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THE 7 HABITS OF HIGHLY
EFFECTIVE PEOPLE AUTHOR: STEPHEN COVEY
THIS POWER SUMMARY WAS CREATED BY DAVID RIKLAN
Original Publication Date: 1989
Updated and Revised: 2013
This book has sold over 20 million copies worldwide and was named the #1 Most
Influential Business Book of the Twentieth Century.
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Summary
In “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People”, Covey lays out seven proven principles
for success. He teaches that you are what you habitually do, so you should adopt
productive habits. This book has sold over 20 million copies worldwide and was
named the #1 Most Influential Business Book of the Twentieth Century.
Key Takeaways
What exactly are the 7 habits?
1) Be Proactive
“Taking initiative does not mean being pushy, obnoxious, or aggressive. It does mean
recognizing our responsibility to make things happen.”
You are responsible for your life and every decision you make. Your choices alone
determine the path you follow, so take initiative and steer the things you can control
in the direction you want them to go.
2) Begin with the End in Mind
“(This habit)…is based on imagination—the ability to envision, to see the potential, to
create with our minds what we cannot at present see with our eyes...”
Determine your ultimate goal. You must visualize what you want before you can
create it. "The End" is really the goal of your goals.
3) Put First Things First
“Create a clear, mutual understanding of what needs to be accomplished, focusing on
what, not how; results not methods. Spend time. Be patient. Visualize the desired
result.”
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Focus on your top priorities. "Top" doesn’t always mean "urgent." For example, when
the phone rings, picking it up might seem urgent, but the caller is not always
important. The energy you expend should drive you toward the goal you established
in step 2.
4) Think Win-Win
“Win-Win is a frame of mind that constantly seeks mutual benefit in all human
interactions. Win-Win means that agreements or solutions are mutually beneficial
and satisfying.”
A "win" for everyone involved is better than a one-sided win or a lose-lose situation.
Aiming for an outcome in which everyone is content with the results creates an
environment where people work together rather than against one another.
5) Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood
“‘Seek First to Understand’ involves a very deep shift in paradigm. We typically seek
first to be understood. Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they
listen with the intent to reply. They’re either speaking or preparing to speak. They’re
filtering everything through their own paradigms, reading their autobiography into
other people’s lives.”
Communication is a two-way street. To develop win/win relationships, find out what
the other parties want and what winning means to them. Trying to get your point
across right off the bat usually means you are not really listening to what the other
person has to say.
6) Synergize
“Synergy works; it’s a correct principle. It is the crowning achievement of all the
previous habits. It is effectiveness in an interdependent reality—it is teamwork, team
building, the development of unity and creativity with other human beings.”
Cooperation multiplies the power of one and lets people achieve things that may not
be able to accomplish alone. Everyone has something unique to contribute, and the
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sharing of different opinions and ideas can inspire everyone to think about things in a
new light to allow for amazing results.
7 ) Sharpen the Saw
“This is the habit of renewal...It circles and embodies all the other habits. It is the
habit of continuous improvement...that lifts you to new levels of understanding and
living each of the habits.”
There’s an old story about a man sawing a log. The work is going slowly and the man
is exhausted. The more he saws, the less he cuts. A passerby watches for a while and
suggests that the man take a break to sharpen the saw, but the man says he can’t
stop to sharpen the saw because he is too busy sawing! A dull saw makes the work
tiresome, tedious and unproductive. Highly effective people take the time they need
to sharpen their tools: their bodies, souls, mind and hearts.
Action Steps
1) Get started with your journey today by being proactive. It’s time to take action and
begin doing instead of saying.
2) Begin with the end in mind by identifying your top 5 goals.
3) Prioritize your top 5 goals.
4) Do first things first by beginning to working on goal # 1 while keeping all 7 of the
Stephen Covey’s Habits in mind.
Thought Provoking Questions
1) What does it mean to be proactive? What qualities are needed to be proactive?
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2) Have you established a mission statement?
3) What is an example from your own experience where you achieved (or not) a
win/win situation?
4) How is Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood relevant to your life?
5) What does synergy mean and how does it apply to personal effectiveness?
6) What are you currently doing to sharpen your saw? What one thing do you need
to do that you aren’t currently doing?
Quotes and Excerpts
"Each of us tends to think we see things as they are, that we are objective. But this is
not the case. We see the world, not as it is, but as we are—or as we are conditioned
to see it."
"Effective people are not problem-minded; they’re opportunity minded. They feed
opportunities and starve problems."
"Without involvement, there is no commitment. Mark it down, asterisk it, circle it,
underline it. No involvement, no commitment."
Biography
Dr. Stephen R. Covey was the co-founder and vice-chairman of FranklinCovey
Company, a leading global professional services firm. He was respected
internationally as an author, lecturer, teacher, and leadership mentor. His New York
Times best-selling book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, has sold more than
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13 million copies in 36 languages, and the audio book on tape has sold over 1.5
million copies.
Dr. Covey earned his B.S. degree from the University of Utah, his M.B.A. from Harvard
University, and his doctorate degree from Brigham Young University. He served as an
administrative assistant to the president of B.Y.U. and a visiting professor at the
University of Utah and Belfast Technical College. He was also an officer and board
member of several corporations.
Dr. Covey taught principle-centered living and is the founder of Covey Leadership
Center. In 1997, a merger with Franklin Quest created the new FranklinCovey
Company with over 3,000 employees and $350 million in annual revenue.
FranklinCovey offers learning and performance solutions to assist professionals in
increasing their effectiveness in productivity, leadership, communications and sales.
Dr. Covey passed away on July 16, 2012.
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