MY PERSONAL ANALYSIS OF THE BOOK: BY STEPHEN R 7 HABITS OF HIGHLY EFFECTIVE PEOPLE BY STEPHEN R. COVEY WRITTEN BY : UWALEME, NZUBECHI PANTALEON ENL E-mail: [email protected]; [email protected]; Phone: +234-703-633-0505 Twitter: @pantaleonon Facebook: www.facebook.com/pantaleonon 2014 In the course of getting deeply absorbed in reading the 7 habits of highly effective people, I learned as well as acquired numerous insights and principles necessary for efficient and effective living. I would be delighted to briefly share my own thought. INSIDE-OUT PERSONAL EFFECTS-I realized that in search of the true self and how one can effectively impact on one another, there every need for me to start from within, nurture myself before coming out to the surface while recognizing that the principle of interdependence plays a higher value than independence as it will help me to achieve my aspirations and overcome my greatest challenges because when two or more people of similar vibrations are gathered for a purpose, their combined energy directed towards the attainment of that purpose is doubled, tripled, quadrupled and more as the law of fellowship suggests. SEVEN HABITS PERSONAL EFFECTS-I have learned to work on my character ethic and personality ethic and to integrate them meaningfully into habit that comprises my knowledge, skill, and desire for effective living. I have come to realize that for me to achieve my highest aspirations in life and overcome my greatest challenges, I need to identify and apply the natural laws that govern the results I seek. I have inculcated the PC principle in me, that is, balancing between the production output and the production capacity so that there will not be deficiencies in my expected result. BE PROACTIVE PERSONAL EFFECTS-The most essential aspect of my experience in this book is that I have learnt to be proactive in everything I do-trying to be responsible to make things around me happen. I have come to see that working on my circle of influence (that is, areas that I can do something about it and have much control of), will increase my efficiency level and provide initiatives on how to effectively respond to my circle of concern (that is, areas within my environment which I do not have much control of and thus creates problems and concerns for me). Taking the initiative by recognizing my responsibility to make things happen so that I will be able to say someday that, ‘what I am today is because of the choices I made yesterday’. BEGIN WITH THE END IN MIND PERSONAL EFFECTS-I have learnt to live out the event of each day in harmony with my personal mission statement and values that makes me a person bearing the end in mind. I could do this by making sure that my activity each day contributes immensely to the vision I have in life so that I will not spend my time achieving null successes at the expense of the things that are far more valuable to me. It’s all about me creating a mental picture of my future before its physical creation as this will help me to shape my response to any future circumstance. In all, I have to be involved in my life activities in order to be committed. FIRST THINGS FIRST PERSONAL EFFECTS-I realized that my unique human endowments; my imagination, my conscience, my self-awareness and my independent will are indispensable tools that I could use to work with ‘first things first’, to know which is important and not important, urgent and not urgent by using my power of YES and NO in some situations. This will make me a more principled and ethically oriented gentleman. All these I would do with such measures as coherence, balance, focus, people dimension, flexibility and portability in order to manage myself wisely bearing the first things in mind. THINK WIN/WIN PERSONAL EFFECTS-I have come to see that the basic principle of interpersonal leadership is the Win/Win principle-working together for mutual benefit. With this I can effectively deal with people coming from a paradigm of Win/Lose by focusing on my circle of influence through genuine courtesy, respect and appreciation for that person and for the other point of view. For me to do this, I will have to hearken to four principled ways: 1. Viewing the problem from the other point of view by understanding and giving expressions for the concerns of the other person that I am dealing with. 2. Identifying the key issues and concerns involved in the problem. 3. determining what results would constitute a fully acceptable solution, and 4. Identifying possible new options to achieve those results. I think with these few steps I have learnt in dealing with problem concerning people; I can be able to be effective in working with people and working efficiently with things. SEEK FIRST TO UNDERSTAND, THEN TO BE UNDERSTOOD PERSONAL EFFECTS-I have understood that this is the key principle to effective interpersonal communication-trying to understanding the person talking to you first before making judgements or choosing your responses as this will enable the person talking to you to open up and have free mind to relate to you at length, then and only then will your respond with aim of finding better solutions to the issue being discussed. This implies to me that I should be empathic in listening. SYNERGIZE PERSONAL EFFECTS-I understood that the rent we pay for the privilege of living on earth is service and as such synergy becomes the true test and fulfilment of all of the other habits put together. I need synergy in order that I may value differences, respect them; build on strengths and to compensate for weaknesses. I have learnt to synergize in classroom, in communication and all level of human interaction, attesting immensely to the productive outputs and how it has contributed to the success of all my prospects. As an emerging future Nigerian leader, I will achieve effectiveness by working with my fellow leaders in a manner as to ensure mutual understanding and build more trust and integrity so that we will be at liberty to choose our responses wisely when we experiences a stimulus and thus make us principled-centred leaders with proactive minds and values consistent with self-awareness, leadership, creative and moral standard of living. We as humans have what it takes to live above mediocrity if we believe that something really inside is greater than our circumstance. The author has laid his own opinion on what he think could bring about principled-centred leadership, but I believe that my reason for existence is to help others reach their fullest potentials and achieve their destiny in life. Stephen Covey has made me realize that if I’m sleeping, I may not necessarily need to wake; it depends whether the sleep is interesting or boring. In life, the only thing that could keep me committed is the keen heart to aspire for the best because success is ninety-nine percent perspiration and one percent inspiration for there is no way I can make it through thick and thin without implementing dreams in my life and having that fervent mind to accomplish it someday. Finally, I am able to make of this book the conclusion that success in life is not largely a function of age, height, weight, race, weight, status, association or whatever, but the ability to implement a dream, vision that is rooted on purpose and the willingness to follow through till the end of what you seek. That is the success that gives self-realization, self-fulfilment and self-esteem! Take the mind and leave the man. I truly cherish the dignity I share as Emerging Nigerian leader! CSAAE!