Posts Tagged ‘7 Habits Of Highly Effective People’
We are never powerless
In the face or world disasters, personal hardship and events over which we have no control it is easy to feel overwhelmed and powerless. In this situation I recommend Stephen Covey’s The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.
In Habit 1: Be Proactive, Covey recommends that instead of submitting to a general malaise we divide things up into those things over which we have no real control and those things about which we can do something. (The most important one of these of course is controlling how we feel by examining the thoughts we allow ourselves to have but that’s another story!)
Covey suggests that we first note all our concerns (illustrated by the big circle), then pick out the things we can influence (the smaller circle in the middle)
As we take action on the things we CAN influence we feel more empowered and in control. This more action we take the more empowered we feel and this has the effect of enlarging the inner circle and reducing the effect of the bigger one.
Focusing on how impotent we are to change things is disempowering. Focusing on what we CAN do is empowering and allows us to change more than we ever thought possible.
Posted in Inspiration | 
Tags: 7 Habits Of Highly Effective People, Control, Face, General Malaise, Habit, Impotent, Inner Circle, Personal Hardship, Stephen Covey, World Disasters | 
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Win-Win
When I worked in the printing industry many moons ago the prevailing culture was one of conflict. The management thought it was great to get the five trades unions fighting each other and it was hardly surprising that the whole industry collapsed.
A few years later I read The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Steven Covey and thought how much the idea of creating win-win situations would have changed the way things were done. Since then I’ve tried to create win/win situations in most things that I do.
The blog ‘The Complete Networker’ and the events detailed in there is an example of how a co-operative approach benefits a huge number of people and everyone involved deserves huge congratulations for their abundant win-win thinking.
THE 7 HABITS OF HIGHLY EFFECTIVE PEOPLE
HABIT 4: THINK WIN-WIN
Think Win-Win isn’t about being nice, nor is it a quick-fix technique. It is a character-based code for human interaction and collaboration.
Most of us learn to base our self-worth on comparisons and competition. We think about succeeding in terms of someone else failing–that is, if I win, you lose; or if you win, I lose. Life becomes a zero-sum game. There is only so much pie to go around, and if you get a big piece, there is less for me; it’s not fair, and I’m going to make sure you don’t get anymore. We all play the game, but how much fun is it really?
Win-win sees life as a cooperative arena, not a competitive one. Win-win is a frame of mind and heart that constantly seeks mutual benefit in all human interactions. Win-win means agreements or solutions are mutually beneficial and satisfying. We both get to eat the pie, and it tastes pretty darn good!
A person or organization that approaches conflicts with a win-win attitude possesses three vital character traits:
Integrity: sticking with your true feelings, values, and commitments
Maturity: expressing your ideas and feelings with courage and consideration for the ideas and feelings of others
Abundance Mentality: believing there is plenty for everyone
Many people think in terms of either/or: either you’re nice or you’re tough. Win-win requires that you be both. It is a balancing act between courage and consideration. To go for win-win, you not only have to be empathic, but you also have to be confident. You not only have to be considerate and sensitive, you also have to be brave. To do that–to achieve that balance between courage and consideration–is the essence of real maturity and is fundamental to win-win.
From https://www.stephencovey.com/7habits/7habits-habit4.php
To see a win-win in action look here ‘The Complete Networker’
Posted in Inspiration, Steps to Success Events | Tags: 7 Habits Of Highly Effective People, Abundance Mentality, Balancing Act, Character Traits, Commitments, Conflicts, Courage, Frame Of Mind, Habit, Human Interaction, Human Interactions, Many Moons, Maturity, Mutual Benefit, Networker, Operative Approach, Printing Industry, Self Worth, Seven Habits Of Highly Effective People, Steven Covey, True Feelings, Zero Sum Game | No Comments »
