The 7 Habits of highly effective people It will help you get back in touch with yourself. You will be reminded that you have complete control over your own life. It will remind you that it is you alone who are responsible for the decisions and situations you make.

Unchanging laws, nature’s actual laws are the basis of The 7 Habits. You are empowered by them. These habits will help you to see yourself as someone who is able to write your program.

These habits teach us the value of empathy and cooperation.. These experiences will make you see the interdependence of reality. You’ll learn to see the world from perspectives different than yours.

Stephen R. Covey

Stephen R. Covey was a respected teacher and leader. His expertise in family and organization consulting was another. Covey spent his whole life teaching principles-centered leadership. Dr. Covey received a M.B.A. degree from Harvard University, and a doctorate at Brigham Young University.

Covey was professor at Brigham Young University and also director of university relationships. The National Fatherhood Initiative awarded him the Fatherhood Award in 2003. According to Dr. Robertson, the fatherhood award is the best award he received. Dr. Covey served as vice-chairman and cofounder of FranklinCovey Company.

On July 16, 2012, he died while working on ten writing projects. His company still shares Dr. Covey’s vision, discipline, and passion for inspiring. This company provides the tools and lifts up people all over the world.

PART I: PARADIGMS & PRINCIPLES

Inside-Out

Many people are successful at work but fail in their personal lives. They don’t trust their employees, so they don’t take a day off. Their children don’t feel connected to them anymore.

They’re a success story on the outside but on the verge of collapse from the inside. Their marriages are falling apart. Their children don’t talk to them. They don’t have any friends. They are losing their lives.

These are serious and difficult problems. A quick fix doesn’t work in this case. We must change our attitudes and perceptions to make these situations better.

The basis of any success was character ethics in the past. Humility, courage and integrity are all examples of character ethics.

However, personality ethics became the cornerstone of the success story after the second world war. It encompasses our behavior and interactions with other people.

Before we learn more about the habits of effective people, we’ll try to understand our paradigms and paradigm shifts. Social paradigms can include personality ethics as well as character ethics.

A paradigm refers to the way that we view and perceive the world. A paradigm, which is like a map showing a particular territory, can be described as a blueprint of another thing. Two people can see the same thing and interpret it differently, and they’ll both be correct. It’s not logical but psychological.

How we relate to people is affected by our paradigms. A paradigm shift is the ‘Aha!’ moment when you begin to see things differently.

The shifts from the Newtonian model of physics to Einstein’s theory is a paradigm shift. The same goes for the transition from monarchy into democracy.

Principles of Human Effectiveness

We’ll now learn about principles that lead to human effectiveness.

We look at someone’s success, and we ask them how they did it. Our goal is to quickly find the solution that will allow us to attain similar success. How we view the problem will determine how to solve it. We can change the circumstances dramatically using our personality ethics. We don’t go more in-depth to change the paradigm within ourselves.

We call this the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. It is a new way of thinking that is deeper and paradigm-based. It’s an inside out approach, which means we’ll start from the most inside part of ourselves.

The 7 Habits—An Overview

The habits that we adopt are the foundation of our character.

Our habits determine our effectiveness. An habit can be defined as the union of knowledge, skills, and desire. The ability to know what you should do and the skill to accomplish it is knowledge. Desire is the desire to achieve it.

It is important to address all dimensions of a habit in order to make it a good one. Although it can be painful to change a bad habit, you will eventually find happiness. Happiness is the ultimate goal of life. It is so worth the effort.

These 7 natural laws are interdependent. Nature is inextricably interconnected. Being physically mature doesn’t make us emotionally mature, as well. Our maturity continuum includes dependence. Please enter your email address. The paradigm of independence is I, Interdependence and the paradigm of We.

Contrary to what many believe, independence does not rule. In the name of autonomy, people often abandon their children after failing to marry. These people are not good leaders. It is better to be interdependent than independent.

