Page 66 - EducationWorld January 2023

People

Covey’s LiM gift lina began implementing the elder
Covey’s 7 Habits in its school. Subse-
quently, principal Muriel Summers
recorded its success in transforming
the institution. In 2005, Sean Covey
visited A.B. Combs and witnessed
a miraculous transformation of the
school where students and teachers
were practicing Covey Sr’s 7 Habits
— be proactive, begin with the end
in mind, put first things first, think
win/win, seek to first understand,
then to be understood, synergise
and sharpen the saw. “That’s when
it struck me that the 7 Habits can be
adapted to enable whole school im-
provement. In 2008 after extensive
research, I designed the Leader in
Me programme,” recalls Sean Covey.
Schools which sign up for LiM
receive textbooks and access to
Covey & Dr. Gireesh (centre): whole school improvement programme an online repository of resources
with teachers trained extensively
est-selling author, motiva- the LiM programme. to implement the programme. In
tional speaker, and self- Newspeg. Sean Covey was in India in India, the whole-school programme
Bimprovement guru, SEAN early December on a whirlwind five- is priced at Rs.850-950 per student
COVEY is the Utah (USA)-based city tour of Bengaluru, Hyderabad, per year.
president of FranklinCovey Educa- Chennai, Mumbai and Bhubaneswar Direct talk. “In less than 15 years
tion, a division of FranklinCovey Inc for the Leader in Me Connect Con- since LiM was launched, it has
(FCI, annual revenue: $263 mil- clave organised by Live Life Educa- evolved into the most influential
lion (Rs.2,177 crore) in 2021-22), a tion. The multi-city conclave drew whole school improvement pro-
publicly-listed company providing participation of over 1,000 school gramme worldwide with 6,500
assessment training and services in promoters, principals and teachers. schools in 50 countries having
leadership and business manage- History. An alumnus of Brigham signed up for it. This is because LiM
ment to corporates and individuals. Young University and Harvard Busi- discovers and nurtures the inherent
The progeny of management ness School, Sean began his career intelligences of every child and de-
guru Stephen R. Covey (1932-2012), in Walt Disney Inc followed by stints velops her leadership and problem-
author of The 7 Habits of Highly at consulting firms Deloitte and solving skills while stimulating her
Effective People which has sold a re- Touche, Boston, and Trammel Crow can-do spirit with positive thinking.
cord 40 million copies and counting Ventures, Dallas. In 1994, he signed This leads to individual followed by
worldwide, Sean in his own right has up with the Covey Leadership Center whole school transformation,” says
designed FCI’s unique Leader in Me founded by his sire, which merged Sean, who adds that his 200-strong
(LiM) programme — “an evidence- with Hyrum W. Smith’s Franklin team at FCI Education is continu-
based, comprehensive model that Quest in 1997 to morph into FCI. ously researching ways and means to
builds leadership and life skills in That very year, Sean published improve the programme. LiM apart,
students” — for K-12 schools. his first book The 7 Habits of Highly the company also offers leadership
Currently, the LiM programme is Effective Teens, which has sold over programmes for higher education
being taught in 6,500 schools in 50 4 million copies worldwide. Since institutions.
countries worldwide. In India, the then, he has authored several books Future plans. Covey is confident
programme is promoted by its exclu- including The 6 Most Important De- that the number of schools sign-
sive India partner Live Life Educa- cisions You’ll Ever Make (2006) and ing up for the LiM programme will
tion Pvt. Ltd, founded by well-known The 7 Habits of Happy Kids (2008). cross 10,000 globally by 2025, with
Chennai-based psychiatrist DR. According to Covey, the genesis of schools in India leading the charge.
KANNAN GIREESH. Presently, over LiM can be traced to 1999 when A.B. “Our LiM programme fits in perfectly
100 schools countrywide are offering Combs Elementary, North Caro- with India’s ambitions to evolve into

66 EDUCATIONWORLD JANUARY 2023