Summary - 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

Published by Soundview Executive Book Summaries, P.O. Box 1053, Concordville, PA 19331 USA © 2008 Soundview Executive Book Summaries • All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part is prohibited. Concentrated Knowledge™ for the Busy Executive • www.summary.com • Order # CUS-29MTFS CONTENTS Inside-Out Page 2 The 7 Habits: An Overview Pages 2, 3 Habit 1: Be Proactive Page 3 Habit 2: BeginWith the End in Mind Pages 4, 5 Habit 3: Put First Things First Pages 5, 6 Habit 4: ThinkWin/Win Page 6 Habit 5: Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood Pages 6, 7 Habit 6: Synergize Pages 7, 8 Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw Page 8 by Stephen R.Covey Powerful Lessons for Personal Change The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People THE SUMMARY IN BRIEF The world has changed dramatically since The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People was first published in 1989. Life is more complex, more stressful, more demanding. We have transitioned from the Industrial Age to the Information/Knowledge Worker Age –– with profound consequences.We face challenges and problems in our personal lives, our families and our organizations unimagined even one or two decades ago. These sweeping changes in society and rumbling shifts in the digitized global marketplace give rise to a very important question:“Are the 7 Habits still relevant today?”And, for that matter,“Will they be relevant 10, 20, 50, 100 years from now?” Stephen R. Covey’s answer:The greater the change and more difficult our challenges, the more relevant the habits become. How you apply a principle will vary greatly and will be determined by your unique strengths, talents and creativity, but ultimately, success in any endeavor is always derived from acting in harmony with the principles to which the success is tied. Through insight and practical exercises, Covey presents a step-by-step pathway for living with fairness, integrity, service and human dignity — principles that give you the security to adapt to change, and the wisdom and power to take advantage of the opportunities that change creates. IN THIS SUMMARY, YOUWILL LEARN: • Why the personality ethic has supplanted the character ethic. • How to write a personal mission statement. • Why leveraging productivity is a function of “putting first things first.” • How the challenge is not to manage time, but yourself. SOUNDVIEWExecutive Book Summaries® www.summary.com Career& Self- Developm ent Inside-Out Almost all literature written about success in the first 150 years of this country focused on the Character Ethic — integrity, humility, fidelity, temperance, courage, justice, patience, industry, simplicity,modesty and the Golden Rule. Shortly afterWorldWar I the basic view of success shift- ed to the Personality Ethic. Success became more a function of personality, of public image, attitudes and behaviors, skills and techniques that lubricate the process of human interaction. Elements of the Personality Ethic are benefi- cial and sometimes essential for success. But they are sec- ondary, not primary traits. Many people with secondary greatness — i.e., social recognition for their talents — lack primary greatness or goodness in their character. The Power of Paradigm The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People embody many of the fundamental principles of human effective- ness. They represent the internalization of correct princi- ples upon which enduring happiness and success are based. But before we can understand these Seven Habits, we need to understand our own “paradigms” and how to make a “paradigm shift.” The word paradigm was originally a scientific term and today is used more commonly to mean a model, theory, perception, assumption or frame of reference. It is the way we “see” the world — not in terms of sight, but in perceiving, understanding, interpreting.To try to change outward attitudes and behaviors does very little good if we fail to examine the basic paradigms from which they flow. A New Level of Thinking Albert Einstein observed,“The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them.”As we look at the prob- lems we create as we live and interact with the Personality Ethic, we realize they are deep, fundamental problems.We need a new level of thinking — a paradigm based on the principles that accurately describe the terri- tory of effective human being and interacting — to solve these deep concerns.This new, deeper level of thinking is a principle-centered, character-based,“inside-out” approach to personal and interpersonal effectiveness. � The 7 Habits: An Overview Our character is a composite of our habits, which form a powerful factor in our lives. Because habits are consis- tent, unconscious patterns, they constantly express our character and produce our effectiveness or ineffectiveness. Habits also have a tremendous gravity pull. Breaking