It’s a choice only independent people can make. If you’re independent, you can work on habits 4, 5, and 6, and if you’re interdependent, you can develop habits 1, 2, and 3. Habit 7 is the one that encircles all others. It’s a renewal.

It is all about the balance between P and PC that effectiveness lies. Production stands for production. Production capability stands for production capacity. Too much attention is paid to the production, and not enough on the actual assets.

There are three types of assets. If you don’t want to ruin your machines, deplete your bank accounts, or break your relationships, focus on these assets as well.

PART TWO – PRIVATE VICTORY

HABIT 1 – Be proactive

Each of us is responsible for our lives. Your behavior will reflect your choices, not the conditions.

We are not proactive if we allow others to control us. This means that we are willing to be controlled. People who are reactive are motivated by their emotions while people who are proactive are motivated by their values.

What happens to us doesn’t matter; what matters is our response to it.

Proactivity is taking the initiative and acting on it. This is nature’s law. Unfortunately, most people don’t realize this. They expect others to assist them. They don’t use their R and I (resourcefulness and initiative).

We are free to choose our actions, but we aren’t free to choose the consequences.

Positive results will be achieved if you live in accordance with nature’s principles. They will be resisted. The consequences of our actions will be the opposite end.

Only when we reach the other side of the stick do we realize what our error was.

Our response to the error determines how we will live the next day. Make commitments and stick to them to build the habit of success.

Accept responsibility for your problems, and take steps to resolve them. Try the principle of proactivity for at least thirty days, and you’ll develop the habit.

HABIT 2 — Begin with End in Mind

Personal Leadership: Principles

OK, let me ask you to visualize yourself at the funeral.

Would you like your friends and family to think about you?

If you manage to experience this deep visualization, you’ll know your fundamental values.

Your last day is the beginning of your new life. Your actions and words should not contradict what you believe is the best. Every day can contribute positively to the overall vision that you have for yourself and your life. Start with the end in order to see a bigger picture.

To live by, create a personal statement. Start at the centre of your circle.

The center of all your power, security, guidance and wisdom is this. This interdependent factor creates a well-rounded character and beautiful person. Each of us has a central point through which to approach our lives.

Your mission statement

Your mission statement can change your life. It’s not a day’s work. Throughout the process, you’ll be analyzing yourself. You’ll be rethinking your beliefs, evaluating your behaviors, and reconsider your priorities. You can use your entire brain.

Define your role and set goals. To achieve harmony and balance in your life, you can create your mission statement by defining your tasks. Your responsibilities will then be clear.

These goals can be reviewed regularly and you should avoid allowing yourself to indulge in any of them. You will be able to focus on your goals and the outcomes you desire in life. There are two options: a mission statement for an organization and a family. They will all be founded on common values and shared visions. These will serve as a reference point and a guideline to all of us, even if you don’t have anyone to direct you.

HABIT 3 – Prioritize First

Personal Management Principles

These are the two most important questions to ask before we dive into the third.

1. If you are doing it consistently, what is the one thing that will make a difference in your life?
2. Which thing will you do for your professional success?

Habit two is the mental and first creation. Habit three is the physical and second. It’s the first step towards becoming principle-centered.

You’ll only be able to adopt this habit if you’ve already adopted the first two habits. This implies that you’re already aware of your paradigms and have a clear vision.

It is indisputable that independent will has the power to empower people. The ability to use this gift in our daily lives can give us empowerment. The amount of independence we show is a key indicator of our integrity. Leaders decide what the first things should be, and active management puts first things before all else.

The art of time management involves prioritizing your priorities and organizing them. The three generation of time management theory can be described in one sentence. First, it was all about making notes and creating checklists. The second generation shifted to appointment books and calendars. The third generation is all about setting goals and reaching targets.

The problem is that with a focus on efficiency and time-control, we don’t get the opportunity to build relationships or enjoy small moments. So, there’s a fourth-generation. This fourth-generation argues that time management is the real problem, not human management. It is about relationships and not on things or time.

