In my series of posts on books that have left a lasting impression, my selection this time is Steven Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. It’s not a new book- it was originally published in 1989. Many of you will be familiar with the book’s key messages, whether through the book or from training courses you’ve attended. This leadership classic remains a New York Times bestseller for a reason. The advice is sound. It’s accessible. And it’s not filled with management buzz words or bulls**t.
Covey’s key messages.
To succeed, cultivate habits which are aligned with good principles.
There are underlying principles to success. If you align your inner character with these principles, you’ll achieve lasting success. Taking time to cultivate an understanding of who you are and what your values are will lead to changes in the way you see and respond to the world around you. In turn, this will make it easier for you to make decisions.
The 7 Habits:
1. Take proactive control of your responses to the world.
Covey says that effective people recognise that while you can’t control everything, you can control yourself. The ability to step back and pause before responding to the challenges life throws at us requires practice. It enables you to decide where to invest your energy. you can reframe life’s negative events by contemplating what might have been even worse.
2. Begin every task with a desired outcome.
Take time to focus on the long view and what’s truly important. This enables you to make better short term decisions that will be in line with your long term vision.
3. Put first things first.
Prioritise where to put your effort and energy by focusing on what’s important as this will have the greatest efficiency pay-off. While there will always be urgent and important tasks that need immediate attention- crises, project deadlines- if you allocate time to spend on important activities these deliver the greatest investments. Examples: relationship building, planning, recognising new opportunities.
4. Always look for the win-win scenario.
Ensuring everyone has a positive outcome encourages communication and teamwork rather than some winning at others’ expense. Or, if you can’t agree on a win-win, then agree to a No Deal outcome. For example, a piece of software you’d thought would deliver what you needed. If on further investigation it won’t do what you thought it would – then agreeing with the supplier that you won’t be able to proceed – and the supplier agreeing it would be better not to do so-even though it means losing business. This will mean that the door to the supplier remains open should you later on find s/he has something that will work. You avoid a costly error and by being gracious, the supplier may secure future business and you are likely to speak positively about them.
5. Build stronger relationships by truly understanding others.
Only by genuinely listening will you truly understand others’ needs. Avoid the temptation to rush in with advice and cultivate the skill of empathic listening.
6. Create powerful synergy by fostering the open exchange of ideas.
Recognise that everyone brings different strengths and weaknesses to a group or team. By working together to capitalise on your collective and different strengths, the sum becomes greater than the parts. Achieve this by creating an environment where everyone feels safe and respected. Draw on the earlier habits to foster this.
7. Make time to care your yourself
Take care of the different dimensions of yourself. Covey gives the standard advice: exercise, sleep, healthy diet, spiritual nourishment, social and emotional connection and continuing to learn. If you’re not nurturing yourself, you’ll become inefficient and drained of energy.
By applying all 7 habits you will become a highly effective person.
I found it useful to be reminded of the book’s key messages, which remain timeless, accessible and, most importantly, actionable.
The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing. Stephen Covey
