7 Habits® - The Philosophy Jon Whitty 20/11/02 UQ’s 7 Habits® Graduate Club Page 1 of 3

7 Habits® - The Philosophy By Jon Whitty Question: What more could you ask from the 3-day 7 Habits Workshop? Answer: Two more days please, because 3-days are just not enough time to fully grasp the 7 Habits philosophy. Many workshop participants give this answer, and in an effort to deepen the philosophical understanding of the 7 Habits I’ve prepared this short discussion paper. In this discussion I assume a familiarity and understanding of the 7 Habits Of Highly Effective People®, as much that would be gained by an understanding of Stephen Covey’s book of the same name or by attendance at an official 3-day 7 Habits workshop. The 7 Habits – So what’s it all about? Let’s start with the full title and break it down as you would a maths equation, and see it for what it really is; “The 7 Habits Of Highly Effective People®”. Beginning with the first part, “The 7”, Why 7? To answer this we need to remember that we human beings like to remember things in steps, short phrases, or buzzwords, TLA’s for example, that’s Three Letter Acronyms for the uninitiated! By building a stepped process (1 to 7), and giving each step a buzz-phrase (Think Win-Win or Synergies) Stephen Covey has built a convenient way for those wishing to follow the 7 Habits philosophy to remember the steps and implement the Habits in an order and sequence. You’ll notice in the 7 Habits book and especially during the 3-day workshop that the name of the Habit plays a smaller role than that of the underlying principle of each Habit. Each Habit and its catchphrase name is really a means to remind us of the underlying principle of each of the Habits. This easy, by the numbers (1 to 7) method of remembering is crucial to the growth and proliferation of the 7 Habits. I vividly remember being one of three people who attempted to resuscitate a heart attack victim a few years ago. Unfortunately, and sadly, we were unsuccessful. However, I do remember relating the incident to a medical doctor shortly afterward and confessed how out of date I believed my first aid knowledge was. I told him “I couldn’t remember whether it was 3 chest compressions and 2 breaths or 2 chest compressions and 5 breaths”. I was rather amazed at his response. “It doesn’t really matter” he said, “just as long as you adopt some sort of pattern, massage the heart and breath air into their lungs”. “We just give people some numbers to remember and a pattern to follow so that in moments of crises these simple rules can be followed and perhaps a life can be saved”. The number of Habits, 7, and their catchphrase names are simply a means to aid memory and provide a common language for the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People philosophy. The number is not important; it’s the underlying principles of each Habit that count!

Moving on to the next part of the 7 Habits equation, “Habits”. The definition of Habit, within the framework of the 7 Habits, is covered early on in the 3-day 7 Habits workshop. Fig.1 shows a model where a Habit is defined as the intersection between knowledge, skill, and desire, i.e. the intersection of the “what to do”, the “how to do”, and the “want to do”1. This model is really a pivotal point in understanding the philosophy of the 7 Habits as it is the first time our mission (desire) is mentioned, and the main theme for the 7 Habits portrayed. Fig. 1.

A Habit

Knowledge

Desire

Skill

Habit

Continuing with the explanation of the 7 Habits formula, “Highly Effective People”. The key word in this phrase is “Effective”. Within the framework of the 7 Habits we define effectiveness in two parts: 1. getting what you want, and 2. getting what you want in a manner that allows you to get what you want again and again. The term “Highly” is used to describe people who are “Effective” on a consistent basis in all areas of their life So, the 7 Habits Of Highly Effective People equation can now be expanded to; a step-by -step approach which people who consistently achieve their goals follow. It’s as simple as that; nobody said it was easy however! At the centre of the 7 Habits philosophy Notice how the 7 Habits centres on achieving one’s mission, comprising wants, desires, goals; and moreover, achieving all these in a manner that allows you to continue to achieve them. It is this “effectiveness” function of the 7 Habits equation that truly binds them to natural laws. Simply to achieve ones goals could be done through methods that may be selfish and careless with people’s feelings; however to achieve goals in a manner which enables one to achieve them again, and again, on a consistent basis, requires those methods to be based on natural laws, because chances are we achieve those goals with the help and blessing of others 2. 1 The 7 Habits Of Highly Effective People Workbook Version 2.0 Pg 4 2 Principles of The 7 Habits - What are they? Jon Whitty 19/09/02 - UQ’s 7 Habits® Graduate Club

