Applications of seven habits by Steven Covey Essay Example for Free

Applications of seven habits by Steven Covey Essay This classic best seller for management, organisations and personal development encapsulates Steven Covey’s research on 200 years of success literature since his doctoral program. It is perhaps the most influential book for managers and organizations to learn the Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, as the title suggest. It begins with the concept that people perceive the world differently, and we form our own paradigm – how we view the world with our own unique â€Å"lens†. Covey explains that paradigms are the source of our attitudes and behaviours. Part of achieving insight involves making a â€Å"paradigm shift† which causes us to perceive things differently. Our paradigms will affect how we interact with others, which in turn will affect how they interact with us. Covey argues that any effective self-help program must begin with an â€Å"inside-out† approach, rather than looking at our problems as â€Å"being out there† (an inside-out approach). We must start by examining our own character, paradigms, and motives. Hence, character and principles are keys to success, effectiveness, and happiness in life. The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People points out: â€Å"Principles are guidelines for human conduct that are proven to have enduring, permanent value.† The seven habits divided into two main groups: private victory (independence) and public victory (interdependence). Habits of Independence: Habit 1: Be Proactive We must use our resourcefulness to work toward our personal goals. Everyone has both a circle of influence and a circle of concern. Worrying endlessly about things outside of our circle of influence isn’t particularly productive. Working within our circle of influence is productive. Further, the more effective we become, the more our circle of influence will expand. Habit 2: Begin with the End in Mind What do we want people to say about us at our funerals? How will we be remembered? To succeed, Cov ey suggests visualization. Every successful outcome is created twice; first one plan and second on implementation. Habit 3: Put First Things First The key to putting first things first is to understand that we have many things we can do which will have a significant, positive impact on our lives. Covey stresses that we must balance Production (P) with Productive Capability (PC). We must keep the golden eggs, but also maintain goose. Prioritization is the essence of time management. Interdependence The remaining habits in The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People are habits of interdependence. Rather than being dependent upon other people, or trying to be totally independent, we learn how to be more effective by effectively working with others. Habit 4: Think Win/Win Thinking Win/Win means seeking mutual benefit in our human interactions. To be successful in the long run, we should learn to consider other’s win factors besides our own. Habit 5: Seek First to Understand, then to be Understood Most people talk more than they listen. Until we listen actively and seek to understand others, we would not be understood. Active listening is about sensing the three modes of communications, i.e. visual, vocal and verbal. Habit 6: Synergize It means that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Combining the strengths of each individual yields multiple outcome beyond expectations, simply ‘1+1>2’. Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw Just as a machine will wear out quickly if not properly maintained, the same is true for our own personal productivity. We must take care of ourselves. The four dimensions are physical, mental, social/emotional and spiritual renewals. To me, the first concept on paradigm is profound. I agree that when we change our perspectives, our attitudes and behaviours will change. To achieve enrichment in life, we need to understand our own paradigm, crystalize and anchor our principles. I have adopted these principles and find peace in self-awareness, social relationship and professional communications. Covey has successfully synthesised the successful habits of leaders, crystallised and organized them into two progressive segments. In line with child development from birth through death, one indeed grows from dependence to independence in early childhoo d to adolescence. We then mature to adults, where we progress from independence to interdependence. The seven habits are indeed proven to be critical for any individual to attain private and public victories. Hence it is no surprise that whenever I business leaders within my network on which are some books they would read to enrich their management knowledge, this book is voted as the most influential book that changed their lives. I have personally adopted these habits in my personal and professional communications and testify their effectiveness. I have sharpened my strengths in strategic thinking and leadership by adopting the habits of ‘Begin with the end in mind’ and ‘Synergize’. For instance at the Polytechnic, I mooted the idea of Young GEMS(Go-the-Extra-Miles-for-Service) camp for upper secondary school students to build our prospects for future enrolment. Upon approval from management for the Young GEMS camp, I formed a program team and successfully lead it to implement the camp through skilful synergy of the individual’s competence. This book has provided comprehensive coverage on the why and how of each habit. The only gap I see is that the context are US-based. It would be better if there is an Asian version with case studies of local enterprises and leaders, for the benefit of Asian readers. For instance, unlike Americans, Asians are generally weak in questioning skills to ‘seek to understand’ others. It would be helpful if there are some recommended strategies in questioning to gain insights of other’s perspectives. Also, Asians tends to individual and less apt to working in teams, particularly in appreciating individual strengths, expressing diversified opinions openly. Asian case studies on ‘Win-win’ and ‘Synergize’ would certainly be helpful. There is no doubt that all seven habits are pivotal in today’s managers and organisations. I personally have benefited as an account manager in Hewlett-Packard Singapore Sales when I was sponsored to attend the Seven Habits of Highly Effective People one-week course. It has significantly increased my self-awareness, strategic thinking skills, time-management skills and revolutionizes my perspectives in life. I can testify that the Habits are practical prescriptions for building trustworthy and lasting relationships, hence empowering managers to be effective leaders who could develop the most conducive working environment that attracts and retains like-minded talents for the good of society. Applications of seven habits by Steven Covey. (2016, Aug 05).

