The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People Book Review
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People has been a bestseller for many years. This book shares the seven approaches that effective people take to attain fulfillment and also how to build our character and shape our life more deliberately. Covey says that although many people want to be effective in their lives and achieve certain goals or dreams, they are unwilling to honestly examine their own paradigms. They are unwilling to look at the way they look at things. The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People jumps into the habits you should work toward creating as a part of your life. The first three habits, Covey says, are habits of independence. They will help a person achieve a private victory of being more personally effective and independent.
Habit 1: Be Proactive
Covey says one must use his/her resourcefulness and take initiative to work toward personal goals. Further, the more effective a person becomes, the more the circle of influence will expand.
Habit 2: Begin with the End in Mind
We may be very busy, we may be very efficient, but we will also be truly effective only when we begin with the end in mind. Create an internal comfort zone. Then, when the person gets into the situation, it isn't foreign for them. It doesn't scare them.
Habit 3: Put First Things First
The key to putting first things first is to understand that one may have many things to do which will have a significant, positive impact on life. But, we probably don't do them, because they aren't urgent. They can be delayed. Of course, so will our success.
Habit 4: Think Win/Win
To be successful one should learn to leverage the strengths of others. To do this effectively involves being able to find Win/Win deals. No deal is better than any non-Win/Win deal.
Habit 5: Seek First to Understand, then to be Understood
Covey observes that few people have training in listening. Most people don't listen. They wait to talk. But, how can one discover Win/Win deals, if they aren't even listening to the other party? In empathic listening, one listens with ears, but more importantly, listen with your eyes and with your heart. Listen for feeling, for meaning. Listen for behaviour.
Habit 6: Synergize
It emphasizes that we must value the differences between people and how they view the world. That difference can be used as a source of insight. Valuing the differences is the essence of synergy-the mental, the emotional, and the psychological differences between people. And the key to valuing those differences is to realize that all people see the world, not as it is, but as they are.
Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw
It focuses upon self-renewal. Just as a machine will wear out quickly if not properly maintained, the same is true for our own personal productivity. You must take care of yourself.
