SEVEN HABITS OF HIGHLY EFFECTIVE PEOPLE

---BY STEPHEN COVEY The seven habits of highly effective people was published in 1989. It is a book written by Stephen covey in which he presents to be very effective in attaining goals by aligning all the seven habits in the attainment of the goal of what he calls "true north" principles of a character. To make the choice to become interdependent, one first must be independent, since dependent people have not yet developed the character for interdependence. Therefore, the first three habits focus on self-mastery, that is, achieving the private victories required to move from dependence to independence. The first three habits are:

Habit 1: Be Proactive Habit 2: Begin with the End in Mind Habit 3: Put First Things First

Habits 4, 5, and 6 then address interdependence:

Habit 4: Think Win/Win Habit 5: Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood Habit 6: Synergize

Finally, the seventh habit is one of renewal and continual improvement, that is, of building one's personal production capability. To be effective, one must find the proper balance between actually producing and improving one's capability to produce.further these seven habits are explained as follows:

HABITS ONE BE PROACTIVE.

Coveys Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. The comparison breaks down between being proactive vs. reactive was proves to be particularly informative to the reader. Covey suggests proactivity means more than merely taking initiative. It means that as human beings, we are responsible for our own lives. Our behavior is a function of our decisions, not our conditions. We can subordinate feelings to values. We have the initiative and the responsibility to make things happen. And then there is the possibility that we may choose to be reactive. Which considers our lives if they were a function of conditioning, that we have allowed these conditions by either conscious decision or by default, chosen to empower those things to control us. Reactive people are deeply affected by both their physical and social environments. We can choose to be reactive to our environment. HABIT TWO BEGIN WITH THE END IN MIND.

The most interesting point of this habit is defining which center you think you are. The centers described by Covey were money, family, church, friend/enemy, work, spouse and principled center. Covey here is missing one critical center, which is the charity center. This is the tendency of the person to act generous and caring towards other individuals for no financial incentive. If you had to choose which center best suits you would you consider the charity center? The centers provided by Covey rarely apply to some. One such center Covey discusses here in depth is being principle centered. As according to Covey, under wisdom for example, many of the statements directly apply to me. For instance, you see the world in terms of what you can do for the world and its people. Under power, your decisions and actions are not driven by your current financial and circumstantial limitations. You experience an interdependent freedom. One of the best ways to incorporate Habit 2 into your life is to develop a Personal Mission Statement. It focuses on what you want to be and do. It is your plan for success. It reaffirms who you are, puts your goals in focus, and moves your ideas into the real world. Your mission statement makes you the leader of your own life. You create your own destiny and secure the future you envision. HABIT THREE PUT FIRST THINGS FIRST.

The most important point from Habit 3 is Coveys description of the power of independent will. Covey describes having the power of independent will as the ability to make decisions and choices and to act in accordance with them. It is the succinct ability a person possesses to act rather than be acted upon. That by doing this we are proactively carrying out the program we have developed through the other three endowments i.e. self-awareness, imagination, and conscience. We will be truly empowered when we learn how to fully realize and utilize our independent will, in our everyday dealings. If you are a good and efficient manager of your self, he suggest that you motivation and discipline comes from within, thus a function of our independent will, that we are our own followers, followers of our own values. Further that we have the will, the integrity, to subordinate your feelings, your impulses, and your moods to those values. That this subordination requires our fullest sense of direction, Covey says specifically a burning "yes!" inside that makes it possible to say "no" to other things. Our independent will, gives us the power to do things when we really do not feel like doing them. Covey describes having the power of independent will as the ability to make decisions and choices and to act in accordance with them. HABIT FOUR WIN/WIN.

Moving on to Habit 4 Win/Win, according to Covey, the habit of effective interpersonal leadership is think win/win. I thought the major point Win/Win or No Deal was key suggestion offered by Covey. Covey provides six paradigms of human interaction, these include: win/win, win/lose, lose/win, lose/lose, win, win/win or no deal. So, really which option is the best? To Covey, it depends on the situation. For example, you may choose a lose/win, if you value a relationship and the issue is not of importance, to genuinely affirm the other person.

If you value a relationship and the issue isn't really that important, you may want to go for Lose/Win in some circumstances to genuinely affirm the other person. Win/Win is the idea that one will seek mutual benefit in all human interactions, that they seek agreements that are largely mutually satisfying. All parties involved in a win/win solution feel good about the outcome, thus enabling them to better commit themselves to the action plan. According to Covey, Win/Win sees life as a cooperative, not a competitive arena. A person or organization that approaches conflicts with a win-win attitude possesses three vital character traits: 1. Integrity: sticking with your true feelings, values, and commitments. 2. Maturity: expressing your ideas and feelings with courage and consideration for the ideas and feelings of others. 3. Abundance Mentality: believing there is plenty for everyone. HABIT FIVE SEEK FIRST TO UNDERSTAND, THEN TO BE UNDERSTOOD.

Coveys Habit Five: Seek first to understand, then to be understood. The major point here in this habit as suggested by Covey is to diagnose before you prescribe. Covey suggests that we do not have much confidence in someone who doesnt diagnose before he or she prescribes. Although we see this most typically in health professions, i.e. doctors, optometrists, it is important to realize that we can apply this to business as well. He gave a good example of how it can be applied in sales. That as effective salespeople we must first to understand the customers needs, concern and the situation of the customer i.e. financial. He states, that the amateur salesman sells products; the professional sells solutions to needs and problems. A good salesperson learns how to relate peoples need to their products and services. That as professionals, while at least to be effective in our professions, we need to learn how to diagnose, to understand. Lastly, Cover suggests that, seeking first to understand is a correct principle evident in all areas of life. It's a generic, common denominator principle, but it has its greatest power in the area of interpersonal relations. HABIT SIX SYNERGY.

The sixth habit, synergy to most is the most informational and exciting to learn, to illustrate his habit of synergy, the example of the classroom will be used. Covey believes that synergy in the classroom can lead to new discoveries and inventions of new techniques of education. It encourages interaction with creativity, imagination and intelligence. He even goes as far to suggest that classrooms often operate in a chaotic environment, that both the teachers and the students are uncertain of what is going to happen next. A synergistic class can progress from a safe environment to brainstorming new ways to approach the class, together the class transformed with the excitement of a new direction. Covey suggests that once the brainstorming session takes place, evaluations, assumptions and judgments are suppressed and there is a great play of creativity, imagination and intellectual

networking. As the year continues, the synergy encourages the students to toss the old scripts and the students write a new one together. However, some people have the fear of failure of a chaotic venture in their minds and cut themselves off from synergy. HABIT SEVEN SHARPENING THE SAW.

In the seventh habit, sharpening the saw, an interesting point was about improving your physical dimension of renewal to be most interesting. This dimension considers how we should care effectively for our physical well being, by eating the healthier food alternative, get enough sleep and relaxation and how we should exercise regularly. Covey makes an excellent point by saying, exercise is one of that Quadrant II, high-leverage activities that most of us don't do consistently because it isn't urgent. And because we don't do it, sooner or later we find ourselves in Quadrant I, dealing with the health problems and crises that come as a natural result of our neglect. He suggests that all we need to do is try to exercise for three-six hours a week or a minimum of thirty minutes a day, every other day. As he thinks this is a highly unsubstantial as there are some 165 hours a week. You do not need to go to gyms or spas to sharpen your saw he says, you can do this out of your home.