The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Habit 1: Being Proactive
Habit 2: Considering the End
Habit 3: Prioritizing Issues
Habit 4: Think Win-Win
Habit 5: Seek to Understand and then to be Understood
Habit 6: Synergy
Habit 7: Emphasis on Strengths
Conclusion
References

Introduction

Any savvy employer would understand the importance of having highly effective employees because they are a key component to the success of any business. Highly effective employees make loyal employees and loyal employees are an integral component in good customer relations and business success (Torrence, 2010, p. 1). Knowledgeable employers are able to respect the diversity of their employees and appreciate the unique contributions each employee adds to the organization.

These types of employers are also able to provide a good learning environment for employees because employee effectiveness thrives in the provision of a good working environment. Effective employees are able to use organizational resources effectively towards the accomplishment of organizational goals and endeavor aim to be productive, dependable and trustworthy (Torrence, 2010). In the same respect, these employees are willing to take up new challenges and exceed their limits. This facilitates organizational growth.

Effective employees are able to flourish at very minimal costs and employers should acknowledge their contribution towards the accomplishment of organizational goals because their input is part of the overall puzzle of organizational goal accomplishment. These factors withstanding, it is important for employers and employees alike to understand what constitutes an effective employee.

Employers need to understand this fact so that they can facilitate the growth of employees to capitalize on the benefits effective employees bring into the organization. Employees as well need to understand this process so they may better themselves and improve their careers.

This therefore begs the question of whether there is a given model in which employees can mould themselves to be effective employees. In relation, this study provides a framework to which employees can evaluate themselves with the aim of becoming effective employees. Its foundation is based on Stephen Covey’s analysis of 7 habits of highly effective people.

Habit 1: Being Proactive

Stephen Convey purports that the destiny of an individual is usually dictated by the choices he/she makes (Harvey, 2008, p. 38). This means that people are often empowered to choose their status; say, happiness, sadness, decisiveness, failure, ambivalence, courage, success, fear or any other attribute that defines a person.

Of importance is the acknowledgement by employees that every new opportunity gives an individual the chance to make a better choice. In doing so, employees get a new opportunity to do things in a different way so that they can increase their productivity levels.

With regards to being proactive as the first characteristic of highly effective people, employees should be in a position to take responsibility for their actions at all times. In other words, it is not wise to keep blaming other people for one’s shortcomings; like managers blaming lower level employees for the failure or employees blaming the managers for their failure as well. Proactive people are therefore able to take a proactive stand and accept their responsibilities and shortcomings.

This fact also deters employees from blaming their working environments, working conditions, genetics, circumstances or other parameters which may pose as an excuse for their shortcomings. Proactive people understand that their actions and behaviors all depend on their intuition. The opposite of such kind of people are reactive people who are more likely to blame their primary environments as opposed to their actions.

These are the kinds of people who always seek for external factors to use a scapegoat for their shortcomings. For example, if the weather were good, they enjoy that fact but if it were lousy, they develop a negative attitude and blame any shortcomings that arise, on their negative actions or on the weather. The external factors described here normally act as stimuli to employee performance.

The difference between effective and ineffective employees occurs in the way they respond to these stimuli. People therefore have the advantage of choosing what their response is going to be. An integral part in determining our responses therefore lies in what we say. The language one adopts is also a good indicator of how a person perceives himself or herself.

An effective person or a proactive individual would therefore incorporate proactive languages in his speech such as “I will”, “I prefer”, “I can” and the likes. On the other hand, a reactive person uses a reactive language like “if I have to”, should I?” “If I have to” “I can’t” because they don’t believe they have the power to control their actions and neither do they believe they have a choice when doing something.

When dealing with things people have little or no control of, reactive and proactive people approach this mater in different ways. Proactive individuals avoid matters they have little control of and concentrate on matters they have more control of (Covey, 2010b, p. 1). On the other hand, reactive people focus their attention on things they have no control of; like the weather, terrorism, political conditions, legislations and the likes while they avoid issues they have a control of.

This also broadly categorizes the issues people deal with in two categories. The fist category involves issues that revolve within the circle of concern while the second issue involves things that revolve in the circle of influence. Proactive people concentrate on the circle of influence but reactive people concentrate on the circle of concern (Covey, 2010b, p. 1).

