This is one of the best personal development books ever written, “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People”. Dr. Stephen Covey has written many other books since this one, including “The 8th Habit”, but this is my personal favorite.
Each chapter is dedicated to one of the habits and these are the highlights.
1. Be Proactive. We can choose to be proactive or reactive when it comes to the choices we make. Being proactive means learning to take responsibility for all of the areas of our life. When we are reactive, we tend to blame circumstances and other people for the obstacles we face or the problems we encounter. We must learn to take action instead of complaining.
As humans we have self-consciousness and the ability to detach ourselves and observe our thoughts and actions. This ability empowers us to choose how we will respond to circumstances. Covey talks about stimulus and response. Between stimulus and response, we have the power of free will to choose our response. He refers to this as space.
2. Begin with the End In Mind. Covey recommends putting together a “personal vision statement” to clarify our perception of the vision we have for our own life. We should set long-term goals based on “true north” principles. This relates to the idea that all of us have a personal purpose in life.
The ability to see ahead into the future is an important way to develop our mission statement and Covey calls this visualization. Covey briefly touches on organizational dynamics and the formulation of group vision statements. When the entire group participates and buys into the finished document there is a greater chance for success.
3. Put First Things First. Stephen Covey describes a way to prioritize work. There are things we can do that will make a major impact upon our life but we do not do them because they are not urgent. This is the old tyranny of the urgent idea. We spend too much time putting out fires and not enough time working on areas in our life that will have positive long-term impact. Delegation is presented as an important part of time management. The primary idea in this chapter is that we should organize and execute around priorities.
4. Think Win/Win This describes an attitude where mutually beneficial solutions are sought that satisfy the needs of both parties involved. Most people think Win/Lose. They believe, “If I win, you lose.” In this kind of thinking the focus is on power and credentials. Those who hold to this mindset have a difficult time building meaningful relationships. Without good relationships it is difficult to be effective for the long-term.
5. Seek First to Understand, Then to be Understood. When we try to give out advice before truly understanding the other person or persons involved, and their circumstances, our advice will likely be rejected. Few of us have training in listening and this emphatic listening is a key to effective relationships.
6. Synergize describes a way of working as a team to apply effective problem solving. Applying collective decision making, learning to value differences and choosing to build on divergent strengths, are topics covered in this chapter. The idea is that when synergy is a habit, the teamwork will exceed what each person could have achieved working alone. “The whole is significantly greater than the sum of its parts.”
7. Sharpen the saw, the final habit, focuses on balanced self-satisfaction and self renewal. The idea is to gain productive capability by attending to physical, social, mental and spiritual renewal. When we take care of every aspect of our self, we are able to be more productive.
In closing, let me remind you to make sure that you have a copy of this great book so that you can refer to it time and time again. These really are 7 habits of highly effective people.