7 Habits® - The Philosophy Jon Whitty 20/11/02 UQ’s 7 Habits® Graduate Club Page 2 of 3

Within the framework of the 7 Habits “Effectiveness” is illustrated by Aesop’s fable The Goose and the Golden Egg3. The Golden Egg (P) represents our desired outcome, our goal, whereas The Goose (PC) represents our ability or capability to achieve them on a consistent basis. Remember the P/PC Balance® from Foundational Principles? A P/PC model of the 7 Habits Consider the Maturity Continuum® Fig. 2, and think deeply about the following P/PC journey through the 7 Habits. Bare in mind what has been said thus far, and take your time, the more you go through it, the deeper your understanding of the philosophy of the 7 Habits will be.

Dependence

Independence

Interdependence

PrivateVictory1 2

3

Public Victory

4

5 6

Be ProactiveBegin with

the End in Mind

Put First Things First

Think Win-Win

Seek First to Understand, Then to be Understood

Synergize

7 Sharpen the Saw

The Maturity Continuum

Fig. 2. Before I begin this P/PC journey I’ll tell you a little about our destination. After all, we should begin our journey with its end in mind! Our destination is the realisation that the 7 Habits philosophy is all about being principle centred and achieving Habit 2. It’s about you achieving your Habit 2 and me achieving my Habit 2 without detriment to you, me, our connections, or anyone else in the world. There’s simply plenty for all of us to go around. To begin the P/PC model of the 7 Habits, notice how Habit 7 is the PC (production capability) for Habits 1 to 6. Without maintaining and sustaining our physical and mental health, our sense of ourself and our relationship with ourself and others, we would simply not be “sharp” enough to practise and exercise the other 6 Habits. Next, notice how Habits 1,3,4,5,and 6 are the PC for Habit 2. Our personal mission statement (Habit 2) holds our goals, our desires. The underlying principle (remember this is the important part of each Habit) of Habit 1 enables us to exercise integrity in the moment of choice. That is, when something happens to us, we have the ability to respond to it, to stand apart from our social

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programming and consider natural laws, and to respond in a manner that takes us closer to our mission. The underlying principle of Habit 3 enables us to plan and prepare the groundwork for our mission4. The principles of 4, 5 and 6 enable us to discover the mission of others; and by helping others to achieve their “Wins” we necessarily lay the foundations for our own effectiveness. Continuing to explore the P/PC model of the 7 Habits, imagine clicking on Habit 2 and zooming in on its contents, the mission statement. Notice from your own mission statement that its primary focus is concerned with relationships, and recall that the PC for developing human relationships is the Emotional Bank Account metaphor. Moreover, in terms of the 7 Habits, the PC for the Emotional Bank Account is centred on the practise of principles founded on natural (building human relationship) laws, hence the term “Principle Centred”. Retuning to the Habit model in Fig. 1, notice how mission, Habit 2, can replace Desires; the underlying principles of each Habit replaces Knowledge; and your integrity to natural laws and your ability to practise them in the toughest moments replaces Skill. The philosophy made real If you’ve done work on your Habit 2, then you have already highlighted your “Desires”. You simply need to reconnect with the foundational and underlying principles of each of the Habits, and implement key practises that will enable you to achieve your mission. Here are some ways that the 7 Habits philosophies can be made real: Ø Use the “GAP” between stimulus and response

and choose a response that takes you closer to your mission. Learn to say “No” to that which does not take you closer (Habit 1)

Ø Continue to work on your mission statement, and keep a copy on you, hang it on the wall (Habit 2)

Ø Centre your weekly planning session on the six-step-process (Habit 3);

o Connect to mission (can’t do this without having done work on Habit 2)

o Review your roles o Identify a goal in that role (make sure

these are deposits and Win-Win) o Plan weekly (schedule your priorities,

don’t prioritise your schedule) o Exercise integrity in the moment of

choice (defend your planner, only you add and remove tasks and appointments)

o Evaluate (how do you feel about last week’s plan? Did you stick to it?)

Ø Promote competences higher than your own (Habit 4)

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Ø Treat everyone as though they are proactive, that they have a mission to achieve (Habit 4)

Ø Discover the “Win” of others (Habit 5) Ø Openly celebrate the differences and

uniqueness’s of others (Habit 6) Ø Look after your physical health (Habit 7)

o Be concerned about what you eat, and exercise in some way

Ø Look after your mental health (Habit 7) o Keep up-to-date on your field of

speciality o Keep up-to-date on current affairs

Ø Look after your spiritual wellbeing (Habit 7) o Relax and spend quality time with you o Devote time to the belief system that

helps and supports you and your mission

Ø Look after your relationship with yourself and others (Habit 7)

o Make full use of Habit 6 o Work on developing Win-Win

agreements o Develop your communication skills o Read personal development literature

In Conclusion As we conclude the journey through the 7 Habits using the P/PC metaphor I hope you have gained further insight into the philosophy of the 7 Habits. For me, the 7 Habits are focused on enabling you and I to achieve our mission, synergistically. To do this we need to centre our lives on natural laws, and basic principles of human interaction and not succumb to shallow social rules and vogue expectations. The 7 Habits is more than a 3-day touchy feely get connected with your own mission workshop. Living a life based on the underlying principles of the 7 Habits is tough and goes against the grain of the short cut, quick fix, crisis management approach to life we all too often are part of. The 7 Habits Of Highly Effective People is a philosophy centred on natural laws, on effectiveness (compass) then efficiency (clock), on people and not schedules, on release and not control. Final 2 Cents I truly believe that you must have done significant work on the Private Victories (Habits 1, 2, and 3), before you can truly understand and practise the Public Victories (Habits 4, 5, and 6). No one can just Think Win-Win after a 3-day workshop when they’ve spent a lifetime of Win-Lose or Lose-Win thinking. Consider living Habits 4, 5, and 6 in the business environment. This would require us to get out from behind our social badges, such as manager, supervisor, professor, or CEO, and celebrate the uniqueness of others; to realise that our combined

effort could bare fruit beyond all our expectations, and to not feel our position was threatened by that. To achieve Win-Win thinking takes great personal awareness and insight into ones own motive structure that only comes from work on Habits 1, 2 and 3. A Win-Win agreement is not about giving employees a free reign, then if they go a little too far you just tug them back into line again, Win-Lose style. Win-Win is about engaging and involving employees in the work, and treating them as you would your best customers; taking the time to discover their mission (Win) and communicate your Win too. All the time seeking to understand, and never forgetting to make sure you are understood; to develop and promote their strengths and compensate for their weaknesses, all the time teaching them the principles of Win-Win agreements. Perhaps it is now more apparent how the 7 Habits philosophy is a function of courage and compassion, and all the characteristic traits that it requires to achieve a balance between the two. The 7 Habits Of Highly Effective People is far more than a book written by Stephen Covey, far more than a 3-day workshop, Covey admits this himself. Covey is no messiah, no guru to be worshiped, he does not see himself as such and neither do I, or should you. In one of Covey’s videos used in the 3-day workshop he states, “The 7 Habits is simply commonsense organised” and I most certainly agree. There’s nothing new in the 7 Habits, it’s just age-old human wisdom, packaged in an easy to remember way. NOTES: