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Analysis of seven habits of highly effective people
Analysis of seven habits of highly effective people
Analysis of seven habits of highly effective people
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The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People is a book written by Stephen Covey. In the book he writes about seven habits that highly effective people have. The seven habits of highly effective people are: be proactive, begin with the end in mind, put first things first, think win-win, seek first to understand then to be understood, synergize, and sharpen the saw.
The book starts with Covey talking about his own life experiences. He talks about how after he achieved a great degree of outward success, he found himself struggling with the inner need to develop personal effectiveness, and grow healthy relationships with people. Covey also talks about how each individual sees the world based on their own perceptions. For an individual to change a situation, the individual must change themselves, and to change themselves they must be able to change their perceptions.
Habit one of highly effective people is being proactive. What I learned from habit one is that we are in charge of our lives. We must be proactive and take responsibility for our actions and choices. I learned that I must take the initiative and recognize my responsibility to make things happen. I must be the one to act and not be acted upon. This habit taught me that in order for me to be effective I must first be proactive. If I am not proactive it makes it almost impossible for me to be effective. If people take a passive stance, they
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believe that the world is happening to them. Reactive people are affected by “social weather.” When people treat them well, they feel well, and when people don’t treat them well they are defensive and protective. Reactive people build their emotional lives around the behaviors of others, which empowers the weaknesses of other people to control them. I learned that reactive people think that the problem is out there, which is the problem itself. Reactivity becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy, which leads reactive people to feel more victimized and out of control. Proactive people recognize that they have responsibility or “response-ability.” Proactive recognize that they have the ability to choose their response. Proactive people do not blame other factors on their behavior. They claim the responsibility. I learned that in order for me to be proactive, I must focus on the circle of influence that lies within our circle of concern. Reactive people focus on things in their Circle of Concern. This leads them to blame external factors and shrinks their circle of influence. A way I can apply habit one to my life is by not being so reactive.
I am a very reactive person. After reading about the “social weather” I realized that it was completely true about myself. My mood and behavior very much so revolves around other people. My emotional life revolves around other people. A way I could change is by not letting other people affect me. If I learn to take responsibility of my choices and realize that the things that happen to me are the product of my actions and choices, I will be a more proactive person, thus making me a more effective
person. Habit two of highly effective people is beginning with the end in mind. Covey says “the most fundamental application of "Begin with the End in Mind" is to begin today with the image, picture, or paradigm of the end of your life as your frame of reference or the criterion by which everything else is examined.” I learned that we must start with a clear understanding of our destination. I learned that it’s very easy to busy ourselves, but it’s not as easy to evaluate the meaning behind the busyness. If I begin with a clear destination in mind, I can make sure the steps I’m taking are in the right direction. I also learned that it is important to determine what is at the center of our lives. I can apply habit two to my life by being more end goal oriented. I sometimes get bogged down with school work and very uninspired. I feel like none of the work really matters. I’m not thinking about the end, I am only focusing on the now. I do not set any goals. If I sit down and write out my goals, I will be more effective. I can also apply habit two to my life by writing my own personal mission statement. I also could be more effective if I determined my center. The third habit of highly effective people is putting first things first. While habit two is the mental creation, habit three is the physical creation. I learned that I must prioritize my actions by what is more important and not what is more urgent. I learned that when I don’t want to do something, I must have the willpower to do that thing. I need to act according to my values and not to my desires or impulses at any time.
Habit 3 is Put First Things First. Personally, I struggled with putting first things first as I was a procrastinator but, I have finally conquered myself and I am no longer in Quadrant 1! You see, there are different time quadrants which tell you if you are a 1. Procrastinator, 2. Prioritizer, 3. Yes-Man and 4. Slacker. You need to always stay on top of things and stay in quadrant 2 but it’s not easy, so you must work very hard for it to become a natural thing for you. Another way to becoming a prioritizer is to realize what your big rocks are and what your small rocks are. In other words, take notice of what is important first and those will be your big rocks to accomplish first. Only then will you have space for all the small rocks. Lastly, don’t let fear control you, control your fear. It’s okay to make mistakes if you’re trying to do the right thing. On page 121 in the 7 Habits book, Sean Covey says “Winning means rising each time you fail.” This is telling you that although you failed, if you are willing to rise and try again and pick up your broken pieces, that is winning. This is a hard habit to conquer but once you do it, it will change your
My philosophy of success, is me growing into the person I want to become and being comfortable with the choices I decide to make in life. Success is not something I can achieve overnight, it’s something I must plan for then proceed to working hard for it as well. Without hard work, there isn’t anything successful about the job I want to get done or the job I wish to get done. Doing anything without hard work and dedication, and expecting the best outcome is not success; it’s mediocrity. Being mediocre/ will only allow me or anyone else to have a ‘Victim’s Mindset.’
The Achievement Habit is a book all about taking control of your life. Bernard Roth is the author and he does a brilliant job of pointing out everyday issues about society. He points out in chapter two that Reasons Are Bullshit . Everyone uses reasons for things that we can control but we only use them when the things are not top priority. If everything we did has top priority then we would get it done and not need an excuse or reason for it. Roth says “ Many reasons are simply excuses to hide the fact that we are not willing to give something high enough priority in our lives.” ( p.41) People may argue that reasons are necessary , Roth argues that Reasons Are Bullshit. He thinks “ The problem with reasons is that they’re
Self-direction: leaders with high self-direction are able to direct themselves to the direction that they wanted to be effectively and efficiently.
