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Being effective is learning to do 'thatwhich produces the desired result'. Ifyou want to be extremely successful inbusiness or very happy in life or achievesome large goal, then being effective isdoing the things that will bring about the
results you are after.
Perhaps the best overall prescription for
becoming effective is contained inStephen Covey's bestselling boo! The 7
Habits of Highly Effective People. "isbestselling boo!, published by Simon #Schuster, provides a useful, se$uentialframewor! for understanding muchabout the process of Personal%evelopment.
Covey does not claim to have inventedthe & habits, but rather to have
discovered them and to have found asimple language for articulating them. Infact, he says that these basic principlesof effectiveness may be found in allworld religions and it can be noted thatmany highly successful people seem tohave naturally developed these habits.
%iscover (our )ni$ue Calling or *ocation
Stay +nrac! to -chieve (our ission
/ateral hin!ing for +vercoming +bstacles
0etting from heory to a!ing it "appen
Professional ips # 1xercises
Identify (our ost Important -ctivities
Complete System to Optimize Time &Ensure You Achieve Your Goals
Clic! "ere for Immediate %ownload
"abit 2 Be ProactiveBe Proactive Begin 3ith he 1nd in ind Put 4irst hings 4irst hin! 3in3in
See! 4irst o )nderstand Synergi5e Sharpen he Saw he 6th "abit
he first of the 7 Habits is BeProactive. It is perhaps a great compliment toStephen Coveythat today, the substance of this first habit is deeply embeddedinto the management psyche. 3e are told, in business, that we should be
proactive and broadly what is meant by that is to focus our efforts and attentionon the longterm and to thin! in terms of the longterm conse$uences of our
actions.
Covey contrasts being proactive or having a proactive mentality with beingreactive. 7eactive people, he says, are those who are resigned to the truth thatwhatever they do in the present can have no effect on their circumstances. -ndinterestingly, for reactive people, it really is a truth, for whatever we believe inour heartaffects our thoughts, words and actions. If we really believe that we cando nothing about our unreasonable boss or the daily events in our lives, then wesimply do not ma!e the effort.
Proactive people, on the other hand, simply will not accept that there is nothingthat can be done about the unreasonable boss or the events of daily life they
will point out that there are always choices. It is by the decisions we ma!e, ourresponses to people, events and circumstances that proactive people can and do
affect the future. 3e may have no control over what life throws at us but wealways have a choice about how we are to respond.
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8ow this notion that having a particular attitude of mind 9which is really wherethis habit begins: can ma!e such a huge and positive difference to almosteverything we experience in life is foreign to those who have already internalisedthe opposite habit as a part of their personalities. 4or some people, the glass isalways halfempty and the feeling of melancholy is a pleasant reminder thatsomething is indeed missing. 4or such people, this habit represents a bitter pill to
swallow but, says Covey, it is also completely liberating.
3hen we are finally prepared to accept full responsibility for the effects that are
manifest in our lives when we have the strength of character to admit it when wema!e mista!es 9even big ones: when we are completely free to exercise the
options available to us in every situation then it can be said that we have finallyinternalised this habit. he other six of the habitsre$uire that we first wor! onour basic character bybecoming proactiveand thereby transforming ourselvesinto men and women of integrity.
"abit ; Begin with the 1nd in ind
Be Proactive Begin 3ith he 1nd in ind Put 4irst hings 4irst hin! 3in3inSee! 4irst o )nderstand Synergi5e Sharpen he Saw he 6th "abit
he second of the habitsis Begin with the End in Mind. any people in the westidentify with the frustration of success. Being successful at their chosen career
and committed to its progress they come to realise that it does not, in the finalanalysis, bring any sense of real satisfaction. he reason for this ultimate
dissatisfaction is that they did not begin with the end in mind. 4or many people, itis not
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Be Proactive Begin 3ith he 1nd in ind Put 4irst hings 4irst hin! 3in3inSee! 4irst o )nderstand Synergi5e Sharpen he Saw he 6th "abit
he third habit is !irst Thing !irst. 4ollowing the ama5ing popularity of his wor!on The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Coveypublished a secondboo! that deals with the & "abits and the title of that boo! is also !irst Things
!irst. Both the boo! and this habit deal with sub has no power because you simply cannot separate what isimportant from what is not important.
his representation shows four categories of demand which may be made on yourtime. ?uadrant 2 consists of activities which are both urgentand important in
other words, things to which you absolutely must attend. 3hy must you do thesethings= Because they are important meaning that they contribute to yourmission and they are urgent meaning that they have some sort of deadline
associated with them.
Choices about where to invest your time really are made in the other categoriesand most people driven by the concept of urgency get drawn into ?uadrant >doing things that consume their time but do not contribute to their goals. HighlyEffective People9yes they all fit together you see: understand that the highleverage activities are all ?uadrant ; importantbut not urgent. Planning,preparation, prevention, relationshipbuilding, reading, improving yourprofessional !nowledge and exercise are all examples of ?uadrant ; activity not
an exhaustive list, by any means.
