The Making of the Achiever

Cox wrote this great little book well before "The 7 Habits" became the 80's Guide to moral- and habit-correlates that are associated with making it in life. Cox studied a lot of successful, achieving people, looked for common traits--and found somewhat different ones than Covey celebrated in "The 7 Habits." Some of that difference comes from the "eye of the beholder" effect. Covey is principle-driven; Cox is more secular. Anyway, this is a great counterpoint-read for someone who got useful things from "7 Habits," and deepens the experience of that book significantly. Also, the book has entirely original insights that are worth the read if you are looking to see either 1) how to make your life work better or 2) how to find your way to satisfaction. Cox has some entirely different and VERY useful thoughts that are bang-on; you'll recognize 'em, both the good and the bad, in yourself and in others. Timing is everything; if Cox had written this a few years later and had had Covey's contacts, this might have been the billion-seller and Covey's book would be in remainders. Highly recommended!