The following are activities that you can try.

1. Write down all of your key roles.
2. Pick your goal for each position.
3. You can schedule your time so that you achieve your goals daily or weekly.
4. Adapt daily.

PART THREE – PUBLIC VICTORY

The Paradigms Of Interdependence

This is called the law of succession.

For good interpersonal relationships, one must first master themselves. Self-reliance is linked to self-respect. All other skills come later.

The character ethic is the source of our words and actions. They shouldn’t come from artificial relation techniques: the personality ethic.

Don’t look for quick fixes when the acute pain of poor relationships becomes unbearable. Take a look at the root cause of your problem. Don’t ask others to change. You must work on yourself.

We also have an emotionally bank account. This account allows us to deposit honest, kind and courteous money.

The relationship is stable and we have some trust. It is easier to feel secure in a relationship. Now if you’re continually demanding one thing or another from the person you’re in a relationship without doing your part, your withdrawals will increase your deposits.

It is important to keep the balance. You have six options to increase your deposit.

1. Understanding the other person
2. Attention to the small things
3. Respect your commitments
4. Clarify what others may expect from you
5. Be a person of integrity
6. When you withdraw money, apologize for it.

HABIT 4: Win/Win

Principles of Interpersonal Leadership

Win/win is neither a strategy nor a technique. It’s a paradigm, a philosophy of human interaction. Alternative paradigms include Win/Lose or Lose, Lose/Win Lose/Lose and Win/Win Or No Deal.

Win/Win can be described as a mindset and heart. It doesn’t believe in my way or your way, it believes in a better way. It is a concept we learn from childhood. People begin to compare siblings as children. We begin to see competition as a way of achieving cooperation.

So, we want to win at the cost of others’ losing. You can lose or win. It means you give up easily and it shows that you’re weak.

If two people are Win/Lose, they create a loss/lose situation. Their egos can’t let others win, even if they’ve to lose as well.

The question is, what paradigm does your organization prefer? It depends on what situation you are in. If it’s a football match, Win/Lose is the best option.

Choose to Lose/Win if you feel that the relationship is more important than your own.

Let’s get to the last option: Win/Win or no deal.

When you know that you can leave with no deal, you won’t settle with less than a Win/Win, you’ll be independent.

You can achieve success with relationships by thinking win/win.

The five components of it are character, relationships and agreements. It also supports systems and processes.

HABIT 5 – First Understand to Get Understood

Principles of Empathic Communication

You might imagine going to the optometrist if you are having trouble with your vision.

He removes his glasses from the frame and requests that you put them on. You tell him that everything’s a blur; the glasses don’t work for you.

What if he tells you that’s you’re just ungrateful because those very glasses work for him.

Are you willing to go back to the same optometrist?

Now imagine your kid tells you he doesn’t want to go to school because he doesn’t like it. Your child is upset that you have worked so hard to pay his school fees. You tell him that he doesn’t see your sacrifices, or he should have a positive attitude instead. What would your child think of you?

Problem. Good advice is what we need to do. Fail to diagnose the problem; we’re always in a hurry to prescribe.

Four ways to communicate

There are four methods of communicating: speaking, listening, writing and reading. If you do them well, you’re effective.

This is where emphatic listening comes in. That’s what we’re all poor at. It is our desire to share our stories, our righteousness and our learnings.

When we listen, we either ignore what the other person’s saying or pretend to listen.

Listening to only the spoken words can be either selective or attentive. We don’t try to understand what’s behind the words-the emotions. Remember that man’s greatest need after physical survival is psychological survival.

Autobiographical listening is what we do. We respond to these questions in four different ways: analyze, probe and advise.

All of us have a tendency to either agree or disagree, to question the other person’s behavior from our own frame of reference, to give advice based on our own experience, and to explain their actions through their motives.

We must be vigilant enough to distinguish when our response is logical and when it’s only emotional.

This habit lies in the middle of your circle of influence; it’s in your control. Learn about the problems of others before you judge them. Understanding others is the first step to understanding them.

