Stephen Covey on Effective Habits

Seven + One Habits at Work

Need for Success

No company can succeed until individuals within it succeed. No group can achieve its objectives until its people achieve theirs Private victories precede Public victories Dr. Stephen R. Covey, author of Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, First Things First and The 8th Habit

Habits Defined
Webster defines a habit as an often involuntary pattern of behavior acquired by frequent repetition.

Habit Knowledge

Knowledge is the what to do and why. Skill is the how to do. Desire is the motivation, the want to do.

Skill

Desire

A habit is the intersection of knowledge, skill and desire.

Ethics Personality and Character

Personality Ethic Character Ethic

Success is a function of personality, of public image, of attitudes and behaviors, skills and techniques, that lubricate the processes of human interaction.

Success depends on things like integrity, humility, fidelity, temperance, courage, justice, patience, industry, simplicity and modesty.

Although image, techniques and skills can influence your outward success, the weight of real effectiveness lies in good character

Paradigm Shift
You could say its half-full or its half-empty. Both are right its only the perception. In other words the way we see the problem is the problem problems, at times, could be opportunities
If you want small change, work on your behavior; if you want quantum-leap changes, work on your paradigms

The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People

1. Be Proactive

Private Victory

2. Begin with the End in Mind 3. Put First things First 4. Think Win/Win

5. Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood 6. Synergize 7. Sharpen the Saw

Public Victory

Renewal

Seven Habits Application

Seven Habit is a Principle-centered character-based inside-out approach to personal and inter-personal effectiveness

Habit 1: Be Proactive (Principle of Personal Vision)

Proactivity Defined: As human beings we are responsible for our own lives.
Stimulus Response

Reactive People Reactive people are driven by feelings, circumstances, conditions, the environment.

Proactive people are driven by carefully considered, selected and internalized values. Proactive People

Habit 1: Be Proactive (Principle of Personal Vision)

Proactive Focus Circle of Concern Reactive Focus

Circle of Influence Where do you focus your time and energy? Proactive people focus their efforts in the Circle of Influence. Reactive people focus their efforts in the Circle of Concern.

Habit 2: Begin with an end in Mind (Principle of Personal Leadership)

Mental Creation Physical Creation

Most endeavors that fail, fail with the first creation. Leadership is the first creation and Management is the second creation. Management is doing things right but Leadership is doing the right things.
Peak Performers: They win because they visualize their victory

Habit 2: Begin with an end in Mind (Principle of Personal Leadership)

Mission Statement: The most effective way to begin with the end in mind is to develop a personal mission statement.

Note: Even Organizations can have mission statements

Habit 3: Put First Things First (Principles of Personal Management)

Importance Vs. Urgency Effective Management is putting first things first Urgent Matters are usually visible Important Matters contribute to our mission

P1s

Effective People stay out of III & IV

Habit 3: Put First Things First

(Principles of Personal Management)

WATER

SAND

Habit 4: Think Win-Win (Principles of Interpersonal Leadership)

Think Win-Win is a frame of mind that seeks mutual benefit in all human interactions Win-Win Is A courageous effort The best way to get to interdependent relationships A philosophy of human interaction supported by an Abundance Mentality A character-based code for interactions Win-Win Is Not Always being nice Always achievable A manipulative effort

A personality-based thought pattern

Habit 4: Think Win-Win (Principles of Interpersonal Leadership)

Four Dimensions of Win-Win Character Integrity, Maturity and Abundance Mentality Relationship courtesy and respect for others Agreement desired results and consequences Systems and Processes align with the mission statement and the route to win-win

Habit 5: Seek First to Understand, then to be Understood (Principles of Empathic Communications)

To interact effectively and to influence, you need to understand first Diagnosis must precede prescriptions Effective people focus first on listening to understand and not on listening to reply. Effective people listen with empathy unlike defective people who have no genuine desire or interest in anyone else but himself/herself. In order to Win-Win, you need to first understand The one who listens does the most work, not the one who speaks
38% 55%

7%

Non-verbal Sounds (How we say) Words we use

Habit 5: Seek First to Understand, then to be Understood (Principles of Empathic Communications)

Empathic Listening Skills Repeat verbatim just words not feelings Rephrase content summarize meaning in your own words Reflect feelings capture feelings in your own words Rephrase content and reflect feelings express both in your own words Discern when empathy is not necessary or appropriate

The key to listening is with the eyes and the heart

Habit 6: Synergize (Principles of Creative Communication)

Problem or Opportunity Synergize

Synergy (Third Alternative)

Synergy the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Synergy takes place when two or more people produce more together than the sum of what they could have produced separately. With Win-Win, you get 2, with Synergy you get, more than 1, or 2, say 11 Valuing the differences is the essence of Synergy

Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw (Principles of Balanced Self-Renewal)

This is a daily process of renewing four dimensions of our nature A Private Victory and is a victory over self Quadrant II activity and hence a must
Physical Exercise Mental Reading Spiritual Core Values and Mission Statement Social Relationship with others

Eighth Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness

The world, though, is a vastly changed place. Being effective as individuals and organizations is no longer merely an option survival in today's world requires it For todays knowledge worker era, we need additional habit for personal effectiveness We need to reach beyond Effectiveness towards Fulfillment, Contribution and Greatness We need to find our inner-voice and inspire others to find theirs (In other words, finding inner-voice is identifying the strengths, talents of the individual and work on it) People who have found their voice require no management

Eighth Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness

4 Tenets that form your voice Vision (what are you good at?) Passion (what do you love to do?) Conscience (what is life asking of me?) Discipline (what need does it serve?)

Habit & Its Application

Habit 1 Be Proactive Habit 2 Begin with an End in Mind Habit 3 First Things First Habit 4 Think Win-Win Habit 5 Seek First to Understand, then to be Understood
Team potentially needing platform help; Informatica Support Model Consolidated Platform Support Building the Team is first important before delivering support Shared Resources between Teams; Leveraging App Team for Offshore Support Training Support Understand their support needs and then tell the need for an SLA Reaching out to additional vendors Training, Certifications Tactical to Strategical Extending beyond Supporting to Consulting, Driving EA Engagement, 9i, 2003, Upgrade

Habit 6 Synergize Habit 7 Sharpen the Saw From Effectiveness to Habit 8 Greatness

Final words

The enemy of the best is often the good. Stephen R. Covey

We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit Aristotle