Proactive people therefore deal with opportunities and challenges like heath, education, and the likes which revolve around the circle of influence. If people develop awareness on the circles which they concentrate most of their time on, this will be the first step to becoming an effective person.

Habit 2: Considering the End

Covey (2010b) notes that people should always consider where they would want to be in future while undertaking their daily duties. This should be done alongside an analysis of the current position they are in, their dreams, ambitions, goals and the likes. This is important because Covey (2010a) notes that people often find themselves in positions of success but they derive very little satisfaction from it.

In fact, some people always achieve these high levels of success by trampling over the things they valued most in their lives. Such things could be family, friends, a dream career and the likes. Covey (2010b) therefore gives an example by noting that “If your ladder is not leaning against the right wall, every step you take gets you to the wrong place faster” (p. 2). This exposes an important aspect of imagination for the determination of the future.

Imagination is the ability to envision where one would be in the future because the eyes cannot see it at the moment. This element also observes that most things are always created twice; one, in the mind and two, in reality. Just like a building follows a construction plan, the physical creation of a dream or goal follows the mental picture of it. This principle also notes that if people fail to have the strategic foresight or dream about their destiny, they allow other people to control their future.

Imagination therefore needs to incorporate unique attributes within an individual which will be nourished within the framework of ethical guidelines, moral framework, and personal principles towards the achievement of the final goal. Also with the end in mind, one can be able to wake up each morning with the aim of accomplishing the desired goal by flexing personal will towards the attainment of a desirable end result.

One of the most common way in which people can be able to envision a desirable end result is by having a personal mission statement. This will outline what one wants to be and do in the near and distant future. This is also the blueprint for success because it reaffirms personal uniqueness and streamlines personal goals for success. The personal mission statement also gives one the direction and the power to control destiny.

This analysis can be compared to leadership and management as the first and second creations. Personal leadership is a first creation while management is the second creation. Management is perfectly shown as an example of a bottom-line focus; like how best one can achieve a given goal but leadership on the other hand is focused on defining issues one would first want to accomplish (Covey, 2010b, p. 2). Individuals or businesses, most of the time preoccupying themselves by focusing on their day to day events while totally disregarding the directions they are following.

More important is the acknowledgement that the world today is very dynamic and unpredictable such that the bar for effective leadership needs to be raised to ensure people and businesses alike, stay afloat amid all these changes. This majorly requires a vision or designation to guide the day to day actions of individuals and act as a road map towards the accomplishment of one’s ultimate goal.

This will involve the formulation of a given set of principles and regulations. The biggest mistake people make is disregarding the complex nature of the environment they live in and therefore they go through the motions of life, depending on the judgments they make at the time; as opposed to engaging their inner encompass for direction.

Effectiveness therefore greatly dictates our survival and unlike popular perception, it does not depend on the amount of energy we expend towards the attainment of a given goal but rather the determination of whether the amount of energy expended is in the right direction. This therefore means that in business and indeed even in personal life, leadership should always come first and management second. This primarily involves understanding how the end scenario would look like.

Habit 3: Prioritizing Issues

Covey (2010b) observes that human beings cannot do everything that comes along their way, at the same time. This is okay because it prevents overstraining oneself. Prioritization therefore empowers individuals to decline taking up things they can’t do and instead focus their energies on matters of higher importance. Covey (2010b) observes that people are usually the creators of their lives and therefore they are in charge of their destiny.

Recapping the fist two habits of an effective person, we realize that the choice of being proactive is voluntary while in the second habit, the ability to create an end vision about one’s life is imaginary but this third habit makes the imaginary aspect to one’s destiny, real. This third habit therefore encompasses the first and second habit and normalizes the process because it outlines that efforts need to be factored into the overall process on a daily basis.

Many dilemmas regarding time management are also addressed in this context but this is just a fragment of the whole analysis. More specifically, this third habit revolves around the management of one’s life. In detail, it involves a deep analysis of one’s life, values and purpose.

Emphasis should therefore be made on those things which appear to have most importance in value. People therefore need to utilize most of their time in doing the things they find most value in; through organization and time management and in line with the resolutions made in the second habit.

