The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People

photo courtesy of Dirk K. Nelson, Flickr

The expression “seven habits of highly effective people” first came into being as the title of Stephen R. Covey’s 1989 #1 best-selling book of the same title.

One of the main themes of the book was illustrating the difference between the Personality Ethic and the Character Ethic and how, historically, they apply to success. The secondary Personality Ethic refers to a combination of personal traits, skills and techniques, whereas the primary Character Ethic attributes success to underlying characteristics such as integrity, justice, patience, courage and the like.

Covey used a map-reading allegory to demonstrate his point. Suppose you are in Chicago and are using a map to find your way around. Even if you have excellent map reading and navigational skills, you will never get to where you want to go if the map you are using is of Detroit. In this example, getting the right map is the primary element – part of the Character Ethic, whereas your skills are secondary, part of the Personality Ethic. The primary element needs to be in place before the secondary elements can be effectively applied.

The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People changed the focus of success literature from the latter half of the twentieth century from the Personality Ethic to the Character Ethic. To gear up for success one must center on one’s principles and character. The changes must come from within.

So What Are the Seven Habits of Highly Effective People?

Covey claimed one’s Character is a collection of his or her habits. For success, seven core habits must move us through the following stages:

1. Dependence: we are born, relying upon others for care.
2. Independence: we can make our own decisions and take care of ourselves.
3. Interdependence: we cooperate to achieve something we cannot achieve alone.

The first three habits focus on self-mastery, enabling us to become independent:

Ÿ         Habit 1: Be Proactive. Highly effective people assess situations and develop a positive response. They focus on the things they can change rather than the things they can’t.

Ÿ         Habit 2: Begin with the End in Mind. They develop principled personal mission statements which extend into long-term goals.

Ÿ         Habit 3: Put First Things First. They spend time acting on key roles that fit into their personal mission statement.

The next three habits address interdependence:

Ÿ         Habit 4: Think Win/Win. Highly effective people actively seek agreements and relationships that are mutually beneficial. They accept that often no deal trumps win/lose.

Ÿ         Habit 5: Seek First to Understand, Then to be Understood. They listen effectively and try to not just understand, but also try to empathize with both the feeling and meaning of the speaker.

Ÿ         Habit 6: Synergize. They seek ways to combine and lever individual differences to create a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts.

And lastly:

Ÿ         Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw. This habit concerns renewal and continual improvement; of building one’s personal production capability. To be successful, highly effective people balance productivity with improving their capacity to produce through renewal of the physical, mental, social, emotional and spiritual dimensions.