The Eight habits of highly effective people

Based on the work of Stephen Covey:

The seven habits of highly effective people

The 8th habit

The presentation at a glance

Important to be effective; effectiveness can be learnt Focus on developing character, not personality. Habits shape us, so adopt productive habits. Build trust in relationships. Balance the different roles. Allot time to attend fairly to the various responsibilities

and relationships. Think positive and show empathy Rejuvenate yourself

The Eight Habits of highly effective people.

1. They take initiative. (“Be Proactive”)2. They focus on goals. (“Begin with the End in Mind”)3. They set priorities. (“Put First Things First”)4. They only win when others win. (“Think Win/Win”)5. They communicate. (“Seek First to Understand, Then to

Be Understood”)6. They cooperate. (“Synergize”)7. They reflect on and repair their deficiencies. (“Sharpen

the Saw”)8. They find their voice and help others find theirs.

Character vs Personality

Much of the business success literature of recent decades has focused on developing a good personality.

Developing a sound character is more important. Character lays the basic foundation. Personality can emerge naturally when character is

rooted in and formed by principles. Forceful display of a personality that is inconsistent with

our character is like wearing a mask. It is deceptive, manipulative and ultimately destructive.

Basic Principles

Certain basic principles and values make people more effective.

They are fairness, equity, integrity, honesty, human dignity and worth, excellence, a spirit of service, patience, perseverance, caring, courage, encouragement and positive thinking.

The person whose character grows from these classic principles is a true leader who can inspire and help others.

Character is habit.

Habit 1: “Be Proactive”

Highly effective people take the initiative. They are proactive.

They do not impose limits on themselves that prevent them from acting.

They recognize that they have the freedom to determine the kind of character they will have.

They may not be able to control their circumstances, but they can decide how to make the best use of those circumstances.

Habit 2: “Begin with the End in Mind”

Effectiveness is not just a matter of reaching a goal but rather of achieving the right goal.

Imagine ourselves sitting in the back of the room at our funeral. Imagine what people could honestly say about us based on the way we are now.

Do we like what we hear? Is that how we want to be remembered?

If not, we must change it. We must take hold of our life.

We can begin by drafting a personal mission statement that outlines our goals and describes the kind of person we want to be.

Habit 3: “Put First Things First”

We should never let our most important priorities fall victim to the least important.

We spend our time reacting to urgent circumstances and emergencies, and never invest the necessary effort to develop the ability to prevent emergencies in the first place.

We confuse the important with the urgent. The urgent is easy to see. The important is harder to discern.

We must spend more time on planning, avoiding pitfalls, developing relationships, cultivating opportunities and recharging ourselves.

We must focus on “important but not urgent” activities.

Habit 4: “Think Win/Win”

Highly effective people strive for win/win transactions. They try to ensure that all the parties are better off in

the end. They know that any other kind of transaction is

destructive, because it produces losers and, therefore, enemies and bad feelings, such as animosity, defeat and hostility.

A Win-Win mindset can help us multiply our allies.

Habit 5: “Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood”

To develop win/win relationships, we must find out what the other parties want, and what winning means to them.

We must always try to understand what the other people want and need before we begin to outline our own objectives.

We must not object, argue or oppose what we hear. We must listen carefully, and think about it. We must try to put ourselves in the other party’s

shoes.

Habit 6: “Synergize”

Effective synergy depends on communication. We often don’t listen, reflect and respond but, instead,

we hear and react reflexively. Our reactions may be defensive, authoritarian or

passive. We may oppose or go along — but we do not actively

cooperate. Cooperation and communication are the two legs of a

synergistic relationship.

Habit 7: “Sharpen the Saw”

We must take care of our bodies with a program of exercise that combines endurance, flexibility and strength.

We must nourish our souls with prayer, meditation, or perhaps by reading great literature or listening to great music.

Mental repair may mean changing bad habits, such as the habit of watching television.

We must work to develop our heart, our emotional connections and our engagement with other people.

Habit 8 : “Finding your voice and helping others find theirs.”

“Voice” is the unique personal significance each of us offers, and can bring to bear at work.

The 8th habit is all about moving from effectiveness to greatness

Finding our unique voice means fulfilling our innate potential. Finding our voice, involves the four elements of a whole

person: mind, body, heart and spirit. Mind = Vision

When the mind is fully developed we gain vision, the ability to discern the highest potential in people, institutions, causes and enterprises.

Body = Discipline We need discipline to transform vision into reality. Discipline

comes by combining vision and commitment. Heart = Passion

When we develop a wise heart we will feel the passionate fire of conviction, the flame that sustains the discipline needed to achieve the vision.

Passion flows from finding and using our unique voice to accomplish great things.

Spirit = Conscience Developing our mental identity will lead us toward knowing the

right fork in the road, toward an inward moral compass that will guide us.