Stephen Covey: 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

Stephen Covey: 7 Habits Model

We immediately become more effective when we decide to change ourselves
rather than asking things to change for us.

Stephen Covey reviewed 200 years of success literature and crystallied what
he learned into seven habits that took the world by storm when he published
them in !"#". $wenty years later $he Seven %abits of %ighly &ffective 'eople
continues to be an influential business book delivering powerful lessons in
personal change. $he seven habits are not a (uick and easy formula for success.
)ut together they form a powerful model for personal change and leading
change.
* have to start by recommending Covey+s $he Seven %abits of %ighly &ffective
'eople. ,ead it- or reread it if your copy is sitting on your shelf. *+m providing
an overview of the seven habits on this page. /ou need to read the book
because there+s a wealth of information in this book that you are not likely to
find on any web pages. 0ctually * first listened to Stephen Covey talking about
the seven habits on a set of C1+s before * read the book and the connection
between the two really worked for me.
Stephen ,. Covey emphasies a return to principles or values in order to
achieve change in our lives. $he seven habits are not simply a veneer2surface3
that you apply for success. $he seven habits are a step by step model that
empower you make decisions and act so that you are always moving towards a
known destination rather than reacting to whatever is happening at the time.
$he reason * favor this model is that it has strong links to concepts of
&motional *ntelligence and emphasies the importance of self awareness before
successful engagement with others.
$he seven habits model uses the idea of +habits+ that we need to learn to do
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automatically. 5ost of us have habits we are not even aware of and probably
couldn+t say how we learned them in the first place. Stephen Covey suggests
that this model is a process of learning different habits that are aligned with
the seven habits he presents in his book. 6earning a new habit is not easy. *t
takes time and practice. 7or most of us this is a big ask. )ut if you+re willing to
make the time and put in the practice then Stephen Covey is the best place to
start.
So what are the seven habits8
/es- there are seven habits that Stephen Covey presents in $he Seven %abits
of %ighly &ffective 'eople. 5ore recently Covey published $he #th %abit- not
because he forgot one the first time round- but because he felt the #th habit
was necessary to meet the changing world.
$he seven habits are not intended to be individual formulas that we can 9ust
apply and be :better:. Stephen Covey says that like the normal laws of growth
the seven habits build on each other to create personal and interpersonal
effectiveness. $he first seven habits can be divided into two groups of three 4
the first group focuses on :private victory: and the second on :public victory:.
Stephen Covey says :'rivate ;ictory precedes 'ublic ;ictory: which really
means that we have to master ourselves before we can en9oy success outside
of ourselves and with others. %abit number < is about doing the right things to
maintain these habits and continue developing.
Habit 1: Be Proactive
)eing proactive is more than 9ust taking action. *n this first habit Stephen Covey
tells us we are responsible for our reactions to people or events. We are
,esponse4able and have ,esponse4ability because we have the ability to
consciously choose how we respond to any situation. Stephen Covey makes the
point that humans can think things through and don+t need to be caught up in
simple stimulus44=response patterns like 'avlov+s dogs. $o be proactive is to
choose your response rather than relying on instinctive reactions.
So- what+s your ,esponse4ability like8 Stephen Covey introduces the story of
;iktor 7rankl to emphasie the point that we have the freedom to choose our
response to whatever happens to us. 7rankl was a psychiatrist and is well
known for his theory of 6ogotherapy and publishing :5an+s Search for 5eaning:.
While enduring >ai concentration camps 7rankl realised that we can always
choose our response- no matter what happens to us. :5an+s Search for
5eaning: is essential reading- by the way- and should be high on your list. *t+s an
easy powerful read.
'eople who do not consider their reactions are reactive and often blame others
or things outside of themselves for what happens. $hey don+t take any
responsibility. $hey+d say * failed the paper because the e?aminer doesn+t like
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me. 'roactive people take responsibility for their response- often looking for
what they can learn from what happened. $hey might say * failed the
paper...maybe * didn+t spend enough time learning- or didn+t plan my time. What
can * do differently ne?t time8
$o help you develop proactivity Stephen Covey introduces the concept of the
Circle of Concern and Circle of *nfluence. %e says proactive people focus their
time and energy in the Circle of *nfluence where they work on things they can
do something about. $his is a powerful metaphor and * use it often in
organiations involved with change. *t+s a tool that helps people identify what+s
important and what they can do to positively influence their future rather than
feeling like a pawn on a chessboard.
Habit 2: Begin With he End !n Mind
When * read $he Seven %abits of %ighly &ffective 'eople * was struck by the
wonderful metaphors that Stephen Covey uses to help us understand the points
he makes. 7or e?ample- he talks about how easy it is to get caught up in the
busy4ness of life- working hard to climb the ladder of success- only to discover
that all this time the ladder has been leaning against the wrong wall. * find this a
very simple and powerful image.
