More often than not, when I talk with people about broad issues of managing
their life and work, I find they have heard of but never read one of the
longest-listed top managing-leading books of recent years, Stephen Covey's
"7 Habits of Highly Effective People." I'm going to give you a concise summary
today, encourage you to
read the book (many people I know have read it several
times-- it's that good), and if you've read it before, here's a reminder.
Why is this book such a long-time best-seller?
- It deals with universal activities which can become habits for managing
one's own life and work that any person can benefit from.
- It is backed with a whole array of self-management tools, including
planning notebooks and daybooks used by thousands.
- It provides a common ground for a management team to share core
beliefs and practices that will make them better manager-leaders -- and their
organization better as well.
- It is rooted and grounded in human nature, the realities of life, and
other timeless truths.
Here now are the 7 Habits summarized.
PART A. PRIVATE VICTORY
If you're going to improve your life, you must change from the inside out,
what Covey calls "private victory." "The way we see the problem is the problem,"
he says.
- Habits involve the combination of knowledge (what to),
skills (how to), and desire (want to).
- Effectiveness lies in the balance of production (P) and
production capacity (PC). The key to being effective is to maintain
this balance. Don't overwork. Get adequate rest and exercise. If you don't oil
a machine, it will break down. If you don't care for yourself, you will break
down.
- In organizations, always treat your employees exactly as
you want them to treat your best customers, and everyone will benefit.
1. Be Proactive
In life, we must take the initiative Act or be acted upon.
- We don't have to react automatically to every stimulus.
Instead we can learn to control the gap between stimulus and response.
- Speak and think proactively your language and thoughts
powerfully influence what you can do. Don't do negative self-talk.
- Enlarge your circle of influence -- don't just worry about
things, but act on them so you influence your environment and improve your
life.
- Focus on being instead of having. Develop your
character
and self-control. The answer is never "out there," and it is so easy to think
"if I only had (whatever), my life would be better."
- Make and keep commitments, especially to yourself. This is
the foundation of integrity and self-respect. Better to make and keep small
commitments than to over-reach and disappoint yourself.
2.
Begin with the End in Mind
All things are created twice first mentally, second physically.
Think about what you want to accomplish before swinging into action and you
will accomplish much more.
We either write our own scripts or let other people write them for us.
Use self-awareness, imagination and conscience to be your own creator.
Develop and follow a personal mission statement.
Focus on principles at your center the source of security, guidance, wisdom and power.
Use the power of visualization, guided by a written affirmation that is personal, positive, present-tense, visual and emotional.
Set goals for different roles. (Covey's
planning tools help with this.)
In creating an organizational mission statement, involve everyone from whom you want
commitment. ("No involvement, no commitment.")
3.
Put First Things First
Leadership envisions what first things are (Habit 2). Management puts first things first.
Put more energy into things that are important but not
urgent -- for planning, prevention, recreation and relationship-building dont be overwhelmed by
things that are urgent but not important!
Focusing on the important but not urgent activities produces vision, perspective,
balance, discipline and control.
Identify the roles of your life.
Set goals for each role.
Schedule with goals in mind.
Plan by the week, adapt by the day.
People are more important than things, and you must take care of yourself.
When managing others, practice Stewardship Delegation with:
--A clear statement of desired results.
--Guidelines and parameters.
--Resources which can be used (human, financial, technical, organizational).
--Accountability Standards of performance and time of evaluation.
--Consequences of the evaluation financial, psychic, opportunity and responsibility.
PART B.
PUBLIC VICTORY
9;
Building relationships with others requires making deposits in emotional bank accounts:
- Understand the individual. Attend to the little things. Keep commitments.
- Clarify expectations. Show personal integrity (keep promises, fulfill expectations, be loyal to those who are not present, treat everyone by the same principles).
- Apologize sincerely when you make a "withdrawal" from your
emotional bank account with someone else.
- Unconditional love helps others feel secure and safe, affirmed in their unique identity.
- View people problems as opportunities to make deposits in
their emotional bank accounts.
4.
Think Win/Win
Its the only way to go when people or organizations are interdependent.
"Win/Win or No Deal" is the highest path of all,
especially at the start of interdependent relationships
Win/Win solutions have five dimensions:
--Character Integrity, Maturity and Abundance Mentality
--Relationships built on trust (emotional bank account deposits)
--Agreements based on partnership (same standards as stewardship delegation), which allow people to evaluate themselves
--Systems that support win/win (what gets rewarded gets done)
--Processes, specifically:
See the problem from the other point of view.
Identify the key issues and concerns (not positions) of both sides.
Determine what results would constitute a fully acceptable solution.
Identify possible new options to achieve those results.
5.
Seek First to Understand, Then to be Understood
Listen empathically rephrase the content, reflect the feeling give psychological air.
All professionals diagnose before they prescribe.
Avoid autobiographical responses: evaluating, probing, advising and interpreting trying to figure people out based on our own motives, values and behavior.
Seek to be understood in the order of ethos, pathos, logos
(principles, feelings, then logic).
Spend time one-on-one to really understand spouse, child, employee, etc.
6.
Synergize
Practicing the first 5 habits leads to synergy and new levels of creative achievement.
Synergy uses win/win solutions, not compromises. It seeks third alternatives.
Value the differences in others so the whole is greater than the sum of the parts.
All nature is synergistic and interdependent synergy is the natural, better way.
7
. Sharpen the Saw
Take time for physical, social/emotional, mental and spiritual
renewal each day.
Eat well, sleep enough. Good exercise builds endurance, flexibility and strength.
Practice daily spiritual renewal through prayer and meditation strengthen the center.
Mental renewal comes through learning valuable new knowledge or skills.
Social/emotional renewal comes from practicing the other 6 habits.
Spend an hour a day in renewal activities and results can be
amazing.
People and organizations need balance in all four dimensions to function most effectively.
Thanks again to
Stephen
Covey, thats how you stay on. . .
The Managing-Leading EDGE
With best regards,
Buck Lawrimore