Habit 4: Think Win-Win

Thinking of a win-win strategy is not really about being extra nice or losing one’s edge, but more of collaborating and negotiating with third parties (Covey, 2010b, p. 4). Many people adopt a wrong way of comparing themselves to others and evaluating their actions in the eyes of others. This has created another negative culture of basing success on the failure of another person. For example, people often see themselves as a success when a fellow person falls.

The same is also true where some people perceive themselves as failures just because they have seen another person succeed. This is created by the variation in human potential and the inequality in opportunities. Some people therefore ensure that if they fail, they have to bring other people down with them, and if they succeed, they cut links with those who’ve failed or in some cases; they succeed as a way of revenging.

Covey (2010b) notes that many people like to play this game because it is part of human nature but he questions what fun there is in doing so. Through this trail of thought, he proposes that a win-win situation needs to be upheld because it eliminates the animosity in human relationships and fosters cooperation.

This strategy is not essentially tangible because its success lies in the hands of men and in the hearts of people who endeavor seek to foster mutual benefits. This is the attribute which effective people have been able to master. Effective people therefore ensure that human relationships are to a great extent beneficial to all and have a mutual benefit to all parties involved as well. If opportunities were equated to one big pie, everyone would have a share and it would taste really good if everyone were a part of it.

Covey (2010a) points out that people who have properly mastered the art of adopting a win-win scenario in contemporary business set ups, posses a number of traits. First, they posses a high integrity; meaning that they adhere to their strong moral values and principles.

Secondly, they have a high level of maturity which means that they have a lot of courage when expressing themselves, and they also consider other people’s feelings while doing so. Lastly, these kinds of people have a lot of abundance in terms of mental capability because they operate under the belief that everyone will get a share of whatever resources there is to divide (Covey, 2010a, p. 19).

These kinds of traits are not in tandem with the perception of a majority of people because people like to brand individuals in definite manners such as “he is bad, good, an introvert” or such like attributes. The win-win scenario requires an effective person to posses’ characters of a varied nature. For example, if one is branded as “good” and in other times “bad”, then the win-win scenario requires him/her to be both (Covey, 2010b, p. 4).

This amounts to a balancing act of courage and consideration because in the win-win context, someone has to be both empathic and confident at the same time. In other times, one does not only have to be considerate or sensitive because the win-win strategy also demands a certain degree of bravery (Covey, 2010b, p. 1). To attain the middle point between courage and bravery, it is important for people to exhibit a high sense of maturity. This is the most essential aspect to a win-win strategy and effective people always exhibit it.

Nonetheless, the most important acknowledgement people need to make with regard to the win-win situation is the fact that one cannot develop this unique change of character overnight because it is a process (Covey, 2010a, p. 22). In other words, one cannot adopt a win-win strategy simply by making oral assertions.

There have been principled criterions which have been advanced to guide individuals adopt a win-win attitude. Key among them is the fact that people need to be distinguished from the problem; people need to focus more on the interests of an individual as opposed to their position; people need to come up with solutions which will encompass the interests of everyone and people need to come up with an option criterion where involved parties can all subscribe to, without much conflict (Covey, 2010a, p. 25).

As much as these principles need to guide individuals in adopting a win-win strategy, emphasis also needs to be made on seeing a problem from another person’s point of view. Firstly, this means comprehending and giving expression on another person’s opinion; in a way that one would do for himself or herself.

Secondly, one should examine the underlying issues governing certain matters as opposed to the underlying positions. Thirdly, people should take the initiative of knowing the kind of results that will be acceptable by all parties involved and lastly, people should go the extra mile to investigate how new types of options can be employed to achieve the acceptable end results (Covey, 2010a, p. 26).

In a win-win situation, the end and the means are the same because although the habit is not a personality technique but a paradigm of human interaction. Personal attributes of integrity, personality and a high sense of maturity are all essential components which people need to posses in order to inculcate the win-win culture within them.

A win-win culture can only flourish in environments where expectations are clarified and managed in a sound manner. Win-win attitudes can therefore only thrive in supportive systems and it is best achieved through the mastery of the following habits.

Habit 5: Seek to Understand and then to be Understood

Highly effective people always don’t rush to explain their side of the story before they get to understand another person’s point of view. This fact elevates the most important skill to human interaction and understanding; communication (Covey, 2010b, p. 1). Partly, the societal system is to blame because people spend endless years to learn how to read, write; but little time is dedicated to listening. In fact, people rarely get life training lessons on the importance of listening to other people.

