The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People Powerful Lessons in Personal Change

Stephen Covey Principle-center approach for solving personal and professional problems Covey reveals a step-by-step pathway for living with fairness, integrity, honesty and human dignity Principles that give us the security to adapt to change and the wisdom and power to take advantage of the opportunities that change creates

Habit 1 “Be Proactive” Freedom to Choose Proactive Model Response Stimulus Response It means more than merely taking initiative. It means 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. Self Awareness Independent Will Imagination Conscience Proactive Model

Habit 2 “Begin with the End in Mind” Security To begin with the end in mind means to start with a clear understanding of your destination. It means to know where you’re going so that you better understand where you are now and so that the steps you take are always in the right direction. Center Guidance Wisdom Power

Habit 3 “Put First Things First” Organize and execute around priorities. This phrase represents the evolution of three generations of time management and how to best do it is the focus of a wide variety of approaches and materials. It focuses on setting goals – specific long-, intermediate-, and short term targets which time and energy would be directed in harmony and values. Rather than focusing on things and time, the focus is preserving and enhancing relationships and on accomplishing results.

Habit 4 “Think Win/Win” Win/Win is a frame of mind and heart that constantly seeks mutual benefit in all human interactions. Win/Win means 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 sees life as a cooperative, not a competitive arena. It’s not your way or my way; it’s a better way, a higher way.

Habit 5 “Seek First to Understand Then to Be Understood” Seek first to understand involves a very deep shift in paradigm. We typically seek first to be understood. Most people do not listen with the intent to understand, they listen with the intent to reply. They’re either speaking or preparing to speak. They are filtering everything through their own paradigms, reading their autobiography into other people’s lives

Habit 6 “Synergize” What is Synergy? Simply defined, it means that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. It means the relationship which the parts have to each other is a part in and of itself. It is not only a part, but the most catalytic, the most empowering, the most unifying and the most exciting part.

Habit 7 “Sharpen the Saw” Habit 7 is personal PC (Power Capacity) It’s preserving and enhancing the greatest asset you have – you! It’s renewing the four dimensions of your nature-physical, spiritual, mental and social/emotional.