deeply imbedded, habitual tendencies such as procrastina- tion, impatience, criticalness or selfishness that violate basic human principles of human effectiveness involves more than a little willpower and few minor changes in our lives. ‘Habits’ Defined A habit is the intersection of knowledge, skill and desire: • Knowledge is the theoretical paradigm, the what to do and the why. • Skill is the how to do. • Desire is the motivation, the want to do. Knowing you need to listen and knowing how to listen are not enough. Unless you want to listen, it won’t be a habit. Creating a habit requires work in all three dimensions. By working on knowledge, skills and desire, we can break through to new levels of personal and interpersonal effectiveness as we break from old paradigms. THE COMPLETE SUMMARY: THE 7 HABITS OF HIGHLY EFFECTIVE PEOPLE by Stephen R. Covey 2 Soundview Executive Book Summaries® www.summary.com The author: Dr. Stephen R. Covey, an internationally respected leadership authority and organizational consultant, is co- founder and vice chairman of FranklinCovey, the leading global professional services firm which has offices in 123 countries. Covey received an MBA from Harvard and a Ph.D. from Brigham Young University. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey. Copyright © 1989, 2004 by Stephen R. Covey. Summarized with permission of the publisher, Free Press, a division of Simon & Schuster Inc. 372 pages. $15.95. ISBN 0-7432-6951-3. Summary copyright © 2008 by Soundview Executive Book Summaries, www.summary.com, 1-800-SUMMARY, 1-610-558-9495. Published by Soundview Executive Book Summaries (ISSN 0747-2196), P.O. Box 1053, Concordville, PA 19331 USA, a division of Concentrated Knowledge Corp. Published monthly. Subscriptions starting at $99 per year. Copyright © 2008 by Soundview Executive Book Summaries. Available formats: Summaries are available in several digital formats.To subscribe, call us at 1-800-SUMMARY (240-912-7513 outside the United States), or order online at www.summary.com. Multiple-subscription discounts and corporate site licenses are also available. Rebecca S. Clement, Publisher; Sarah T. Dayton, Editor In Chief;Melissa Ward, Managing Editor; Athena Nicholaides, Graphic Designer; Nathan Bauroth, Contributing Editor 1-800-SUMMARY service@summary.com The Maturity Continuum On the maturity continuum, dependence is the para- digm of you — you take care of me; you come through for me, you didn’t come through; I blame you for the results. Independence is the paradigm of I — I can do it; I am responsible; I am self-reliant; I can choose. Interdependence is the paradigm of we — we can do it; we can cooperate; we can combine our talents and abilities and create something greater together. True independence of character allows us to act rather than be acted upon. It frees us from our dependence on circumstances and other people and is a worthy, liberating goal. But it is not the ultimate goal in effective living. Interdependence is a more mature, advanced concept. As an interdependent person, you have the opportunity to share yourself with others and have access to the vast resources and potential of other human beings. Inter- dependence is a choice only independent people can make. Dependent people cannot choose to become interdependent.They don’t own enough of themselves. That’s why Habits 1, 2 and 3 deal with self-mastery.As you become truly independent, you have the foundation for effective interdependence. � Habit 1: Be Proactive Being proactive means more than taking initiative. It means we are responsible for our own lives. Our behav- ior is a function of our decisions, not our conditions. “Response-ability” is the ability to choose your response. Highly proactive people do not blame circumstances, conditions or conditioning for their behavior.Their behavior is a product of their own conscious choice, based on values, rather than a product of those condi- tions, based on feeling. Reactive people are often affected by their physical envi- ronment. If the weather is good, they feel good. If it isn’t, it affects their attitude and performance. Proactive people carry their own weather with them.They are still influ- enced by external stimuli, but their response, conscious or unconscious, is a value-based response or choice. Taking the Initiative Taking initiative does not mean being pushy, obnox- ious or aggressive, but recognizing your responsibility to make things happen. People who end up with good jobs are the proactive ones; they are solutions to problems, not problems themselves.They seize the initiative to do whatever is necessary, to be consistent with correct prin- ciples and to get the job done. Act or Be Acted Upon If you wait to be acted upon, you will be acted upon. Language, for example, is a real indicator of the degree to which you see yourself as a proactive person.The lan- guage of reactive people absolves them of responsibility. A serious problem with reactive