Stephen Covey was co-founder and vice-chairman of Franklin Covey, the global professional services firm. In 1985 he founded the Covey Leadership Centre - now part of FranklinCovey - and the Institute for Principle Centred Leadership in Utah. Born in 1932, he gained an MBA from Harvard Business School and a doctorate from Brigham Young University, where he was subsequently Professor of Organizational Behaviour and Business Management.

At the Covey Leadership Centre, through his writing - chiefly The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People published in 1989 (which has sold over 25 million copies) - and through consultancy (he was invited to Camp David by President Clinton), his message has reached millions of individuals in business, government and education.

The recurring themes in his various works are: the transforming power of principles rooted in unchanging natural laws that govern human and organisational effectiveness; adapting every aspect of one's life to accord with these principles; effective leadership; and empowerment. Here, we will concentrate on the Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, while introducing his idea of The 8th Habit in 2004. Stephen Covey died in hospital, following a bicycle accident. He was 79.

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