Because of these shortcomings, most people often rush to be understood first and their points put across before others can air their views. In doing so, many people become very inconsiderate because they totally disregard the views of other people, pretend to listen or selectively understand a person’s views, thereby letting many points go unheard.

This often happens because many people are tuned to listen just so they can respond to a given issue instead of understanding. So, people should not spend most of their time listening to them while preparing to ask another question. Also, people should refrain from listening to other people through their life experiences and comparing other people’s stories with their own autobiography to see how it measures up.

This leads to premature conclusion of what other people intent to put across. Covey (2010b) gives examples of common statements people make such as “Oh, I know just how you feel….. I felt the same way…….I had that same thing happen to me…..Let me tell you what I did in a similar situation” (p. 5). This is wrong.

Because many people listen to others through their own selves, their reactions fall within a given set of responses. These responses are: judging, evaluation, probing, advising and interpreting other people’s information. In judging, people either agree or disagree about a given issue and in probing people often fall victim to asking questions from a frame of reference.

However, in counseling, people often give counsel, advice or solutions to various problems but in interpretation, people often fall victims of analyzing the behaviors of others, based on their own autobiography (Covey, 2010b, p. 5).

Many people therefore hide in the pretext that they are trying to relate to what a third party is saying but this assumption is wrong (Covey, 2010b, p. 5). However, in some instances, making reference to one’s own autobiography can be useful when a person asks for reference from another person’s experiences. Such scenarios may be exhibited when the level of trust between two people is high.

However, it should be understood that a number of factors need to be comprehended while people engage in empathic listening. First of all, people don’t like to be manipulated; probably by one party disguising himself/herself to listen while in real sense he or she is doing so with the intent of controlling the other party (Covey, 2010a). In other words, people should always exhibit an honest desire to understand the other person.

Secondly, empathic listening, though very time consuming, is very worthwhile when analyzed in the general context of problem solving. For instance, it wouldn’t be wise for a doctor to carry out a shoddy diagnosis because he/she doesn’t have a lot of time. If such a thing occurs, then the doctor may improperly treat someone, which may later lead to death. The same approach should also be employed in critical thinking because in as much as one may take a lot of time in the process initially, it saves a lot of time in later events.

In fact, if such an approach is adopted in the correct manner, people can really open up, especially when they are hurting and a person is genuinely listening to them with the intention of understanding their situation. Studies for example have shown that children are usually very willing to open up to their parents more than their peers if parents can take the time to listen and not judge them (Covey, 2010a, p. 30). Hypocrisy and guile should therefore be avoided at all costs when adopting empathic listening.

The time taken in empathic listening therefore should not deter an individual from adopting it because if empathic listening is not adopted, a lot of time is going to be used when trying to back up events and correcting misunderstandings. It should therefore be comprehended that people often want to be understood and the investment in time will lead to more returns if the problems are properly understood.

Habit 6: Synergy

Synergy is a common trait among highly effective people. Majorly, it underlies the premise that two heads are better than one and team work is an integral component to the success of any business. This concept also embraces open-mindedness to induce creativity so that new solutions can be found towards solving old problems.

However, this process is not easy at all. Most importantly, it doesn’t happen overnight because people have to come together to contribute pieces of information and varied experiences towards the overall attainment of the ultimate goal. In this manner, a very comprehensive and hybrid solution can be obtained; better than one which could be obtained if only individual effort was employed.

Synergy is therefore a process that effective people employ to help them discover new solutions as a group, which they wouldn’t have achieved through individual effort. Synergy firmly embraces the idea that the whole is always greater than the combination of different segments towards a solution. Covey (2010a) asserts that “One plus one equals three, or six, or sixty–you name it” (p. 31). Synergy therefore thrives on open interaction and honest exchange of ideas so that new insights can be obtained.

In fact, since everyone has a different opinion towards the achievement of a common task, the probability of inventing a new approach is very high. In fact, the diversity of opinion is the real driver towards accomplishment of productive synergy. This approach therefore means that highly effective people appreciate the diversity among different people. This appreciation goes all the way in embracing psychological, emotional, and mental differences among people.

