????他體系內的理念不會受到時間的影響。它們是法則。這就是這些理念能夠發(fā)揮作用、能夠為何要球不同年齡的人們所接受的原因。在一個不斷改變、分裂、混亂、無情而充滿變數的世界，人們渴望能有一個定位點、一系列構念，在他們面對動蕩時給予他們指導?？戮S相信永恒不變的法則確實存在，尋找它們并不是什么愚蠢的事，而是英明的做法。他反對那些從屋頂上傳來的觀點：“沒有什么是神圣的，沒有什么永垂不朽。在這個不斷變化的世界，構建的一切都無法持久！一切都是新的！過去的一切都無法用于現在！”

????我自身的研究關注于這樣一個問題：“是什么讓一家偉大的公司長盛不衰——為什么一些公司能從‘優(yōu)秀’蛻變?yōu)椤畟ゴ蟆ǘ渌静恍校瑸槭裁匆恍┕净鶚I(yè)長青（而其他公司逐漸倒閉），為什么一些公司在混亂中茁壯成長？”我們的重要發(fā)現之一是“保持核心/促進發(fā)展”的理念。面對不斷變化的世界，如果沒有保持一套核心的法則用以作為建設基礎、擔當定海神針、提供正確指引，公司就不可能實現蛻變，也不可能保持真正的偉大。與此同時，如果不促進發(fā)展——改變、更新、完善、無畏地追求困難的遠大目標，也沒有哪家公司可以保持繁榮。當你把“保持核心和促進發(fā)展”這兩點結合起來，你就會發(fā)現讓一個公司或組織生生不息的神奇的辯證關系?？戮S在個人效能領域發(fā)現了類似的情況：首先建立一套強大到不受持續(xù)劇變所影響的核心法則；與此同時，不斷地追求完善和更新。這個辯證關系讓個人能夠保有堅如磐石的基礎，同時得以在人生中不斷進步。

????不過我認為，讓《高效能人士的七個習慣》這本書不僅實用、而且意義深遠的最重要的一點，是它對塑造品格、而不是“贏得成功”的強調。沒有法則，就沒有效能；而沒有品格，就沒有法則。我在撰寫這篇前言時正要結束在美國西點軍校（United States Military Academy at West Point）領導力研究1951班的執(zhí)教工作。我個人認為，西點軍校的核心理念之一就是，偉大的領導能力首先是一個品格問題——領導能力主要是一個函數：你是誰，這是你做一切事情的基礎。如何打造領導者？首先要塑造品格。因此我認為“七個習慣”不僅關乎個人效能，還關乎領導力的培養(yǎng)。

????我回顧調查中研究的一些特殊的領導者時，驚訝地發(fā)現柯維的法則在許多人的故事中都得到了驗證。我們不妨來關注一下我最喜歡的一個案例：比爾?蓋茨。近年來，人們很流行把比爾?蓋茨這類人所取得的巨大成功歸因為運氣好，認為他們在正確的時間出現在了正確的地點。不過如果仔細想一想，這樣的論述就會土崩瓦解。當年，《大眾電子》（Popular Electronics）以“牛郎星”作為封面，宣布第一臺個人電腦誕生的時候，比爾?蓋茨與保羅?阿倫合伙成立了一家軟件公司，并為“牛郎星”編寫了BASIC語言。是的，蓋茨正好在那時掌握了編程，但是其他人也會——那些在加州理工學院（CalTech）、麻省理工學院（MIT）和斯坦福大學（Stanford）的計算機科學和電子工程的學生們；那些在IBM、施樂（Xerox）和惠普（HP）工作的老練的工程師們；還有政府研究室里的科學家們。成千上萬的人在那時都可以做比爾?蓋茨做的事情，但是他們沒有做。蓋茨當即就采取了行動。他從哈佛（Harvard）退學，搬到了阿爾伯克基（“牛郎星”的所在地），開始沒日沒夜地編寫電腦代碼。在那個歷史時刻，把比爾?蓋茨與其他人區(qū)分開的并不是運氣，而是他在恰當時機采取的積極主動的行動（習慣1：積極主動）。

????The ideas embedded in the framework are timeless. They are principles. This is why they work, and why they speak to people in all age groups around the globe. In a world of change, disruption, chaos, and relentless uncertainty, people crave an anchor point, a set of constructs to give them guidance in the face of turbulence. Covey believed that timeless principles do indeed exist, and that the search for them is not folly, but wisdom. He rejected the view of those who shout from the rooftops, "There is nothing sacred, nothing enduring, nothing durable to build upon in this ever-changing landscape! Everything is new! Nothing from the past applies!"

????My own research quest has focused on the question, "What makes a great company tick -- why do some companies make the leap from good to great (while others don't), why do some become built to last (while others fall), and why do some thrive in chaos?" One of our key findings is the idea of "Preserve the Core/Stimulate Progress"; no enterprise can become or remain truly great without a core set of principles to preserve, to build upon, to serve as an anchor, to provide guidance in the face of an ever-changing world. At the same time, no company can remain great without stimulating progress -- change, renewal, improvement, and the pursuit of BHAGs (Big Hairy Audacious Goals). When you blend these two together -- Preserve the Core AND Stimulate Progress -- you get a magical dialectic that keeps a company or organization vibrant over time. Covey found a similar pattern in personal effectiveness: first build upon a strong core of principles that are not open for continuous change; at the same time, be relentless in the quest for improvement and continuous self-renewal. This dialectic enables an individual to retain a rock-solid foundation and attain sustained growth for a lifetime.

????But I think the most important aspect of The 7 Habits -- what makes it not just practical, but profound -- is its emphasis on building character rather than "attaining success." There is no effectiveness without discipline, and there is no discipline without character. While writing this foreword, I'm in the midst of finishing a two-year journey as the class of 1951 Chair for the Study of Leadership at the United States Military Academy at West Point. I've come to a personal belief that a key ingredient in the West Point recipe is the idea that great leadership begins first with character -- that leadership is primarily a function of who you are, for this is the foundation for everything you do. How do you build leaders? You first build character. And that is why I see the 7 Habits as not just about personal effectiveness, but about leadership development.

????As I reflect upon some of the exceptional leaders I've studied in my research, I'm struck by how Covey's principles are manifested in many of their stories. Let me focus on one of my favorite cases, Bill Gates. It's become fashionable in recent years to attribute the outsize success of someone like Bill Gates to luck, to being in the right place at the right time. But if you think about it, this argument falls apart. When Popular Electronics put the Altair computer on its cover, announcing the advent of the first-ever personal computer, Bill Gates teamed up with Paul Allen to launch a software company and write the BASIC programming language for the Altair. Yes, Gates was at just the right moment with programming skills, but so were other people -- students in computer science and electrical engineering at schools like CalTech, MIT, and Stanford; seasoned engineers at technology companies like IBM (IBM), Xerox (XRX), and HP (HPQ); and scientists in government research laboratories. Thousands of people could've done what Bill Gates did at that moment, but they didn't. Gates acted upon the moment. He dropped out of Harvard, moved to Albuquerque (where the Altair was based), and wrote computer code day and night. It was not the luck of being at the right moment in history that separated Bill Gates, but his proactive response to being at the right moment (Habit 1: Be Proactive).