HABIT 6, Synergize

Principles of Creative Cooperation

You will be able to create the habit of harmony by incorporating these five habits. It’s the culmination of all your other habits.

The four endowments are Win/Win motive and empathic communications. This unites all the great powers in people. It is what it means.

Well, synergy means that the whole is greater than just the sum of its parts. Three or more equals one plus one. The relationship between them is a part, the exciting and most important part.

Communicating synergistically is to communicate your thoughts and feelings. This means that you trust others will benefit from the conversation and your conversations will lead to growth and learning.

Teachers and students create a learning environment in which everyone can speak and hear one another.

Then they hit upon an idea, and there’s suddenly a new wave of excitement and interest. Synergy is the collective replacement of an outdated script by a new one.

In business as well, synergy leads to writing a new collective mission statement actual which is engraved in everyone’s hearts and minds. Creativity is the best part of synergy. You don’t know the results. You have endless possibilities.

PART IV: RENEWAL

HABIT 7 – Sharpen the Saw

Principles of balanced self-renewal

Suppose you come across someone who’s sawing down a tree. He looks exhausted, must’ve been working for hours.

He tells you to stop and make the saw sharper, which will speed up its performance. But he tells you that he doesn’t have time to sharpen the saw because he’s too busy sawing. Habit seven concerns taking the time necessary to sharpen your saw.

This is a list of dimensions that can be described using different words or philosophies. Philosopher Herb Shepherd says that a balanced lifestyle revolves around these four values. Tone, connection, autonomy, perspective. These numbers correspond to each of the dimensions. Sharpening the saw refers to expressing all four motivations.

Meditation and reading are two of the best ways to revive your spirituality.

Our mental growth is largely dependent on education. But after leaving school or getting a degree, we don’t like any serious reading. We prefer to watch TV. We need to develop habit number three in order to really get the most from it. You will be able to differentiate between information and entertainment. Make TV your master and learn to read good literature.

Most important, remember habit number five when you are learning and reading. You will be able to understand more without having to write your autobiography. Another way to achieve daily personal victory is through writing. The habits of four, five and six have an impact on emotional/social development.

This is built on principles such as interpersonal leadership, empathy communication and cooperative creativity. Effective interdependent living requires a renewal of the social/emotional dimensions.

All of us are a product of social media. Since we view others as responsible persons, we look for their approval.

There are times when someone’s trust in us makes a difference in our lives. That’s the power of positive and encouraging scripters. It is important to find balance when renewing.

Each dimension should be considered. The business world should focus on three dimensions, and leave out the fourth. They are focused on business, service and economics, as well as human relations. However, they do not believe in recognizing and developing talent.

It is synergetic to have balanced renewal. It’s like a upward spiral to growth and improvement. The spiral is a progression of learning, commitment, and repeating the process.

Personal take-out

The 7 habits of highly effective people Twenty million copies have been sold for good reason. The book ranks among the top self-help books.

Personally, I think this is one of those books that cover the basics really thoroughly and is a great book to read in its entirety if you haven’t read much in this genre before.

These were my top takeaways.

1. You can make lasting changes by changing more than your behaviour.
2. Think ‘win-win’
3. First, look for understanding and then seek to be understood

Free Audiobook

Do you find this summary interesting?

Summary of books are available. GreatBut I do believe the actual book will help you to understand it better. You can learn more by reading the whole book. for free via Audible

Make it a reality

You should read the entire book and put these seven habits into practice. However, after you’ve finished this summary, try to improve your listening skills during any conversation that you are having.

Consider how you could be better at listening.

You should consider buying this book if…

This is one of those classics that covers the general ‘how not to be a shit human’ parts of life, so really, the book is fitting for everyone.

However, if you’ve read a million self-help books before, then you’re probably not going to find much new information. On the other hand, if you’re just starting out, then this book is perfect for you.

Also, check out our summaries for other business books.