and pop culture vary by edition.