The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

Submitted by Alison Begley, University of Cincinnati

The Principles established in Stephen R. Coveys book are supposed to help a person achieve true interdependent "effectiveness". Covey argues this is achieved by aligning oneself to what he calls "true north" principles of a character ethic that, unlike values, he believes to be universal and timeless. The book presents the principles in four sections. Paradigms and Principles. Here, Covey introduces the basic foundation for the creation of the habits. Private Victory. Here, Covey introduces the first three habits intended to take a person from dependence to independence, or one's ability to be self-reliant. You must be able to win your private victories before you can start on your public victories. If you start to win your public victories first, how can you feel good about yourself and still work on habits... Public Victory. Here, Covey introduces habits four through six which are intended to lead to interdependence, the ability to align one's needs and desires with those of other people and create effective relationships. Renewal. Here, Covey introduces the final habit which directs the reader to begin a process of self-improvement.

Be Proactive
Principles of Personal Vision The word proactive means that 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. Highly proactive people recognize that responsibility. The do not blame circumstances, conditions, or social conditioning for their behavior. Their behavior is a product of their own conscious choice, based on values, rather than a product of their conditions, based on feeling. Proactive people are still influenced by external stimuli but their response, conscious or unconscious, is a value based choice or response.

Begin with the end in mind

Principles of Personal Leadership Begin today with the image, picture, or paradigm of the end of your life as your frame of reference of the criterion by which everything else is examined. Each part of your lifetodays behavior, tomorrows behavior, next weeks behavior, next months behaviorcan be examined in the context of the whole, of what really matters most to you. By keeping that end clearly in mind, you can make certain that whatever you do on any particular day does not violate the criteria you have defined as supremely important, and that each day of your life contributes in a meaningful way to the vision you have of your life as a whole. To begin with the end in mind means to start with a clear understanding of your destination. It means to know where youre going so that you better understand where you are now and so that the steps you take are always in the right direction.

Put First Things First

Principles of Personal Management Habit 1 says that you are the programmer. Habit 2 says to write the program. Habit 3 says to run the program. Living it is primarily a function of our independent will, our selfdiscipline, our integrity, and commitmentnot to short-term goals and schedules or to the impulse of the moment, but to the correct principles and our own deepest values, which give meaning and context to our goals, our schedules, and our lives. Organize and execute around priorities.

Think Win/Win
Principles of Interpersonal Leadership Win/Win is a frame of mind and heart that constantly seeks mutual benefit in all human interactions. Win/Win means that agreements or solutions are mutually beneficial, mutually satisfying. With a Win/Win solution all parties feel good about the decision and feel committed to the action plan. Win/Win is a belief in a Third Alternative. Its not your way or my way; its a better way. And if a solution cant be found to benefit both parties they agree to disagree agreeablyNo Deal. Anything less than Win/Win in and interdependent reality is a poor second best that will have impact in the long-term relationship. The cost of that impact needs to be carefully considered. If you cant reach a true Win/Win, youre very often better off to go for No Deal.

Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood

Principles of Empathic Communication Listening with the intent to understand is called empathic listening. Empathic listening gets inside another persons frame of reference. You look out through it, you see the world the way they see the world, you understand their paradigm, you understand how they feel. Empathy is not sympathy. Empathic listening involves much more than registering, reflecting, or even understanding the words that are said. You arent just listening with your ears, but also with you eyes and your heart. Empathic listening is so powerful because it gives you accurate data to work with. When you present your own ideas be clear, specific, visual, and most important, contextual in the context of a deep understanding of the other persons paradigms and concerns. You will significantly increase the credibility of your ideas. What youre presenting may even be different form what you had originally thought because in you effort to understand, you learned.

Synergize
Principles of Creative Cooperation Synergy is the essence of principle-centered leadership. It catalyzes, unifies, and unleashes the greatest power within people. Simply defined, it meant that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Without doubt, you have to leave the comfort zone of base camp and confront an entirely new and unknown wilderness. You become a trailblazer, a pathfinder. You open new possibilities, new territories, new continents, so that others can follow. The essence of synergy is to value differencesto respect them, to build on strengths, to compensate for weaknesses.

