This past week, Leo from Zen Habits interviewed Stephen Covey, legendary author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.
Stephen of HDBIZ also made reference to this interview. The
conversation between Leo and Covey is striking. Some observations:
- Covey wrote his opus in 1988
- Leo asks for specifics several times but it seems that Covey dodges the question or only provides general answers
- When asked what Covey thought about Getting Things Done, he described it as "overly simplistic" (ouch!)
My personal sense was that Leo and Covey were on an entirely different wavelength.What to make of this?
My first thought was disappointment in Covey's responses but then I
stepped back and reminded myself that Covey's prime was somewhere about
10 years ago, roughly 10 years after the launch of 7 Habits.
As we approach the 6 year mark of Getting Things Done,
it's safe to say that David Allen is happily in his prime and has
plenty of gas left in the tank. But what's the "next big thing"? Who
comes after Allen when GTD fizzles into what we perceive to be old
material?
It certainly makes you wonder.