The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
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First published in 1989 Stephen R. Covey's The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People has become one of the best-selling and most influential self help books of all time.
Covey, an international organizational and leadership consultant, clearly knows his stuff and bases his 7 habits well-researched, tried and tested principles. 7 Habits is easy to read with numerous practical examples of the application of the habits interspersed among their descriptions and theoretical justification.
At times the reader can feel just a little relieved that Covey isn't their father as he describes holding family council meetings with the family mission statement pinned to the wall!
In brief the 7 habits are:
1 Be Proactive. We each have a circle of concern (things that matter to us) and a circle of influence (things we can change). Since we can only have an impact within our circle of influence, this is where we ought to direct our efforts and energies. As we take control where we can so our circle of influence expands.
2 Begin with the End in Mind. Leadership is identifying where you want to go, management is the process of getting there. Without leadership, management is useless. This habit guides you through identifying your center towards the creation of a personal mission statement that will provide the guiding principles of all you do.
3 Put First Things First is concerned with time management. It defines the 4 quadrants of urgency and importance and advocates a shift of effort from quadrant 1 (important and urgent) quadrant 3 (urgent but not important) activities to quadrant 2 (important but not urgent) in order to increase effectiveness. Doing so will reduce the pressures that arise when important things become urgent.
4 Think Win/Win. There are various paradigms of human interaction, but one should always seek a mutually beneficial outcome.
5 Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood. Effective communication begins with empathic listening, this is not just listening to the other's words, but seeking to place yourself in their position, feeling how they feel.
6 Synergize. The hardest, but potentially most productive of the habits, and the culmination of all the others. Synergy is where 2 or more individuals come together to produce results exceeding the sum of the individual parts.
7 Sharpen the Saw. To keep being effective you need to stay refreshed in the four dimensions of the physical, mental, social/emotional and physical.
Habits 1-3 are internal and are grouped under the heading "Private Victory" and reflect the fact that you must first change yourself before you can hope to change the world. Habits 4-6, "Public Victory," turn the improved you towards the world.
As with all books of this kind, 7 Habits should be read with an opened mind. Not every facet of every habit will apply to every reader, but all are food for thought, and should you choose to ignore any at least it will be a conscious and reasoned decision and not due to ignorance of the principle's existence.
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