Operational Governance Knowledge Flashcards No. 06/19
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
From the Operational Governance flashcard deck; today this discipline goes by BizOps. The original card is republished here as a field note.
01 What is it
A business and self-help book written by Stephen Covey. It has sold more than 25 million copies, and it was the first non-fiction audio-book to sell more than one million.
An approach to being effective in attaining goals by aligning oneself to what Covey calls “true north”: the character ethic vs the personality ethic, and the maturity continuum — dependence, independence, and interdependence.
02 When is it useful
- Time management
- Developing a mission, vision, and values within your organization
- Bringing great positive alterations in your life
- Emotional intelligence and self-awareness
- Career development
- Project management
03 How to use it
- Taking control of your life
- Making not just better decisions but smarter, strategic ones
- Managing and improving your relationships with family and friends
- Overcoming bad habits
- Boosting your productivity
- Finding a healthy work/life balance
- Being your happiest self
04 The seven habits
Habit 1: Be proactive
- “I am not a product of my circumstances. I am a product of my decisions.”
- Between stimulus and response is your greatest power — your freedom to choose your response.
- Circle of Influence vs Circle of Concern.
Habit 2: Begin with the end in mind
- “Your most important work is always ahead of you, never behind you.”
- Begin each day, task, or project with a clear vision of your desired direction.
- The mission statement; the “center” of our lives.
Habit 3: Put first things first
- “Live and be driven by the principles you value most, not by agendas and forces surrounding you.”
- It’s all right to say no when necessary, and then focus on your highest priorities.
- Prioritize the important over the merely urgent, and let the plan — not the inbox — drive the day.
- This is where the Eisenhower Matrix becomes a scheduling practice.
Do now
Act on it yourself, today.
Do later
Schedule it — a time and a plan.
Delegate
Who else can own this?
Eliminate
Drop it.
Habit 4: Think win-win
- “In the long run, if it isn’t a win for both of us, we both lose.”
- It is not about being nice (a quick-fix technique) — it is a character-based code for human interaction and collaboration.
- Zero-sum game vs abundance mentality.
Win-win
The goal.
Lose-win
A doormat, not a habit.
Win-lose
A quick-fix technique, not collaboration.
Lose-lose
Neither side gets what they want.
Habit 5: Seek first to understand, then to be understood
- “Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply.”
- Seek first: use empathetic listening to genuinely understand a person — this creates an atmosphere of caring and positive problem-solving.
- Be understood: present your ideas clearly, in the context of a deep understanding of the other person’s needs and concerns.
Habit 6: Synergize
- “Synergy is better than my way or your way. It’s our way.”
- Combine the strengths of people through positive teamwork, so as to achieve goals no one could have achieved alone.
Habit 7: Sharpen the saw
- “Renewal is the principle — and the process — that empowers us to move on an upward spiral of growth and change, of continuous improvement.”
- Balance and renew your resources, energy, and health — physical, social/emotional, mental, and spiritual — to create a sustainable, long-term, effective lifestyle, so you can continue practicing the other six habits.
- Kaizen.
Habits 1–3 are the self-mastery (independence) step of the maturity continuum; habits 4–6 are the interdependence step — working with others; habit 7 sustains the other six.
05 Common pitfalls
- The seven habits are not a formula we can just apply and be “better”. It’s essential to master personal change before we can enjoy success outside of ourselves and with others.
- “The seven habits are essentially a secular distillation of Mormon teaching.”
- Enter a sect.