The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Book Review Example

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey takes a look at the relationships that we maintain.  At the base of all of our problems lies an inability to fully understand what we want, which in turns affects how we interact with the people and world around us.  Through the use of this guide, Covey believes that a person can create a life plan that will maximize full potential, while inviting and incorporating the energies of others to create an environment where solutions are constantly generated.

The first Habit, “Be Proactive,” discusses how important it is to know what you want and what you can control. Many of us are limited by the conditions of our lives, due to a number of outside influences, such as ancestry, upbringing, and/or our environment.  In the proactive model that Covey illustrates, self-awareness allows freedom of choice, which curbs the reactionary response that limits all other animals.  Animals are simply conditioned into behaviors, but people ultimately have the power to choose how they respond.  Proactive behavior is “a product of [one’s] own conscious choice, based on values, rather than a product their conditions, based on feeling.” (71) The first step is to identify the things in life we care most about. All of our cares live in what Covey calls the “Circle of Concern,” and the ones that we can affect – either directly or indirectly – are inside a smaller circle called the “Circle of Influence.” (81-82) When we focus on the issues in the Circle of Influence, we only grow intellectually, thus increasing self-awareness and expanding the Circle of Influence to include more of the things that concern us as a whole. Covey believes that asserting your own ability to choose your response and act – instead of reacting – will produce more success and slowly erode the excuses that accompany failure [93].

The proactive mind is most effective when working in the center of the Circle of Influence, most notably on the system of values that shape our vision. (109) The factors of security, guidance, wisdom, and power create a paradigm in this circle that have an impact on every aspect of your life.  It is here where Habit #2, “Begin with the End in Mind,” begins to form.  This habit compels a person to use imagination to envision the life that they want to live, and how that life affects the world around them. The goal is to find a balance that creates harmony, an agreement between what you do and what you believe.  From this state, principles – deep, fundamental truths – are born. (122) Since principles are the unwavering, natural laws that seem to permeate through the ages, a principled-centered life is the ideal.  This principled-centered life is best represented in the form of an encompassing mission statement, which is the solid expression of your vision and values.  As Covey writes, “It becomes the criterion by which you measure everything else in your life.” (129) Since the process of success is as important as success itself, this mission statement is one of the most important ways to create a life of effective behavior.

Habit #3, “Put First Things First,” builds on the development of the first two habits by honing the craft of personal management.  Covey explains the functions of our management with the use of four Quadrants, which are configured in a matrix that displays the difference between what is urgent and what is important.  People tend to spend most of their management energy either “putting out fires” – dealing with urgent things like meeting deadlines and fixing problems, or by wasting time with easy or pleasurable tasks that achieve no real long-term goal.  The solution is somewhere in the middle.  With principles in mind, managing the day-to-day becomes a more focused, results-driven task.  Identifying roles, setting goals, and proper scheduling and delegation are critical in this process.

While the first three Habits focus on building a strong sense of independence in an individual, interdependence – a higher level of human connectivity where independents contribute talents and share values – creates more success. Habit #4, “Think Win/Win,” is an important step on the interdependent journey, basing success on a strong sense of cooperation.  In Win/Win solutions, all parties feel good about decisions and feel committed to an action plan. (207) Instead of creating situations where people must dominate one another, solutions in a Win/Win model are mutually beneficial.  Moreover, since most situations exist in an interdependent reality, Win/Win is the only viable avenue in creating lasting, meaningful solutions. (211) Contrary to its name, a “No Deal” solution is just as healthy as Win/Win.  The goal is to eliminate manipulation and discord, so if two parties have different principles it is better to understand that at the beginning of a relationship than to travel down a road of inevitable conflict. (213) Aspiring for a Win/Win solution is the most effective way to negotiate and merge interests with one another; this model only produces fuller understanding on one another, and either creates success or helps us determine what won’t work.  In either outcome, the work that is done will be far more beneficial than engaging in power struggles.

Habit #5, “Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood,” focuses on the necessity of real listening.  This Habit hones the ability to truly understand and “hear” one another.  More often than not, people listen to each other with their autobiography in mind; they project their life story onto the speaker in an effort to identify (or at least appear to identify) with him or her.  The solution is to develop a sense of empathetic listening, a level of communication in which the listener sees the world as the speaker sees it, through their paradigm, thus understanding how they feel. (240) While it is not easy to master, understanding is a skill that can be practiced inside the Circle of Influence. (257) Listening is a choice anyone can make, and as you continue to listen a deeper understanding of your values can be achieved.

Habit #6, “Synergize,” encompasses the highest activity possible.  Synergy is the combination of all the other habits into a state of being that “makes the whole greater than the sum of its parts.” (263) Synergy is naturally exciting because it takes two or more ideas or people and uses the best of all the factors to create a new reality in which everyone who participates is left better off than before.  The spark of synergy comes from a decision in the individual to become open, to be ready to share their experiences with another or with many.  Brainstorming, intellectual networking, and creativity start to flow, and old structures or barriers between people fall away and new ideas are born.  Using synergy gives the individual an opportunity to not only achieve goals, but to also unlock potential through cooperation.

Learning and incorporating these six Habits in the right combination will indeed create results, but according to Covey these habits will be useless without maintenance and renewal. This is addressed in Habit #7, “Sharpen the Saw.” Sharpening can be approached from a spiritual, mental, physical, or social/emotional front, and can range from exercise to meditation, or from reviewing plans to service to the community.  Whatever dimension you decide to sharpen will automatically affect the others that are in balance with it (303), so the process is beneficial in all respects, as long as it is done.

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People is a guide that takes more than just a read through to comprehend. Like the journey through life it mirrors, it is a book that must be constantly read, its lessons re-absorbed and its application reexamined.  As a person grows, values can change. But the guide can be used again and again.

Works Cited

Covey, Stephen R. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change. New York: Free, 2003. Print.