*t+s this metaphor that Stephen Covey uses to describe habit 2- )egin With $he
&nd *n 5ind. *t+s a simple idea really and is about making an effort to start with
a clear understanding of your destination and where you are going. 5aking sure
your ladder is up against the right wall before you start climbing.
$his is essentially about planning so that we know where we are going all the
time instead of being busy with day to day activities that actually take us
nowhere. $aking the time to see the bigger picture- to plan where we are
heading- leads to personal effectiveness.
)egin with the end in mind is based on the principle that all things are
created twice. $here@s a mental or first creation- and a physical or second
creation to all things. Stephen Covey makes the point that everything is
created twice- first in the mind and then in reality.
*f you+re building a house you plan every detail with architects drawings- builders
and landscapers according to what you want to create. Anly then does the
physical work begin. :/ou work with ideas. /ou work with your mind until you
get a clear image of what you want to build:. )efore you go on a holiday
you+ve usually planned the trip very carefully before you set foot out of your
front door. *f you+re giving a business presentation you write it out on paper or
electronically before you give it.
$he (uestion of course is why don+t we do this when it comes to our own
lives8 6ife throws so many things at us that keep us so busy that often we
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have never thought about where we are heading and if what we are doing is
taking us closer to- or further from our destination. Stephen Covey provides
many effective ways to begin this level of planning in your personal life together
with lots of e?amples. %e also provides very useful suggestions for applying the
ideas he has presented at the end of each +habit+ chapter.
Habit ": P#t $irst hings $irst
$his is the last of the habits that deals with self awareness and :'rivate
;ictory:. *f %abit 2 is the first- or mental creation- then %abit B is the second
creation- the physical creation. 0s we+ve 9ust seen it+s easy to spend a lot of
our time doing stuff that 9ust is not that important to meeting your intentions
set up in %abit 2. Stephen Covey recommends that you do first things first.
*dentify what is important to do in order to keep you heading towards your
destination- and then do them.
Ak- so how do you know what+s important and what is not8 *t+s about managing
our time and what we do in that time. >ow- * have always struggled with
traditional time management ideas. * resist being told that * must manage my time
better- or worse- being told how to manage my time. Stephen Covey has a C4
(uadrant time management model that actually got me interested in thinking
about how * manage my time.
Covey spends a lot of time working with this model and emphasising that we
need to aim to spend our time in Duadrant **. $his is where you deal with things
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that are important to your values and goals- but that are not urgent. :*f we
don+t practice %abit 2- if we don+t have a clear idea of what is important- of
the results we desire in our lives- we are easily diverted into responding to the
urgent:. $he urgent things are often those things that keep us away from
focusing on what is important.
0s with the other habits Stephen Covey provides lots of practical thoughts and
e?amples to help you develop and practice %abit B including a useful template
for a weekly worksheet Eprinted in $he Seven %abits of %ighly &ffective 'eopleF
to help you focus your week on what is important to you.
Habit %: hin& Win'Win
%abit C is the first of the %abits dealing with what Covey calls interdependence
4 working effectively with other people. *n describing each habit Stephen Covey
shares powerful insights and :$hink WinGWin: is no e?ception.
Stephen Covey makes the point that the habit of effective interpersonal
leadership is $hink WinGWin. $his is the habit of always looking for a solution that
benefits you 0>1 the other person or group. What+s fascinating is that the
solution is usually une?pected. :WinGWin is a belief in the $hird 0lternative. *t+s
not your way or my wayH it+s a better way- a higher way:.
5ost of us will say :yeah- yeah- we know this already. WinGWin+s the way to
go...: *t+s almost as if it+s the socially acceptable attitude. )ut in reality people
are likely to act in their own best interest and when we look we find a
+WinG6ose+- +6oseGWin+- or 9ust a plain +Win+ scenario playing out. 0fter all- many
of us are brought up to believe that winning is everything. * 9ust have to watch
the dad+s on the side of their kids sports field to see this. So in reality this is
a habit to be learned and practiced.
Habit (: See& $irst to )nderstand* hen to Be )nderstood
Stephen Covey believes this principle is the key to effective interpersonal
communication. Seek first to understand- then to be understood. $his habit is
about communicating with others. *t+s about developing the habit of listening
carefully and really understanding the other person )&7A,& giving your thoughts.
$his is not easy to learn to do. *n my practice *+ve often heard people saying
that no4one understands what they+re really feeling. *f you+re a parent you
might hear that from your teenage son or daughter E* do.F. $his is because it+s
usually so much easier- and often really inviting- to give your opinion or to give
advice to someone in need. Couples in counseling are often spending more time
trying to get their partner to understand their position than listening and
understanding their partner+s position.
* really en9oy the e?amples that Stephen Covey shares to demonstrate this
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habit- especially the conversations between a father and his teenage son.
6istening to these on the C1 version of $he Seven %abits of %ighly &ffective
'eople really captures the humor that becomes apparent when we realie the
ways we often :listen: and respond- even when we have good intentions.