3e all intuitively !now that ?uadrant ;activities are the !ey to getting results
but you need to have internalised the first two habits before you can benefit fromthe high leverage this habit brings. In other words, you first need to havedeveloped the strength of character 9proactivity: which allows you to be able tosay noto demands on your time that fall into ?uadrants ; and > and you alsoneed to have defined what importancemeans for you otherwise the ?uadrantsdo not exist.
Put habits 2,; and > together and you have the ultimate success formula. Statedsimply get your mind right define what is important then organise your life to
maximise your ?uadrant ;efforts. By spending appropriate time on ?uadrant ;activities, you will gain control over the circumstances of your life ?uadrant 2 will
actually get smaller because you will have anticipated and prepared for much?uadrant 2 activity. Concentrating on ?uadrant ; is absolutely fundamental toachieving success. (ou might li!e to ta!e a loo! at the@tm Spreadsheet,availablefrom this site, which can help you to ma!e this !ey ad
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"abit @ hin! 3in 3in
Be Proactive Begin 3ith he 1nd in ind Put 4irst hings 4irst hin! 3in3in
See! 4irst o )nderstand Synergi5e Sharpen he Saw he 6th "abit
he next of the 7 Habitsis Thin" #in$#in. his habit is again an attitude of
mind. It concerns fostering an attitude that is committed to always findingsolutionsthat will truly benefit both sides of a dispute. Solutions do not, of
course, exist in themselves they must be created. -nd, even if we cannot seethe solution to a particular problem, it does not mean that no such solutionexists. he winwin idea is not based upon compromise that is where mostdisputes naturally end. But compromise is the result of not properly perceivingthe possible synergy of the situation.
he more you practice this habit, the more committed you will become as you
find solutions which truly do benefit both parties, where originally it loo!ed as if
no such agreement might be reached. Covey has amended the wording of thishabit slightly in recent years to readA hin" #in$#in or %o Deal. his attitudewor!s well because it liberates the individuals concerned from the effort of trying
to persuade the opposite party to shift ground or compromise. he effort isinstead spend on trying to understand, which is where habit comes in you see,they are also se$uential.
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"abit See! 4irst to )nderstandthen be )nderstood
Be Proactive Begin 3ith he 1nd in ind Put 4irst hings 4irst hin! 3in3inSee! 4irst o )nderstand Synergi5e Sharpen he Saw he 6th "abit
he fifth habit is &ee" !irst to 'nderstand. 3hat most people do, naturally,when involved in some type of discussion, meeting or dialogue is exactly the
reverse they see! first to be understood. -nd, as Stephen Coveysays, whenboth parties are trying to be understood, neither party is really listening he calls
such an interaction, 'the dialogue of the deaf'. his habit is an important !ey tointerpersonal relationships and it seems to be almost magical in its ability totransform the course of discussions. 3hy= Because by ma!ing the investment oftimeand effort re$uired to understand the other party, the dynamics of theinterchange are subtly affected.
his habit is not
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favourite techni$ues are those proposed by 1dward %eBono professor ofthin!ing and perhaps most famous for )ateral Thin"ing.
Putting habit @, and D together, you have a perfect model for humaninteraction. Put simplyA first be mentally committed to the idea that a solutionthat will benefit all parties may be constructed next invest the necessary timeand effort to really understand the other party and do that first finally creatively
brainstorm a synergistic solution a natural product of mutual understanding andrespect.
"abit & Sharpen the Saw
Be Proactive Begin 3ith he 1nd in ind Put 4irst hings 4irst hin! 3in3inSee! 4irst o )nderstand Synergi5e Sharpen he Saw he 6th "abit
he last habit of the 7 Habitsis &harpen the &aw. In this habit, youare thesaw and to &harpen the &aw is to become better, !eener and more effective.Highly Effective Peoplealways ta!e time to Sharpen the Saw. 3hat is meant by&harpening the &awis to regularly engage in the exercise of the three dimensionswhich ma!e up the human conditionA body, mind and spirit. Covey also adds afourth dimension the interpersonal.
Spiritual Exercise
/et us begin by considering Spiritual 1xercise this is the area which is perhaps
the most misunderstood. I believe that, in the west, we have become spirituallyblind. he progress of our science, education and technology has lead us toconstruct a view of the world and the universe that excludes the agency of 0od.4reud famously said that it was man that made 0od 'in the image of his father'. Itis, of course, a very clever statement and not one I wish to here challenge whether this statement or the reverse is true is for you to decide. "owever, as the
west has, by and large, abandoned faith in the creator 0od, so it hassimultaneously abandoned the idea that life has any meaning or purpose and it
ispurposeand direction in lifethat this habit refers to as Spiritual 1xercise. +fcourse, if you are a religious person, then there will be a tieup here with yourpersonal faith however, if you are not religious, don't also abandon the idea thatlife holds a special purpose for you.
o exercise spiritually, I recommend that you consider engaging in some form ofmeditation. editation involves regularly sitting in a relaxed position and thin!ing
about nothing for a period of about 2E or 2 minutes. 3hy this practice shouldbring about any material benefits is an interesting $uestion. (ou might consider
that you relax your mind $uite enough when you sleep, but it turns out that wedon't really relax our minds when we sleep. he brain is active during sleep
during 71 sleep, the brain appears to be processing information. hough it isnot yet !nown exactly what it is doing, the brain is certainly not passive and sothe mind is not relaxed during sleep. editation is the practice of disciplining themind, It is difficult to do at first, but if you stic! with it, positive health benefitswill follow.
