Stephen covey 7 habits summary
Independent people are often proud of their achievement, and reluctant and skeptical to move toward interdependence.
#STEPHEN COVEY 7 HABITS SUMMARY HOW TO#
They live in a state of excuse, blame, and denial.įor an independent person to mature to the most effective state of interdependence, they must learn how to depend on others, not as takers, but as givers. They carry a belief that they have a right to have whatever they want, and that when others don’t provide what they want, they are being abused and mistreated. Those who refuse to move from dependence to independence often develop a sense of entitlement and victim mindset. Independent people who have developed a sense of identity and individuality can achieve more that those who rely on others for purpose, identity, and function. Only independent people can participate in an interdependent relationship. Independence is that state of being responsible and taking personal ownership. For people to effectively participate in an interdependent team, they must first become an independent person that can contribute. This is a state of mutual dependence that creates greater possibilities through synergy and team. What is most interesting about growth and maturity is that there is an even more effective place than independence called interdependence. The teenage years are often fraught with this passage from dependence to independence as a person grows and learns how to live and stand on their own. But as children grow and mature, it is appropriate and important for them to learn to become independent. It would be absurd for us to believe that a small child could survive on their own. Without the assistance and help from someone caring for our basic needs, we die. Independent – not ruled, controlled, or supported by othersĪs infants, we all start out in life totally dependent on others. I encourage you to slow down and think about your habits. Do they support the person you aspire to be? What choices could you take that would realign your actions with self-evident principles of life? These are worthwhile thoughts to ponder.ĭependent – relying on someone or something else for support This inside-out paradigm of human change is key to understanding and implementing these seven habits. secondary greatness that stems from personality (outside). He believes that the personality ethic can be quite shallow and often rooted in other people’s judgment and assessment vs an internal compass that aligns values with self-evident principles. He asserts that sustained personal change is an inside-out growth process that is that involves paradigm shifts.Ī paradigm is a mind map of how one sees themselves, others and the world. Our paradigms are embedded in our character. The 7-Habits of Highly Effective People is a principle-based paradigm. Adopting and implementing these habits begins by recognizing that our problem is often the way we see the problem, our paradigm. To become more effective in life, relationships, and the pursuit of personal fulfillment, I must realign my character (made up of habits) with unchanging self-evident principles such as fairness, honesty, goodness, kindness, service, and excellence. My destiny changes when my character is changed, and my character is a product of my habits that stem from my repeated actions driven by thought. Stephen Covey opens the book discussing the contrast between primary greatness that stems from character (inside) vs. I encourage you to obtain a copy of the book and read it. Think Win:Win, 5 Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood, 6. To become highly effective, we must commit to personal change. The 7 Habits that Covey present are 1.
The book emphasizes that we need to begin with an inside change of ourselves if we want to increase our leadership influence with others. This principle centered approach is a significant paradigm shift (way of understanding and seeing the world) from the manipulative technique- based character ethic. Often the problems and frustrations we face are rooted in the way that we see them. We all have a lens through which we see that world, and our evaluation and response comes from our own perception and view. If we will slow down and think, we can shift our paradigm and harmonize it with self-evident timeless principles. One of the foundational texts that I use in my leadership coaching is “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People”, a classic book by Stephen Covey about personal change. The basis of the book is that there are timeless, self-evident principles and laws that govern the world, and that we can recognize and harmonize our values and behavior with those principles, resulting in effectiveness, or resist and short circuit those principles and not achieve sustainable results.