SUMMARY OF THE SEVEN HABITS

Post date: Dec 29, 2009 9:31:53 PM

Habit 1: Be Proactive

Change starts from within, and highly effective people make the

decision to improve their lives through the things that they can

influence rather than by simply reacting to external forces.

Habit 2: Begin with the End in Mind

Develop a principle-centered personal mission statement. Extend the

mission statement into long-term goals based on personal principles.

Habit 3: Put First Things First

Spend time doing what fits into your personal mission, observing the

proper balance between production and building production capacity.

Identify the key roles that you take on in life, and make time for

each of them.

Habit 4: Think Win/Win

Seek agreements and relationships that are mutually beneficial. In

cases where a "win/win" deal cannot be achieved, accept the fact that

agreeing to make "no deal" may be the best alternative. In developing

an organizational culture, be sure to reward win/win behavior among

employees and avoid inadvertantly rewarding win/lose behavior.

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

First seek to understand the other person, and only then try to be

understood. Stephen Covey presents this habit as the most important

principle of interpersonal relations. Effective listening is not

simply echoing what the other person has said through the lens of

one's own experience. Rather, it is putting oneself in the perspective

of the other person, listening emphatically for both feeling and

meaning.

Habit G: Synergize

Through trustful communication, find ways to leverage individual

differences to create a whole that is greater than the sum of the

parts. Through mutual trust and understanding, one often can solve

conflicts and find a better solution than would have been obtained

through either person's own solution.

Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw

Take time out from production to build production capacity through

personal renewal of the physical, mental, social/emotional, and

spiritual dimensions. Maintain a balance among these dimensions.