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a!ing use of Fac! Blac!'s House on the *ight Ban"is an excellent tool forcombining what is really guided meditation with the practice of regularlyreviewing your mission, your roles and your goals and that is what StephenCoveymeans when he tal!s about spiritual exercise the regular, review andpreview of the things that are most important to you in life. hese are thefirstthingsthat you must define in habit ; Begin with the End in Mind.
Physical Exercise
7egular aerobic, physical exercise is essential for health, energy and a feeling ofwellbeing. 8aturally, you should always consult your doctor or physician beforeyou embar! upon any course of physical exercise and it should be obvious thatsuch professional advice as may be given, should always be ta!en into account.
o practice this part of "abit & re$uires that you commit to at least three sessionsof at least twenty minutes per wee!. If you are not already engaged in this sort of
exercise, you will find that after a period of about six wee!s, you will feel much
better, much healthier and indeed your body will become more efficient atprocessing oxygen which is the !ey to energy.
Mental Exercise
-s! yourself these $uestions. 3hat am I doing to sharpen my mind= -m Iengaged in a programme of education or learning of some !ind= 3hat am I doing
to improve my professional !nowledge=
"ow you should go about this part of the habit is, of course, for you to decide,but you should ensure that you are reading regularly. 3hat should you read=8aturally you want to put in the good stuff so it's not a case of reading for itsown sa!e it is reading carefully selected material which allows you to broadenand deepen your understanding.
(ou will naturally be paying particular attention to the important areas youdefined in habit ;, but you should also consider reading all the great wor!s of
literature and also ancient wisdom literature which includes boo!s li!e The Psalmsand Proverbs..
Interpersonal
his part is not really a discipline, as are the other three parts, it is really a
commitment and for me, I ma!e the commitment during the spiritual part of thehabit, that is, during a meditation. It is simply to commit to approaching inter
personal relationships by ma!ing use of habits @, and D.
1ven if people approach me ma!ing use of language, actions, or behaviour whichI personally believe to be inappropriate, my commitment is to not react, but touse myproactivecapacity to engage in the exercise of habits @, and D which Ibelieve will lead to the best possible outcome in such circumstances
oo!s "elate# to This Su$%ect
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he %eepest %esire of (our "eart by 3ill 1dwards
2; "abits that Prevent (ou %eveloping by Pete 0rand
The th 'a$it
Some time ago, someone commented tome that I ought to write a boo! calledThe +th Habit. hat person was basicallysaying to me that the 7 Habits of HighlyEffective Peopleboo! by Stephen Coveywas not complete because he did notreally address the matter of how you goabout developing a habit.
-t the time, my response was that the &"abits framewor! was a complete
paradigm and so I thought the idea was
a nonstarter. hen what do you !now along comes Stephen Coveywith hislatest boo!, which is entitled The +thHabit.
So, if the & "abits framewor! is indeed
complete, why do we need an 6th habit=3ell it turns outthat the 6th habit is not
another habit that was missed out of the& habits boo!A the & habits of "ighly1ffective People was all abouteffectiveness.The +th Habitis about
moving from being e((ectiveto being)reat.
%iscover (our )ni$ue Calling or *ocation
Stay +nrac! to -chieve (our ission
/ateral hin!ing for +vercoming +bstacles
0etting from heory to a!ing it "appen
Professional ips # 1xercises
Identify (our ost Important -ctivities
Complete System to Optimize Time &Ensure You Achieve Your Goals
Clic! "ere for Immediate %ownload
*in# Your +oice& Inspire Others to *in# Theirs
he 6th habits isA !ind your ,oice - nspire /thers to find Theirs. he essence ofthis habit is that you will find your voice when you can say that you are 2EEGinvolved in what you are doing with your life. By 2EEG involvement, what ismeant is that your body, mind, heart and spirit are all engaged in the adventure
whatever that is for you.
he idea is very simple. 3hatever you are doing right now with your life, as!
yourself these $uestions. Is it serving my body, mind heart and spirit= In otherwords, is it serving your bodily needsA does it allow you to ma!e a good livingdoes it morethan pay the bills does it feed and clothe you and your family andprovide you with a lovely home=
Secondly, is it serving your need for mental stimulationA do you find it trulystimulating, engaging and challenging= hirdly, is it serving your emotional
needsA do you
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Covey says that the reality in business today is that there are very many peoplewho have not found their voices or perhaps they have lost their voices. he resultof this cane be seen everywhere. People may go to wor!
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