The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People Adopted from: Book by Stephen R Covey

Introduction  Stephen R. Covey – Business philosopher.  Knowledge, skill and desire could be said to be the building blocks of good habits.  According to Steven Covey, to achieve our objective of maturity one goes through the cycles of dependence, independence and ultimately interdependence.  Interdependence is above independence in that you get along with other people in achieving.

Introduction  Habit is some thing we do often with ease….*  Habits are natural, genetic, Cannot break …. x  We can learn new habit and break old ones.  To develop a Habit we need Knowledge, Skill & Attitude.  First 3 habits promote self victory.  Second 3 habits promote public victory.  The last habit simply says you practice all these habits every day.

“ We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit ” Aristotle

Habits of Personal Victory:  Habits 1,2 & 3 lead to personal victory: The habits that allow us to achieve self-mastery and dominion over self.  Habit 1: Be Proactive, we recognize that we are free to choose.  Habit 2: Begin with the End in Mind, we identify our personal mission and goals.  Habit 3: Put First Things First, we act on our priorities.

Habits of Public Victory:  Habits 4, 5 & 6 lead to public victory.  Habit 4: Think Win-Win – think of a solution where every one wins.  Habit 5: It is better to understand than to be understood. think about others point of view.  Habit 6: Synergise – There is more energy and efficiency in team work.

Habit of putting into practice:  Habits 7 – Sharpening the saw / renewal  Says that you develop habit of practicing these habits every day.  Take a break look at your habits – change then continue. – blunt saw is less efficient….!  By renewing the four dimensions of your nature - physical, spiritual, mental and social/emotional, you can work more quickly and effortlessly.  Meditating on the idea of the gap between stimulus and response which is the key to both our growth and happiness and how we use that space

Conclusions:  The Seven habits is a principle-centered paradigm. Principles are believed to be guidelines for human conduct that are proven to have enduring, permanent value which are very fundamental.  Reading through the seven habits by Covey, I’m profoundly impressed and enriched with the knowledge of self mastery and the tools to positively interact with society at large.

3 Aspects of Management:  Leadership – what do I / we want to accomplish?  Management – how can I best accomplish it?  Productivity – doing it – product/goal. “Management is doing things right; Leadership is doing the right things.” -- Peter Drucker

Habit 1 – Be Proactive: Between stimulus and response one has the freedom to choose. Of the three central values in life ( experiential, creative and attitudinal) what matters most is how we positively respond to circumstances (attitudinal). We are only being effective by focussing our time and energy on “circle of influence” rather than on our “circle of concern”. That is to say we are being proactive rather reactive. The proactive approach to a mistake is to acknowledge it instantly, correct and learn from it. Its about Leadership – what do I / we want to accomplish?

Habit 2 – Begin with end in mind A starting point in beginning with the end in mind is to develop a personal mission statement, philosophy or credo. It will help you focus on what you want to be. 1) Prioritize – sort your tasks. 2) Organize around priorities – what is imp* 3) Discipline yourself – to accomplish.

The Greek philosophy of Ethos, Pathos, and Logos gives the sequence for effective communication. Ethos is your personal creditability. Pathos is the empathic side. Logos is the reasoning side