The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People - Stephen Covey

Habit 1: Be Proactive

This means more than just taking the initiative. It means taking responsibilty; our behaviour is a function of our decisions. All of us have a wide range of concerns -- our work, our health, our children, the national debt, nuclear war, whatever they may be. If you put them inside a circle you could call it your "circle of concern". Within that circle, there are some things over which you have no control. But there are otheres you can do something about. The latter group you can call your "circle of influence". Being proactive means widening your circle of influence working on the concerns you can do something about.


Habit 2: Begin With The End In Mind

This is based on the principle that "all things are created twice" : first in the mind, and then in reality. Before you can construct a house, You have a clear image of what you want to build. Before you go on a trip, you determine your destination and plan the best route. Before you give a speech, you create it in your mind or on a paper.


Habit 3: Put First Things First

This is the fufilment of Habits 1 and 2.


Habit 4: Think Win-Win

Seek to promote mutual benefit in your interactions. It's a superior outcome to win/lose("I get my way, you don't get yours) or lose/win ("I lose, you win") or lose/lose("when two determined stubborn, ego-invested individuals interact") or just "win" ("its irrelevant if anyone loses as long as I get what I want.") In some situations(like a football match) a desire to win/lose is appropriate. However, most situations involve interdependance and win/win is the only viable option.


Habit 5: Seek First To Understand, Then Be Understood.

The first part of this habit involves "empathic listening" the highest form of listening, in which you listen with the other person's frame of reference, rather than your own. This provides you, as a listener, the most accurate data to enable true understanding. Only then can you focus on influencing or problem solving. It;s like a doctor diagnosing accurately before prescribing. The second part of Habit 5 -- "be understood" involves presenting your own ideas clearly, specifically, visually, and contextually, thereby enhancing their credibility.


Habit 6: Synergise

The essence here is to constantly try to seek alternatives, which were not there before through creative cooperation. Two pieces of wood together can hold much more than the total of the weight each can hold seperately. You can achieve synergy by communicating synergistically and opening yourself to new possibilities and options. The key to achieving synergy lies in valuing the mental,emotional and psychological differences between people and recognising that people see the world not as it is, but as they are.


Habit 7: Sharpen The Saw

Ensure that you preserve, enhance and constantly renew your own personal assets -- physical, social/emotional, mental and spiritual -- which makes it possible for you to practise the first six habits.



The Eighth Habit: Find Your Voice And Inspire Others To Find Theirs
This enables you to reach beyond effectiveness, to greatness. Whereas the seven habits have more to do with success, the eighth has more to do with significance, whereby you make a difference. You start with yourself by unlocking your "birth-gifts" your talents, capacibilities and opportunities. Then you inspire others by communicating to them their worth and potential so clearly that they are able to see it themselves.