When you have a sense of purpose, life is different and you are able to live life in crescendo.
Stephen: My life is consumed with a sense of mission, and that gives me energy. I like to delegate - it empowers people and energizes them. UV: Was it hard for you in the beginning to let go and let others take care of things for you? I keep my energies for only the projects I am working on rather than being distracted by others’ projects. Stephen: Yes! I have other people go through my mail, analyze things for me and prepare the first draft of most of my letters. UV: Wow! You are saving so much time without e-mail, meetings and cell phone calls! Otherwise, I’d get swept into quadrant 3 and 4 - things that are not important. Stephen: Yes, but nobody knows my number. UV: How do you handle all the demands on your time for community service, endorsements, donations, sponsorships? They can bring people together to form a culture for our area. And UVU can be the trim tab for our community. You see, a trim tab turns the entire ship. I appreciate UVU’s desire to do community service. Stephen: I’m on the President’s Leadership Council at BYU, and I try to help create a synergy between BYU and UVU. UV: I know you are a big advocate for both BYU and UVU. She shows that in spite of her situation, she is happy and learning and growing. She communicates tremendous values to our kids all the time. My wife, Sandra, just had a back operation, and it’s been a slow and patient process. The other thing I do to sharpen my saw is to make deposits into the emotional bank accounts of my kids and my wife. We also go to dinner with friends or to movies. Stephen: I prayerfully ponder the scriptures every morning. I put the family things in there first - graduations, etc. I could tell you what I’m doing for the next two years. I have to do long-term planning to accomplish that. We try to be to 80 percent of their key activities.
Stephen covey wife plus#
Stephen: With 50 grandkids, our Saturdays are gone plus a lot of nights. UV: How often do you see your kids and grandkids? Stephen: We cut them off if they don’t! (laughs) They all live around here or in the Salt Lake area. UV: Do all of your nine children live around here? I love having my friends and my children all around. In a setting like this (points out the window at the peaceful snowy grounds of his home), you are pretty isolated. You have access to everything! I love being close to BYU. UV: What do you love about living in Provo? I’ve been listening to you for years!” (laughing) I had my cap on, and this guy walked past me and then turned back and asked, “Are you Stephen Covey?” I told him I was and asked him, “How did you know?” He said, “Because of your voice. Recently, I was in Chicago and I was talking on the phone. In fact, you talked to me all the way over here on your “8th Habit” audiobook. UV: Thank you for finally giving into my persistence! I’ve read your work and heard your audiobooks. Stephen: I wear a baseball cap when I go out, and people don’t often recognize me because they don’t see my bald shiny head! (laughing) I’d rather have a lower profile in Utah, which is why I’ve put off this interview with you for so many years. UV: What is it like to be Stephen Covey and live here in Utah County? The view from Stephen Covey’s home above Rock Canyon Park is one of his favorite parts of living in Provo. Thanks to persistence (and a little nudging from his daughter), Stephen and I met for this fast-paced conversation. He wasn’t eager to take the time to be a “celebrity” in his hometown when there is so much training and education to be done around the world. In fact, this interview was nine years in the making. Life is busy for this best-selling author, father of nine, long-time Utah Valley resident and friend of Oprah’s. His kitchen counter displayed a photo with President Barack Obama, who has asked him to train his staff. He also received a letter and photo from President Bush thanking him for their recent meeting, which he promptly framed. The week before we met in his memorabilia-filled Provo home, Stephen traveled to India to train government leaders. Without a doubt, Stephen practices what he preaches. “Throughout life, we should constantly be finding more meaning,” he says.
In fact, one of the eight books he’s working on right now is tentatively called “Living Life In Crescendo.”
This 76-year-old wanted to focus on the future. Stephen Covey and I held our interview in what he calls his “Harvest Room,” but we didn’t talk about seeds he has sown and reaped as author of one of the best-selling business books. Stephen Covey makes a statement about habits of success, family and e-mail (which usually doesn’t fall into the ‘important’ quadrants)īy Jeanette W.