The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People summary

Introduction

The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey What is in it for me? Adopt the habits that distinguish highly effective people from the herd. Do you wish you were more effective in life? Maybe you would like to achieve more at work?

Or perhaps you would like to be a more loving and devoted partner. Whatever it is that you want to improve, you will only get there if you change yourself first, and the surest way to achieve lasting personal change is to develop better habits. It is true that we are creatures of habit, not only how we act, but who we are is to a large extent defined by our habits. Routines define our characters, and like gravity pull our behavior in a certain direction.

But what are the habits that can help you become effective? This summary outlines an incremental and integrated program that will improve your personal and professional effectiveness. It focuses on the following habits: being proactive, beginning with an end in mind. Putting first things first, thinking win-win, seeking first to understand, then to be understood, synergizing and sharpening the saw so dive in and join the millions who have already benefited from this approach.

This is the seven habits of highly effective people by Stephen Covey.

Character Over Personality Ethic

For lasting change you have to address your character, not just your behavior. When Stephen Covey embarked on his quest to truly understand the nature of success, he began by immersing himself in some 200 years worth of literature on the topic, starting from 1776. Based on this deep dive, he concluded that generally speaking, there are two ways to strive for improvements to your life. The first method is to work on the skills necessary for the behavior you desire, for instance, if you want to improve your relationships with others.

You might study communication, or body language techniques. We can call this method the personality ethic. It has been particularly popular since the 1920s but despite its sounding like a solid path for growth. It is actually just a shortcut, the personality ethic lets you avoid, working on the fundamental character traits that are, holding you back, promising that some easily learnable technique will be the silver bullet for all your problems.

Unfortunately, this promise is usually empty and it almost never results in lasting personal growth. The second method is far more effective. Working on your character that is, the fundamental habits and belief systems that form, your view of the world. Only behavior stemming straight from your character will endure over time because sooner or later.

Your true character will shine through. This can be called. The character ethic and it emphasizes things like courage, integrity, and the golden rule. It was the dominant approach to success prior to the 1920s, clearly visible in the writings of stalwart individuals such as Benjamin Franklin, so if you really want to change.

You need to work from the inside out if, for example, you would like to have a happy marriage you need to first become a more positive person yourself, not just master. A few easy techniques that will make others like you more so, how can you work on your character?