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Student Work |
Bill
First Year Experience
Professor Walkup
April 22, 2003
Stephen R. Covey
The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People:
Restoring the character ethic.
New York: Simon & Schuster, 1989.
358pp. $25.00
0 671 66398 4
In my
brief research on Dr. Stephen Covey I found over 11,000 references to him
on one Internet search alone. One
source stated over six million copies have been sold in over 32 languages.
Dr. Covey has international respect as an author, lecturer,
teacher, and leadership mentor. He has written several books and has developed leadership and
training programs. Many top
Fortune 500 companies have used his material to train their people.
Dr. Covey has a doctorate degree from Brigham Young University, a
MBA from Harvard University, and BS from the University of Utah.
He has won many awards and numerous achievements are to his credit. He is married and has nine children.
With
a list of qualifications and achievements like Dr. Coveys’ you would
have to think that there must be something to his beliefs. He believes
that we need to center our lives on correct principles and create a
balanced focus. These principles, if applied, can bring about dramatic
change in one’s life as evidenced by the numerous testimonies that are
located in the beginning of his book.
It is a very detailed book and it requires the readers to search
themselves, to think critically, and learn to apply the principles that
Dr. Covey presents. Dr. Covey
says that you should teach these principles within twenty-four hours of
learning them. He believes
that if you learn something well enough to teach it, you will not soon
forget it. Further, he
advises you to work on the different sections in the book one at a time
instead of reading the book all the way through.
All of us have habits, some good and some not
so good. The seven habits
that Dr. Covey refers to in his book are:
-
Habit 1 - Be proactive
-
Habit 2 - Begin with the end in mind
-
Habit 3 - Put first things first
-
Habit 4 Think win/win
-
Habit 5 - Seek first to understand, then be understood
-
Habit 6 – Synergize
-
Habit 7 - Sharpen the saw
Be Proactive. I have heard this expression used in
the business world many times. Simply put we must take charge of our
actions. Instead of blaming others or situations for our problems we
accept responsibility and make changes from within. An example given was
that of Joseph in the Bible who after being sold into slavery by his
brothers became Pharaoh’s right hand man. In business when times are
slow instead of complaining you need to devise methods to make the phone
ring.
Begin with the end in mind. When I start a project I
use this principle. It is not always about how hard we work or how much
effort that is exerted, it is about going in the right direction to begin
with. Dr. Covey explains, we may climb the ladder of success and reach the
top rung only to find the ladder is leaning against the wrong wall.
First things first. This is the chapter about the
famous time management matrix. Dr. Covey says that there are four areas we
spend our time in: urgent, not urgent, important, not important. At the
beginning of this semester we discussed “learning to say no.” Many
times we have to say no to good causes in order to pursue more important
things.
Win/win, is a frame of mind that seeks mutual benefit
it is not about what is best for you or me. There are five essential
elements of win/win. He gives analogies and word pictures that are very
good in conveying his ideas. A
fable about a goose and golden eggs was used to explain modern day
examples of personal and business relationships.
Sometimes a business will buy a piece of expensive equipment and
won’t take the time to maintain it because they are using it all the
time to make a profit. In
time the machine will wear out and break and have to be replaced.
If the business took the time to maintain the machine then it would
last longer and continue to help them make a profit.
The same holds true with people.
You can’t work all the time and burn the candle at both ends.
You need time to rest to be more effective.
Seek first to understand, then to be understood.
Most people listen only to reply. We must learn to listen to
understand. The key to influencing others is we must first understand the
other person. Until the other person feels understood, they will never
understand you. Listening and understanding that person shows that they
matter and have worth. You can save a lot of time by listening and
avoiding the problems that occur from misunderstanding.
Synergize. This is the principle of creative
cooperation. The principle of
the whole is being greater than the sum of its parts.
Dr. Covey says “the essence of synergy is to value differences,
to respect them, to build on strengths, to compensate for weaknesses” ( 263). People see the
world differently.
Sharpen the saw. The need for personal renewal. This
is where we are too busy working at something to rest or gain perspective
and become ineffective. He talks about having “paradigm shift” in the
way we look at things, our perception or view of life and situations.
It takes a long time to make changes in your life because of the
habits we have formed and the way we see the problem.
Actually he says, “the way we see the problem is the problem” (40).
In summary, it is a book that isn’t an easy to read
because it points out the weaknesses I sometimes experience.
I didn’t really enjoy it because it made me think.
I know I have a lot of issues to work on.