On the other hand, ineffective people often prefer that everyone would just concur with their opinion so they would solve a primary issue. There is therefore a difference in defining uniformity and unity, and in the same manner, there is a difference between sameness and oneness (Covey, 2010a, p. 32). The diversity among different people should therefore not be perceived as a form of weakness but a source of strength. This attribute is what highly effective thrive on and it adds zest to life.

Habit 7: Emphasis on Strengths

Covey (2010b) sometimes refers to the emphasis on strengths to “sharpening of the saw”. This primarily means capitalizing on one’s greatest asset. This is also what highly effective people thrive on. It means achieving a balance between various functional areas on ones life for self renewal (Covey, 2010b, p. 7).

One area of core competence is the physical aspect of it, where people practice beneficial eating; exercising and resting to improve their physical fitness. Secondly, improvement can be done in areas of social and emotional wellbeing where interpersonal relationships can be enhanced to improve personal effectiveness.

Thirdly, people can improve their mental wellbeing by learning to write, read, and learn. Lastly one can improve his/her physical wellbeing by engaging in natural mediation through music, art, prayer and other forms of self mediation.

As one engages in a rejuvenation of the four functional areas of human life, one can be able to grow and change for the better. In fact, improving in these core competency areas means that one can effectively improve in the other six functional areas. One’s capacity to handle new challenges and problems can also be enhanced in this manner.

A lack of rejuvenation in these functional areas means that the body will become weak, the mind mechanical, the emotional status in disarray, the spirit dead and ultimately, someone is bound to be very selfish in nature. These attributes lower the effectiveness of a person.

Having a positive attitude does not come without working on it. Striking a good balance in life therefore means that a person has effectively mastered the art of rejuvenating all the core areas of competence (Teague, 2010, p. 6). Basically, these factors all depend on an individual’s commitment. One can achieve this by taking the time to relax but at the same time, one can totally burn himself/herself out by attempting to do everything at the same time.

Also, one can also take care of his/her emotional wellbeing by rejuvenating these functional areas but someone can also be oblivious to this fact and live an unproductive life. Vibrant energy can therefore never be achieved by procrastinating important things because this will make someone miss out on life’s best moments.

Peace and harmony can therefore only be achieved through observation of good health, and exercising, but ultimately, it all boils down to revitalizing the basic elements of individual wellbeing; failure to which apathy will be experienced. Covey (2010b) affirms that “…….every day provides a new opportunity for renewal–a new opportunity to recharge yourself instead of hitting the wall. All it takes is the desire, knowledge, and skill” (p. 7).

Conclusion

Becoming a highly effective person is a process of internal self analysis. This study covers seven principle areas provided by Stephen Covey‘s framework that defines highly effective people. Most of the issues identified in this study are internally motivated and largely depend on self-will. They also largely outline areas which concentrate on strengtheneing the functional areas of human growth.

The first habit of being proactive seeks to motivate people to take responsibility for their actions and helps them focus on areas they would best make a change; as opposed to areas they have very little impact on.

The second habit of end consideration empowers people to know the direction they are following and expend their energy towards the accomplishment of their ultimate goals in life. This principle also encourages people to appreciate what is of importance to their lives and concentrate less on what is unimportant. The third principle of issue prioritization also talks more or less on the same thing but it encourages people to take up what they can do and avoid situations of burnout where they try to do everything at the same time.

The fourth strategy is the win-win attitude which encourages people to appreciate other people’s concerns as opposed to theirs. The fifth habit is closely associated with the fourth because it encourages people to understand others’ point of view as opposed to theirs.

The sixth and seventh habits can however be employed concurrently because they incorporate the employment of synergy and emphasize on the strengths of an individual because the latter can be used to develop synergy if used collectively. Comprehensively, the development of a highly effective person revolves around the 7 key areas of competence described above.

References

Covey, S. (2010a). The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. Web.

Covey, S. (2010b). The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Web.

Harvey, G. (2008). Manage Your Life with Outlook for Dummies. New York: For Dummies.

Teague, S. (2010). The Ultimate Leadership Guide. The Ultimate Guide.

Torrence, J. (2010). The Importance of Happy Employees. Web.

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