The 7 habits Of Highly Effective People [Summary & Review]

7 habits of highly effective people

About the author:

Stephen Richards Covey (October 24, 1932 – July 16, 2012) was an American educator, author, businessman, and keynote speaker. His most popular book is The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. His other books include First Things First, Principle-Cantered Leadership, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Families, The 8th Habit, and The Leader In Me — How Schools and Parents Around the World Are Inspiring Greatness, One Child at a Time. In 1996, Time magazine named him one of the 25 most influential people. He was a professor at the Jon M. Huntsman School of Business at Utah State University at the time of his death.

Short summary of book:

The 7 habits of highly effective people is a self-improvement book and convey that we see world entirely based in our perceptions. In order to change the situation we must change ourselves and to change that we have to change our perceptions.

There are some common habits which we will see in every successful people:

1.     Be Proactive

2.     Begin with the end in mind

3.     Put first thing first

4.     Think win-win

5.     Seek first to understand and then to be understood

6.     Synergize

7.     Sharpen the saw

Habits 1, 2 and 3 focus on self-mastery and changing from dependent from independent, Habits 4, 5 and 6 focus on developing teamwork, collaborations and communication skills and  Habit 7 is focused on continuous growth and improvement of all other habits.

Let us discuss each habit one by one.

1.     Be Proactive:

We humans have got the ability to examine our self and decide how to view our self in any situation. In order to be effective one must be proactive.  There are two types of people: Reactive and Proactive. Reactive people take a passive stance, they believe the world is happening to them, they say: There is nothing I can do in this situation. Reactive people feel increasingly victimized and out of control. However proactive people recognise they have responsibility and focus on what can I do in this situation?

 

2.     Begin With The End In Mind:

As per covey in this book we can use our imagination to choose what we want to become and decide what values will guide us. This habit depicts that we should begin with the end in mind that way we can make sure we are on the right path or direction that will lead to our destination. Covey have use rescripting ourselves that means recognizing ineffective scripts that have been written for you and proactively writing new one that are built for your own values.

3.     Put First Things First:

In habit 2 we learnt about determining our values and goals and in Habit 3 we will learn how to prioritize those goals and values. We should have to discipline to prioritize our day to day actions based on what is more important and what is not. Our strong will power is the main skill which is very helpful in maintaining self-discipline and focus on our track towards goal. We need to act according to our values rather than our desires at any moment.

Think Win-Win:

In-order to establish independent relationships, we must commit to create a win-win situation that are mutually beneficial for both parties.

As per Covey there are six paradigms of human interactions:

(a) Win-Win: Both people win. Agreements are mutually beneficial and are agreed by both parties.

(b) Win-Lose: "If I win, you lose." Win-Lose people are prone to use position, power, credentials, and personality to get their way.

(c) Lose-Win: "I lose, you win." Lose-Win people are quick to please and appease, and seek strength from popularity or acceptance.

(d) Lose-Lose: Both people lose. When two Win-Lose people get together -- that is, when two, determined, stubborn, ego-invested individuals interact -- the result will be Lose-Lose.

(e) Win: People with the Win mentality don't necessarily want someone else to lose -- that's irrelevant. What matters is that they get what they want.

 (f) Win-Win or No Deal: If you can't reach an agreement that is mutually beneficial, there is no deal.

Seek First To Understand, Then To Be Understood:

 This habit tell us that we should first seek to understand by listening to other and then design a solution for that problem. Most of the time we prescribe the solution before we diagnose them properly. To listen empathically requires a fundamental paradigm shift. Most people listen with an intention to reply, not to understand.

When we listen autobiographically -- in other words, with our own perspective as our frame of reference -- we tend to respond in one of four ways:

 (a) Evaluate: Agree or disagree with what is said

(b) Probe: Ask questions from our own frame of reference

(c) Advise: Give counsel based on our own experience

(d) Interpret: Try to figure out the person's motives and behaviour based on our own motives and behaviour.

 Synergize:

The combination of all previous 5 Habits prepare us for synergize which produces results that is more effective than trying each habit alone. For example, if you plant two plants close together, their roots will co-mingle and improve the quality of the soil, so that both plants will grow better than they would on their own. Synergy allows us to create new alternatives and open new possibilities. It allows us as a group to collectively agree to ditch the old scripts and write new ones.

 Sharpen The Saw:

 Stephen Covey tells the story of a man who was walking through a forest when he came across a frustrated lumberjack. The lumberjack was trying to cut down a tree with and was swearing and cursing as he laboured in vain. “What’s the problem?”  The man asked. “My saw’s blunt and won’t cut the tree properly.”  The lumberjack responded. “Why don’t you just sharpen it?” “Because then I would have to stop sawing.”  Said the lumberjack. “But if you sharpened your saw, you could cut more efficiently and effectively than before.” “But I don’t have time to stop!” The lumberjack retorted, getting more frustrated. The man shook his head and kept on walking, leaving the lumberjack to his pointless frustration.

This story is relevant to so many of us isn’t it?

We get frustrated by life and our inability to cope, but instead of developing ourselves and taking the time to become more effective, we keep struggling with a blunt saw.

 Don’t do it anymore.  Stop, sharpen your saw and become more effective.