Sharpen the Saw

Principles of Balanced Self-Renewal Habit 7 is preserving and enhancing the greatest asset you haveyou. Its renewing the four dimensions of your naturephysical, spiritual, mental, and social/emotional. Express all 4 motivations. Exercise all four dimensions of our nature regularly and consistently in wise and balanced ways. This is the single most powerful investment we can ever make in lifethe investment in ourselves. We are the instruments of our own performance, we need to recognize the importance of taking time to regularly sharpen the saw in all four ways.

Reading, visualizing, planning, writing, autonomy

Physical

Exercise, nutrition, stress management

Mental

Value clarification, commitment, meditation, study, perspective

Service, empathy, synergy, intrinsic security, be a good friend

Social

Spiritual

Submitted by Allison Begley

THE 7 HABITS OF

HIGHLY EFFECTIVE PEOPLE

T

HABITS :Habit is the intersection of knowledge skill and desire. Knowledge is the theoretical paradigm, the what to do and the why. Skill is how to do. And desire is the motivation, the want to do. In order to make something a habit in our lives, we have to have all three.

Knowledge (what to, why to)

HABI TS

Skills (how to)

Desire (want to)

HABIT1.Be Proactive HABIT2.Begin with the end in Mind HABIT3. Put first things first HABIT4.Think win-win HABIT5. Seek First to Understand Then to be Understood HABIT6.Synergize HABIT7.Sharpen the Saw

Freedom Stimulus To Choose

Response

SelfAwareness Imagination Conscience

Independent will

Proactive Model

Proactive people do not blame circumstances, conditions, or conditioning for their behavior. Their behavior is the product of their own conscious choice, based on values, rather than a product of their conditions, based on feelings. Reactive people are often affected by their physical environment. If the weather is good, they feel good. If it isnt, it affects their attitude and their performance.

Listening to Our Language

Reactive Language
There is nothing I Can Do Thats just the way I am He makes me so mad They Wont allow that I have to do that I cant I must If only

Proactive Language
Lets look at alternatives I can choose a different approach I control my own feelings I can create an effective presentation I will choose an appropriate response I choose I prefer I Will

Proactive People and Circle of Concern and Circle of Influence

No Concern

Circle of Concern

Circle of Concern

Circle of Influence

Circle of Concern

Circle of Influence

Proactive Focus ( Positive Energy enlarges the circle of influence

Circle of Concern

Circle of Influence

Reactive Focus (Negative Energy Reduces the circle of influence)

Habit Two: Begin with the end in mind

Meaning of this habit All things are created twice The two creations Re scripting : Becoming your own first creator Personal mission statements Values at the center

What this habit means

Consider the end of your life
image, picture, or paradigm criterion by which everything else is examined

Start with a clear destination

know where you are going understand where you are now take steps in the right direction

Creation Principle
All things are created twice
mental or first creation a physical or second creation

Most non-productive endeavors fail with the first creation

Leader ship and Management :The Two Creating Forces

Leader ship is the first creation Leadership deals with the top line : What are the things I want to accomplish? Leadership is doing the right things Leadership determines whether the ladder is leaning against the right wall Management is the second creation Managements main focus: How can I best accomplish certain things? Management is doing things right Management is efficiency in climbing the ladder of success

Re scripting : Becoming Your own First Creator

Re scripting through the unique human endowment of Self Awareness , imagination and conscience Re scripting by changing incorrect , incomplete and ineffective paradigms

Personal Mission Statements

A personal mission statement is like a personal constitution. It is fundamentally changeless. Personal Mission Statements focus on what you want to be (Character) and to do (Contribution and achievements) and on the values or principles upon which being and doing are based.

Writing a Mission Statement

Your personal constitution
values purpose service/role in community what you will achieve how you will accomplish

Not something written overnight

goals hopes dreams

Timeless. . . but review & revise

Circle of influence
S E C U R I T y

center Wisdom
Guidance

P O W E r

Various Centers
Spouse Centeredness Family Centeredness Money Centeredness Work Centeredness Possession Centeredness Pleasure Centeredness Friend/Enemy Centeredness Religion Centeredness Self Centeredness

A Principle Center
Principles do not change Principles do not react to anything Principles are deep fundamental truths , tightly interwoven threads running with exactness, consistency ,beauty, and strength through the fabric of life.

Habit 3 : Put first thing

Urgent

first

Not Urgent

Important

First Quadrant : Crises, Pressing Problem, Dead line driven Projects

Second Quadrant : Prevention , Relationship building ,Recognizing new priorities , Planning , recreation

Third Quadrant : Not Important interruptions, calls, mails, meetings

Fourth Quadrant : Trivia, busy work, pleasure activities

The

habits

of highly effective people

Habits have a tremendous gravity pull

Lift off takes a lot of effort, but once we break out of the gravity pull, our freedom takes on a whole new dimension

Ready for take off ?

Habit 1: Be proactive

You are respons-able: able to choose your respons!

Circle of Concern
We have a wide range of concerns, but not all of them fall into our circle of influence

Circle of influence

Proactive people focus their efforts in their circle of influence, causing the circle of influence to increase

Reactive people focus their effort in the circle of concern. The negative energy generated by that focus causes the circle of influence to shrink

Anytime we think the problem is out there, that thought is the problem

You can choose your language

Reactive:

Proactive:

I must If only They made me If I had

I prefer I will I choose I can be

Habit 2: Begin with the end in mind

The key to the ability to change is a changeless sense of who you are, what you are about and what you value

Is the script you are living in harmony with your values?

Habit 3: Put first things first

The key to time management is not to prioritize whats on your schedule but to schedule your priorities

Its almost impossible to say NO to the popularity of urgent, non important matters, if you dont have a bigger YES burning inside

Things which matter most should never be at the mercy of things which matter least Goethe

Habit 4: Think Win/win

You can only achieve win/win solutions with win/win processes

Its not your way or my way, its a better way

Habit 5: Seek first to understand, then to be understood

We have such a tendency to fix things up with good advice, but often we fail to take the time to diagnose, to really deeply understand another human being first

Reading your own autobiography into other peoples lives is nt (even close to) listening

Habit 6: Synergize

The whole is greater than the sum of its parts

When we are left to our own experiences, we constantly suffer from a shortage of data

The person who is truly effective has the humility to recognize his own perceptual limitations and to appreciate the rich resources available through interaction with the hearts and minds of other human beings

In order to have influence, you have to open yourself up to b influenced

Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw

Read, write, relax, exercise, play, love, get involved, meditate

Sometimes when I consider what tremendous consequences come from little things I am tempted to think there are no little things

Bruce Barton

The end

Source
This is the visual essence of the book The 7 habits of highly effective people by Stephen R. Covey as seen by Marina Noordegraaf

Acknowledgement for al the cool photos

http://www.flickr.com/photos/justintosh/167987957/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/clownfish/27442653/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/magikid/183010642/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/dizzygirl/437995541/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/r0b1/1571054719/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/kevinomara/1624697177/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/mirabw/64672279/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/l_o/2423525315/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/imjustincognito/42567149/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/747400/2170702904/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/seraphimc/84794601/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/welshbaloney/539356051/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/chimpola/241374508/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/doglotion/2103941337/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/affers/2157811915/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/moonpiesformisfits/1703490038/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/badboy69/2333409688/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/sandidge/2185781895/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/victoriapeckham/254910627/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/metrojp/92038203/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/ocs_camp/2171492103/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/polytropos/335749370/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/pinkbeltrage/99643265/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/hinkelstone/2435823037/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/gadl/465833235/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/mureena/433564074/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/14270634@N02/2505535221/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/sewpixie/1499979319/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/8531344@N06/530325148/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/hirsch/21452691/

The Eight habits of highly effective people

Based on the work of Stephen Covey: The seven habits of highly effective people The 8th habit

The presentation at a glance

Important to be effective; effectiveness can be learnt Focus on developing character, not personality. Habits shape us, so adopt productive habits. Build trust in relationships. Balance the different roles. Allot time to attend fairly to the various responsibilities and relationships. Think positive and show empathy Rejuvenate yourself

The Eight Habits of highly effective people.

1. They take initiative. (Be Proactive) 2. They focus on goals. (Begin with the End in Mind) 3. They set priorities. (Put First Things First) 4. They only win when others win. (Think Win/Win) 5. They communicate. (Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood) 6. They cooperate. (Synergize) 7. They reflect on and repair their deficiencies. (Sharpen the Saw) 8. They find their voice and help others find theirs.

Character vs Personality
Much of the business success literature of recent decades has focused on developing a good personality. Developing a sound character is more important. Character lays the basic foundation. Personality can emerge naturally when character is rooted in and formed by principles. Forceful display of a personality that is inconsistent with our character is like wearing a mask. It is deceptive, manipulative and ultimately destructive.

Basic Principles
Certain basic principles and values make people more effective. They are fairness, equity, integrity, honesty, human dignity and worth, excellence, a spirit of service, patience, perseverance, caring, courage, encouragement and positive thinking. The person whose character grows from these classic principles is a true leader who can inspire and help others. Character is habit.

Habit 1: Be Proactive

Highly effective people take the initiative. They are proactive. They do not impose limits on themselves that prevent them from acting. They recognize that they have the freedom to determine the kind of character they will have. They may not be able to control their circumstances, but they can decide how to make the best use of those circumstances.

Habit 2: Begin with the End in Mind

Effectiveness is not just a matter of reaching a goal but rather of achieving the right goal. Imagine ourselves sitting in the back of the room at our funeral. Imagine what people could honestly say about us based on the way we are now. Do we like what we hear? Is that how we want to be remembered? If not, we must change it. We must take hold of our life. We can begin by drafting a personal mission statement that outlines our goals and describes the kind of person we want to be.

Habit 3: Put First Things First

We should never let our most important priorities fall victim to the least important. We spend our time reacting to urgent circumstances and emergencies, and never invest the necessary effort to develop the ability to prevent emergencies in the first place. We confuse the important with the urgent. The urgent is easy to see. The important is harder to discern. We must spend more time on planning, avoiding pitfalls, developing relationships, cultivating opportunities and recharging ourselves. We must focus on important but not urgent activities.

Habit 4: Think Win/Win

Highly effective people strive for win/win transactions. They try to ensure that all the parties are better off in the end. They know that any other kind of transaction is destructive, because it produces losers and, therefore, enemies and bad feelings, such as animosity, defeat and hostility. A Win-Win mindset can help us multiply our allies.

Habit 5: Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood

To develop win/win relationships, we must find out what the other parties want, and what winning means to them. We must always try to understand what the other people want and need before we begin to outline our own objectives. We must not object, argue or oppose what we hear. We must listen carefully, and think about it. We must try to put ourselves in the other partys shoes.

Habit 6: Synergize
Effective synergy depends on communication. We often dont listen, reflect and respond but, instead, we hear and react reflexively. Our reactions may be defensive, authoritarian or passive. We may oppose or go along but we do not actively cooperate. Cooperation and communication are the two legs of a synergistic relationship.

Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw

We must take care of our bodies with a program of exercise that combines endurance, flexibility and strength. We must nourish our souls with prayer, meditation, or perhaps by reading great literature or listening to great music. Mental repair may mean changing bad habits, such as the habit of watching television. We must work to develop our heart, our emotional connections and our engagement with other people.

Habit 8 : Finding your voice and helping others find theirs. Voice is the unique personal significance each of us
offers,

and can bring to bear at work. The 8th habit is all about moving from effectiveness to greatness Finding our unique voice means fulfilling our innate potential. Finding our voice, involves the four elements of a whole person: mind, body, heart and spirit. Mind = Vision When the mind is fully developed we gain vision, the ability to discern the highest potential in people, institutions, causes and enterprises.

 Body = Discipline
We need discipline to transform vision into reality. Discipline comes by combining vision and commitment.

Heart = Passion
When we develop a wise heart we will feel the passionate fire of conviction, the flame that sustains the discipline needed to achieve the vision. Passion flows from finding and using our unique voice to accomplish great things.

Spirit = Conscience
Developing our mental identity will lead us toward knowing the right fork in the road, toward an inward moral compass that will guide us.