So start practicing this right now. %ave fun with it. *n your ne?t conversation
with someone put your natural and automatic responses aside and focus on
genuinely understanding them. 0sk (uestions that invite more such as :$ell me
more...: or :What happened ne?t...8:. Spend time with your children- your
partner- your colleague- or even your boss- working to genuinely understand
them before you respond. /ou+ll find that when you +seek first to understand+
your response might be different to what you e?pect- and that you start finding
the creative solutions and third alternatives described in habit C.
Habit +: Synergi,e
1ictionary definitionJ synKerKgy 2sin4er49ee3
!. $he interaction of two or more agents or forces so that their combined
effect is greater than the sum of their individual effects.
2. Cooperative interaction among groups- especially among the ac(uired
subsidiaries or merged parts of a corporation- that creates an enhanced
combined effect.
$he word synergy comes from the Lreek synergos meaning working together.
Stephen Covey says- Synergy is everywhere in nature. *f you plant two plants
close together- the roots commingle and improve the (uality of the soil so that
both plants will grow better than if they were separated. *f you put two pieces
of wood together- they will hold much more than the total weight held by each
separately. $he whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Ane plus one e(uals
three or more.
*n %abit M Stephen Covey directs our attention to the power of effective
relationships. 0s a result of the relationship that e?ists between people or
groups the whole becomes greater than the sum of its parts. We can achieve so
much more when we engage in effective relationships with others than if we
acted alone.
Stephen Covey notes that synergy is difficult for many of us as independence is
promoted as a strong value in the world today. 5any people have been trained
or have learned that other people can+t be trusted. 0chieving synergy re(uires
high trust and high cooperation and can lead to better solutions than anyone
thought of alone. /ou can get a sense of the way in which habits C- I- and M
work together to discover the creative solutions and third alternatives. 0nd
synergy is possible when we have the support of all five previous habits.
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*f you are concerned about synergy because you know you don+t trust people
easily it+s ok 4 go back to habit ! and )e 'roactive about your response to
situations or other people. /ou don+t have to get it all right first time. $his is
part of a life 9ourney of learning and developing. /ou will get there if you are
willing to spend the time and effort developing new habits.
Habit 7: Sharpen the Sa-
%abit < is about looking after yourself. /ou are the greatest asset you have
and we have to learn to take time to look after ourselves. Stephen Covey
suggests we pay attention to four areas in our livesJ
'hysicalJ &?ercise- >utrition- Stress 5anagement
SpiritualJ ;alue Clarification and Committment- Study and 5editation
5entalJ ,eading- ;isualiing- 'lanning- Writing
SocialG&motionalJ Service- &mpathy- Synergy- *ntrinsic Security.
When * work with someone who has e?perienced e?treme stress to the point of
+breakdown+ we often find that their lives have been narrowly focused on work
and home. $hey go to work Eoften working overtimeF and go home simply to eat
and sleep so they can go to work again. *s this you8 $he most important thing
you can start doing now is looking after yourself by focusing on the four areas
above.
Stephen Covey tells the story of meeting someone who has been sawing down a
tree for more than I hours. When you suggest that they take a break and
sharpen their saw so the 9ob might go faster they tell you they don+t have time
to sharpen the saw because they+re too busy sawing.
*t+s so easy to get caught up in the demands of life- or even developing the
%abits- that we forget ourselves. We can+t do that. We have to be proactive
and do this for ourselves. >o4one else is going to do it for you. :We are the
instruments of our own performance- and to be effective- we need to recognie
the importance of taking time regularly to sharpen the saw in all four ways:.
0ll four dimensions of renewal are thoroughly investigated and Stephen Covey
ends this chapter with a discussion about the importance of renewal in our lives-
and thinking of this as an upward spiral of growth- change- and continuous
improvement.
Stephen Covey provides a useful diagram in $he Seven %abits of %ighly
&ffective 'eople illustrating how the seven habits fit together. /ou can see the
progression from 'rivate ;ictory to 'ublic ;ictory with %abit < circling all of
them as Sharpening the Saw is essential for the health of all seven habits.
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$he Seven %abits of %ighly &ffective 'eople is a powerful book containing
effective principles for personal change and for leading change in organisations.
Ather authors and commentators have noted that the e(uivalent of an entire
library of success literature is found in this one volume and that there are many
more than seven good reasons to read this book. * highly recommend this book
and the practice of the principles contained in it. /ou really should get a copy.
Stephen Covey published $he #th %abit in 200C to answer the challenges
presented by a world that has significantly changed since !"#" when $he Seven
%abits of %ighly &ffective 'eople was published. :$he #th %abit...is not about
adding one more habit to the < 4 one that somehow got forgotten. *t+s about
seeing and harnessing the power of a third dimension to the < %abits that meets
the central challenge of the new Nnowledge Worker 0ge. $his #th %abit is to
7ind /our ;oice and *nspire Athers to 7ind $heirs:.
*ntrigued8 5ore about this on another page. *n the meantime get some Stephen
Covey on your bookshelf or in your C1 collection. /ou will not be sorry.
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