This was not as easy a read for me. I suppose I am a victim of my generational upbringing, in that, I feel the need to be informed in an entertaining manner. This book has good information, but I had to continually check my focus. Those times when I was truly drawn in were the times when the writer was relating back to a story from his life or others and how it worked in to the particular habit he was teaching at that time. That being said, the following areas are where I believe I can use to make myself and my team better.
One of the few steps that have helped me immensely are step 1, step 5, step 9 and step 17. Each of these steps has their own way changing a person’s perspective. The first step says we are required to observe our behavior; does what we say affect us in a negative or positive way? What we need to analyze is whether or not we are subconsciously insulting someone or are they offended by what we said? We need to think before we speak, and that is a problem for some people, including me, I am a social extrovert and occasionally I may make impulsive responses and won’t realize what I said before I realize someone did not like what I said. However, that is when step 5 comes into place, it talks about reviewing our responses in order to see our thought process and what were some strengths. Another is to practice positive thoughts one thing we need to keep in mind, we need to be assertive with ourselves, at times we can be our worst enemy so being self-motivated can help you in the long run by having confidence and how others with positive conversations. Additionally, with positive reinforcements comes rewards, the last step, says it is important to provide ourselves ongoing support and receive a reward for asserting ourselves this way we can have encouragement at the end of our
Covey, Stephen R. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Restoring the Character Ethic. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1989.
"The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People" by Stephen Covey outlines seven main beliefs that he believes individuals need to focus on in order to become highly effective. “Habits are powerful factors in our lives. Because they are consistent, often unconscious patterns, they constantly, daily express our character and produce our effectiveness…or ineffectiveness.” (Covey 46)
The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People (Covey, 2004) has become the cornerstone of leadership and management wisdom. The habits emphasize personal responsibility and personal leadership. There is challenge in living everyday under the guidance of the habits but there is also great benefit as living the habits can influence everything we do in life. I was introduced to Covey’s seven habits through a one day seminar at my workplace several years ago. I learned some of the terminology and a few of the concepts but never really understood the power of the practical application of the habits. Reading the Covey materials has taught me that life is not about all the tasks that I accomplish but instead about accomplishing the tasks that support what is important to me. Covey has taught me that there are elemental components that are applicable across the many roles that I have in my life. Those universal elements are integrity, vision, discipline, and passion. Embracing these ideas has opened my eyes to the endless applications and benefits of living the seven habits.
I believe that hard work is the real treasure of a person because without hard work we cannot achieve our dreams and goals in life. No one can achieve success without doing hard work. It starts when we stop looking for alternatives or shortcuts towards success. We need to remember that there are no short cuts to success. Hard work, complimented with an intense desire to struggle and to achieve success is the only sure way of reaching success that you have always wanted. Hard work is one of the secret for us to be successful in life. Laziness and sluggishness makes one’s life a curse and only hard work can make your life a blessing. We cannot work hard if we don’t have goals. The meaning of goal according to Wikipedia is a desired result of a
Conscientiousness is the ability to control impulses and use them for goal-oriented behavior. A low score for this trait indicates trouble with inhibiting impulses. Someone with a high score has a greater ability to consider future consequences before acting on impulses. High conscientiousness is favorable in many aspects of life. People who think before acting tend to be wise and cautious, and others may perceive them as intelligent. Instead of acting on the first choice in mind, conscientious people weigh out alternative options. They are able to achieve success through staying on task by planning ahead and diverting attention from distractions. Conscientious people are ambitious, well-organized, and abide by responsibilities, making them
What constitutes an effective leader? Perhaps the most notable is that through actions and thoughts an effective leader can inspire us. The concepts surrounding leadership remain debatable, since old theories are still considered and new ones continue to emerge. Regardless, leadership can be influenced by several factors relating to three main features based on traits, behavior and situation.
Next, the action plan provides the tools you need to be successful. Lastly, they provide a learn more section to encourage you to broaden your knowledge. On occasion, they share some of their favorite readings and tips. This book is a staple; you have 71 simple habits, each with a separate description and technique, to support you in becoming a more mindful individual.
In order to do this, I must be proactive. Being proactive means that in between the stimulus and response, there is a third stage. This stage is the freedom to choose, and it is full of self awareness, imagination, conscience, and independent will. Being proactive means that when I feel an impulse, I am able to make that impulse subordinate to the values I hold inside. I am still influenced by the stimuli, but I am aware of this influence and choose how I react to it. An outside stimulus can only affect me so much as I let it. It is not outside forces that help or hurt me, it is my reaction to those outside forces. My character, my basic identity, can only be impacted if I let it. By understanding that my most difficult experiences become the crucibles that forge my character, I can turn any circumstance in my favor. My basic nature is to act, rather than be acted upon. This is why it is key to take the initiative in every situation. Taking initiative means recognizing my responsibility to make things
You can only control you and your life, you can’t control anyone else’s life just your own. Be like a glass of water that doesn’t fiz rather than a can of coke that does fiz. I am good at being proactive most of the time but I am occasionally more reactive and that is definitely something a need to try and get better at. I need to stop reacting so much on impulse.