language is that it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Examples of reactive language are: There’s nothing I can do;That’s just the way I am; I have to do that; and I can’t. On the other hand, proactive language takes responsi- bility. Examples are: Let’s look at our alternatives; I can choose a different approach; I control my own feelings; and I will. Circle of Concern and Circle of Influence We each have a wide range of concerns — health, children, problems at work, the national debt and nuclear war.We could separate those from things in which we have no mental or emotional involvement by creating a “Circle of Concern.”Within our Circle of Concern are some things over which we have no control and some we can do something about.We could identify those in the latter group as within our Circle of Influence. Proactive people focus their efforts in the Circle of Influence.The nature of their energy is positive, enlarg- ing and magnifying, causing their Circle of Influence to increase. Reactive people focus their efforts on the Circle of Concern, which results in blaming, accusing attitudes and increasing feelings of victimization, causing their Circle of Influence to shrink. Direct, Indirect and No Control The problems we face fall in one of three areas: 1.Direct control problems are solved by working on our habits, which are within our Circle of Influence. These are the “PrivateVictories” of Habits 1, 2 and 3. 2. Indirect control problems are solved by changing our methods of influence.These are the “Public Victories” of Habits 4, 5, 6 and 7. 3.No control problems involve taking responsibility to smile, to genuinely and peacefully accept and learn to live with these problems, even when we don’t like them. Proactivity:The 30-DayTest For 30 days, work only in your Circle of Influence. Make small commitments and keep them. Be part of the solution, not part of the problem.When you make a mis- take, admit it, correct it and learn from it — immediate- ly. Don’t get into a blaming, accusing mode.Work on things you have control over. � Summary: THE 7 HABITS OF HIGHLY EFFECTIVE PEOPLE www.summary.com Soundview Executive Book Summaries® 3 Habit 2: Begin With the End in Mind To begin with the end in mind means to start with a clear understanding of your destination.You need to know where you are going in order to better understand where you are now so that the steps you take are always in the right direction. It’s easy to get caught up in an activity trap, in the busyness of life, to work harder and harder at climbing the ladder of success only to discover it’s leaning against the wrong wall. “Begin with the end in mind” is based on the princi- ple that all things are created twice.There is a mental or first creation, and a physical or second creation. Look at a business: If you want to have a successful enterprise, you must clearly define what you’re trying to accomplish. The extent to which you begin with the end in mind often determines whether or not you are able to create a successful enterprise. Leadership and Management —Two Creations Habit 2 is based on principles of personal leadership, which means leadership is the first creation. Leadership is not management. Management is the second creation. Management is a bottom-line focus: How can I best accomplish certain things? Leadership deals with the top line:What are the things I want to accomplish? A Personal Mission Statement The most effective way to begin with the end in mind is to develop a personal mission statement. It focuses on what you want to be (character) and to do (contribu- tions and achievements) and on the values or principles upon which being and doing are based. To write a personal mission statement, you must begin at the very center of your Circle of Influence.Whatever is at the center of your life will be the source of these four factors, which are interdependent: • Security:Your sense of worth, identity, emotional anchor, self-esteem, basic personal strength or lack of it. • Guidance: Your source of direction in life, an inter- nal frame of reference that includes standards or princi- ples or implicit criteria that govern moment-by-moment decision-making and doing. • Wisdom:Your perspective on life, sense of balance, judgment, discernment, comprehension. • Power: The faculty or capacity to act, the strength and potency to accomplish something. A mission statement takes deep introspection, careful analysis, thoughtful expression and often many rewrites. It may take several weeks or months before you feel it is a concise expression of your innermost values and directions. Writing or reviewing a mission statement changes you because it forces you to think through your priorities deeply and carefully, and to align your behavior with your beliefs. Alternative Centers Briefly examine these centers or core paradigms peo- ple typically have for a better understanding of how they affect the four fundamental dimensions, and ultimately, the sum of life that flows from them. 1. Spouse Centeredness:Your life perspective sur- rounds things that may positively or negatively influence your spouse or relationship. 