Article Abstract Assignments Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 3

Article Abstract Assignments - Assignment Example The researchers used both the empirical method and the theoretical approach but their empirical research is limited and does not provide insight regarding the outcomes of holding major sporting events. The researchers figured out that certain times investment in a particular city’s infrastructure is over utilized and due to this other cities suffer. Secondly, host cities may end up investing more than the supply of tourists and they may face a loss. The researchers even figured out that tourists who come to watch the event can only help in covering the operational cost and not the infrastructure cost. Thirdly, the event can only attract short term tourism and in order to maintain the attraction of the region, more investment needs to be done. The researchers were successful in determining that investment in infrastructure should be done in compliance with the demand and they even provided insight that to keep attracting more tourists, new investments will be required so it inv estments conducted to attract tourist is not a onetime investment. The researchers lacked in conducted a long empirical research on providing details regarding the experiences of the tourists of such

Science and Technology in Education Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Science and Technology in Education - Essay Example The journal article has introduced very important points which could provide readers more understanding of the teaching process. One of the key points was about recognizing that teaching is individual and how important is to reflect and maintain reflection as a tool for doing so as proposed by Flick. The teacher who recognizes individual differences among his pupils has an edge over those who do not recognize the same. Recognition of these variations helps the teacher maximize learning. Different students with different abilities and personality types learn more with varying techniques. Students low in authoritarianism, low in tendency to dichotomize, low in the need for structure, and high in the ability to tolerate frustrations have been found to learn more when the Socratic questions and answer method is used while children of different reasoning skills learn more with the discovery and expository methods. The setting in which teaching and learning takes place has different effects on students with different aptitudes, personalities, and motivations. ... I believe that whatever strategy I will use should be based on my own assessments of my pupils. A general rule is to recognize the worth and dignity of the learners at all grade levels. The strengths of the journal article are its reliability, significance, credibility of authors. The aim of the study is clearly stated and conveys what the researcher is setting out to achieve. The aim of the pilot study is to explore the value of microteaching and technology in relation to teaching students science subjects or concepts in relation to their learning needs. To describe, the aim is very purposive and is geared towards further understanding of the needs of students and how the current teaching strategies affect these people. Research literature found on the research is composed of discussions of facts and principles to which the present study is related. The materials that were used were usually printed and found in books, encyclopedias, professional journals, magazines, newspapers, and other publications. The literature review should reflect the current state of knowledge relevant to the study and identify any gaps or conflicts. It should include key or classic studies on the topic as well as up to date literature. There should be a balance of primary and secondary sources. The surveyed materials were as recent as possible. This is important because of the rapid social, economic, scientific, and technological changes. Findings several years ago may be of little value today because of the fast changing life style of the people. Materials reviewed were objective and unbiased. Some materials are extremely or subtly one-sided, either political, or religious,