The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People presented to the PSA members in Houston, TX on February 27, 1997 by John R. S. Mascio (mascio@pencom.com, mascio@ryu.com)
This presentation is based on the work of Dr. Covey and is an overview of some fairly detailed and complex material. Some of you will find it valuable, for others it will not ?click?. There is no real ?New Material?, but only a new structure. The material is all common knowledge and most of you will know it already. All Covey is doing, is tying all the ?bits and pieces? in to a coherent whole. Much of this presentation is taken from primarily 3 Sources: * The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People By Dr. Stephen R. Covey * The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People Audio Learning System Application Workbook by The Covey Leadership Center * The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People Participant Manual by The Covey Leadership Center I am also drawing on my on experience and attempting to tie the material to Pencom/PSA?s culture.
Who are you, and why are you here? What are your expectations? What do you want to get out of this material?
Habits 1-3 - Private victory - the foundation 1) Habit of Personal Vision 2) Habit of Personal Leadership 3) Habit of Personal Management Habits 4-6 - Public victory - Leadership 4) Habit of Interpersonal Leadership 5) Habit of Communication 6) Habit of Creative Cooperation Habit 7 - maintaining balance, growth, PC, education 7) Habit of Self-Renewal
There are a number of concepts and definitions used in the Seven Habits material ...
Habits are patterns of behavior composed of 3 over-lapping components: * Skills: how to * Knowledge: what to, why to * Desire: want to They are learned not inherited, therefore they are of our second nature, not of our first nature. We are NOT our habits, we can change our habits any time we want. In the essay ?The common denominator of Success? Albert E. Gray says, ?All successful people have the habit of doing the things failures don?t like to do. The don?t like doing them either, necessarily, but their dislike is subordinated to the strength of purpose.? Successful people daily weave habits of effectiveness into their lives to achieve the desired results. Dislike for a task is subordinated to the goal.
Character ethic concerns itself with traits such as: Sincerity, temperance, trustworthiness, humbleness, ? Benjamin Franklin?s biography is a classic example. Personality ethic concerns itself with traits such as: Image, Technique, Skills, Attitudes (I.E. PMA), ... Covey found in the first 150 years of the US, the Success Literature concerned itself with the "Character Ethic" over personality development. Traits like, temperance, sincerity, humility, courage, integrity, honesty, industry, and thrift. The character ethic taught that there are certain principle of effective living that can not be violated if one wishes to be "successful". Since the 1930's the emphasis has shifted to personality or influence techniques, methods, and skills. They are geared toward "quick and painless" results. It teaches success is a function of public image, of attitudes and behaviors, skills and formulas that lubricate the process of human interaction. Often becoming manipulative or deceptive.
Character is what we are, not how we act (technique). We can change techniques and still be who we are. We have a constant inner core that guides and directs our actions in a consistent fashion. Techniques w/o character can appear to be deceptive or manipulative.
The principle of the farm. It basically implies we need to do our homework instead of trying to ?work the system?. If we put in the time and effort up front, instead of trying to find the easy way out, we will find things work better in the long run. It is also a reference to planning, and taking the long view. Habit are powerful forces in our lives. They can hold us back, or keep us on course. They are consistent and unconscious patterns that allow us to express our character and produce or effectiveness --- or our ineffectiveness.
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