2. Family Centeredness: Your decision-making cri- teria are what is good for the family, or what family members want. 3. Money Centeredness: Moneymaking is the lens through which life is seen and understood, creating imbalanced judgment. 4.Work Centeredness: You see your life as your work. 5. Possession Centeredness: You make decisions based on what will protect, increase or better display your possessions. 6. Pleasure Centeredness: You see the world in terms of what’s in it for you. 7. Friend Centeredness:You see the world through a social lens. 8. Enemy Centeredness: You are counter-depen- dently guided by your enemy’s actions and base decisions on what will thwart your enemy. 9. Church Centeredness: You see the world in terms of “believers” and “non-believers,” and “belongers” and “non-belongers.” 10. Self-Centeredness: You view the world by how decisions, events or circumstances will affect you. A Principle Center By centering your life on correct principles, you create a solid foundation for development of the four life-sup- port factors: • Security comes from knowing that, unlike other centers based on people or things subject to change, cor- rect principles do not change. • Wisdom and guidance come from correct maps, from the way things really are, have been and will be. • Power is that of a self-aware, knowledgeable, proac- tive individual, unrestricted by attitudes, behaviors and actions of others. Summary: THE 7 HABITS OF HIGHLY EFFECTIVE PEOPLE 4 Soundview Executive Book Summaries® www.summary.com As a principle-centered person, you try to stand apart from the emotion of the situation and other factors that would act on you, and evaluate your options. Looking at the balanced whole — the work needs, family needs and other needs that may be involved and all possible implica- tions of the various alternative decisions — you try to come up with the best solution, taking all factors into account. � Habit 3: Put First Things First Take a few minutes and write down a short answer to each of these two questions: 1.What one thing could you do (that you aren’t doing now) that if you did on a regular basis would make a tremendous positive difference in your personal life? 2.What one thing in your business or professional life would bring similar results? Habit 3 is the practical fulfillment of Habits 1 and 2. Habit 1 says,“You are the creator.You are in charge.” Habit 2 is the first mental creation, based on imagination, the ability to envision what you can become. Habit 3 is the second creation, the physical creation. It’s the exercise of independent will toward becoming principle-centered. The Power of IndependentWill Independent will makes effective self-management possi- ble. It is the ability to make decisions and choices and act in accordance with them. It is the ability to act rather than be acted upon, to proactively carry out the program you have developed through the other three endowments. Effective management is putting first things first.While leadership decides what “first things” are, it is manage- ment that puts them first, day by day, moment by moment. Management is discipline carrying them out. If you are an effective manager of your self, your discipline comes from within; it is a function of your independent will. Four Generations of Time Management In time management, each generation builds on the one before it, moving us toward greater control of our lives: The first generation is made up of notes and checklists, an effort to give some semblance of recognition and inclusiveness to the many demands placed on our time and energy. The second generation of time management consists of calendars and appointment books, reflecting an attempt to look ahead, to schedule events and future activities. The third generation focuses on the prioriti- zation of clarifying values. Finally, the fourth generation is an emerging genera- tion that recognizes that the challenge is not to manage time, but to manage ourselves. The Four Quadrants of Time Management We spend time in one of four ways, depending on the two factors that define an activity: urgent and important. Urgent means it requires immediate attention. Urgent things act on us and are usually visible.A ringing phone is urgent. Importance, on the other hand, has to do with results. It contributes to our mission, values and high-priority goals.We react to urgent matters. Important matters that are not urgent require more initiative, more proactivity. Consider theTime Management Matrix (see chart below).As long as you focus on Quadrant I, it keeps get- ting bigger and bigger until it dominates you. Some people are beaten up by problems all day, every day.The only relief they have is to escape to the not important, not urgent activities. Ninety percent of their time is spent i