7 Habits by Stephen R. Covey

Stephen R. Covey book is titled “The 7 habits of highly effective people” helps to develop individuals’ personality in relation with others. The author takes us on the journey thru becoming proactive. Than we learn to realize where are we going with our life. The next step is to set priorities in our life. What things are important and what things can wait. We also learn how to achieve compromise that is satisfactory to all parties involved in daily activities. The author teaches us how to practice empathetic communications and the importance of the team work.
Once all of that is achieved we are reminded to renew ourselves thru elements of nature. The first habit is “Be Proactive”. It says to take control over your own future, and that every one of us is in control of their own future. The proactive people do not blame others for their misfortune. The first step to become proactive is to take initiative and to act or be act upon. When I was working in a plant, and wanted to advance to a supervisor’s, I took initiative. I have studied the blueprints; observed and learned from others, and then I became an assistant, and then a supervisor.
There were several other employees that started their careers at the same time as I did, however, they did not take the initiative. When I was leaving the field they were still working at the same level when they have began. Listening to our language is another very important aspect of becoming proactive. My favorite phrase is Stephen R. Covey had mention in his book is – “Let’s look at our alternatives”. Many people like to say “There is nothing I can do”. Another very important aspect of becoming proactive is to look where we focus our energy.

In his book, Covey refers to two circles: circle of concern and circle of influence. Proactive people focus on the circle of influence. This circle includes things one can do something about like, health, family or work related problems. Reactive people, on the other hand, focus their energy on the things that they have no control of, like terrorism; weather etc. “Gaining an awareness of the areas in which we expand our energies in is a giant step in becoming proactive”. (As cited in Stephenconvey. com, 2009 p. 1). Begin with the end in mind” is the second habit. Every creation, design or invention is first created on the paper before it is actually build. My next project is to build a shed. Before I will invest time and money on generating the material, first I will have to make a plan of that building. Once I will accomplish that I can began to build. According to the author we should always know where we are going with our lives. “To begin with the end in mind means to start with a clear understanding of your destination.
It means to know where you’re going so that you better understand where your are now and so the steps you take are always in the right direction” (Covey, 1989 p. 98). The best way to get there is by creating Personal Mission Statement. That statement concentrates on where you want to be, and how to get there (Covey, 1989). In the first habit you are a creator. In the second habit you have a vision and in the third habit you put all those things into a prospective. The third habit is called “Put first things first”. This habit helps us manage our lives. There are four quadrants to our time management.
Based on those quadrants, it is more convenient to schedule future tasks. Daily or weekly plan can be made to focus on the priorities. That plan is never solid; it will most likely change as the daily tasks progress. It is really important to manage priorities based on those quadrants (Covey, 1989). The fourth habit called “Think Win/Win” moves us into interdependence phase. Our relationships with others depend on our mentality of thinking. Many people would like to receive the promotion or save their marriage but, they were not able to properly interact with others.
There are six paradigms of human interaction (Covey, 1989). The fifth habit is to seek to understand, and then be understood. That means that the listener should not just hear the other person, but try to empathize with him. Most of the people can hear what others have to say; however they don’t listen to others, the message that other person is trying to relate goes by them (Covey, 1989). The sixth habit is to synergize. The author is relating to work in the teams. He states that the all team members are worth more that each of them separately put together. The group depends on each other.
The differences between the people make the group stronger because of their differences. Every individual has a different prospective (Covey, 1989). The last of seven habits is to sharpen the saw. Most people tend to forget themselves and tend to stay in one place. Many of the people tend to focus on the activities that are not relevant to their goals or values. Every person should continue to grow using the four elements of nature. That involves staying fit in physical condition. That can be achieved by proper nutrition and daily exercises. Mental fit refers to reading and writing.
Social element of nature refers to servicing to others. The last element is to stay spiritually fit by studying and meditation (Covey, 1989). In conclusion, the seven habits written by Stephen R. Covey, teach us how to become internally focused. They are the simple set of rules for successful life. That refers to both personal and private life. We go thru seven changes that will make ourselves more aware of the world and people that surround us. References Covey, Stephen R. (1989). The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster.