The 8th Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness
From BookJive
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| Author: | Stephen Covey |
| Publisher: | Free Press |
| Published: | |
| Pages: | 432 |
| ISBN-10: | 762428538 |
| Category: | Array |
[edit] Overview
The 8th Habit offers philosophical ways to think about our purpose in life. At this challenging time in history, it motivates us to consider how we can perform the roles required of the new leaders. These ideas will help you incorporate the messages of The 8th Habit to achieve greatness in your own life.
[edit] Book Summary
[edit] Chapter 1: The Pain
There are many reasons why people become dissatisfied with their chosen career path. Stress, pressure, poor leadership, and frustration kill motivation and stifle creativity. Motivating employees by giving incentives, bonuses, awards, and recognition for good service is a way to invest them in your enterprise. Your staff can be inspired and determined to perform at their highest capacity if they feel like an important part of the industry. Remember, the success of your company lies in the hands of your people.
Many companies expect their employees to produce more in less time and with fewer resources. Some companies don’t utilize all their employees’ skills and intellectual capacity, resulting in personnel who feel left behind, or ineffectual in their endeavors. Many employees don’t have a clear vision of the company mission statement. Reiterating the company’s mission statement in terms that the average employee can relate to gives your staff a stake in the company and a direction to follow.
[edit] Chapter 2: The Problem
The problem begins in the new age—the age of information or the Knowledge Worker Age. New technology and development and globalization have led the way in changing the way people think and operate.
Managers still insist on operating under the controlling state of mind of the industrial age. The workers will move according to the command of the leaders and the lower-level staff members are not allowed any say in the day-to-day operations that they, themselves, have to perform. This paradigm leads to a culture of co-dependency and compliancy. In this culture, a worker loses faith and his voice is lost because he believes that his views are not significant enough to share with upper-management, disconnecting him from the company.
[edit] Chapter 3: The Solution
In order to find the best solution to your problem, first be aware of the skills of your staff. Develop those skills by assigning them the job that is appropriate to their skills. Let their voices be heard. Listen to suggestions; be open to new ideas from your employees. Don’t be afraid of change.
[edit] Part I - Find Your Voice
[edit] Chapter 4: Discover Your Voice - Unopened Birth-Gifts
Each and every one of us has the potentiality to be great, depending on our actions or inactions. Remember, the more you practice the skills that define you, the greater your capacity will become.
[edit] Chapter 5: Express Your Voice -- Vision, Discipline, Passion and Conscience
There are always things you should consider before any kind of responsible decision making can take place. Just using the natural laws or principles as a foundation in the decision making process will make for responsible choices. The human race possesses the gifts of the four intelligences -- Mental, Physical, Emotional, and Spiritual -- for a purpose. They allow us to learn to take individual responsibility, by following our own choices or paths, and give us direction and goals for being. After careful contemplation, using all we have to offer, we can find our purpose or dream and take steps in the direction we want to go. Careful preparations yield the best results.
[edit] Part 2 - Inspire Others to Find Their Voice
[edit] Chapter 6: Inspiring Others to Find Their Voice - The Leadership Challenge
Leadership is defined as influencing and directing the performance of group members towards the achievement of organizational goals. In other words, a leader encourages others to develop their potential and be all and/or the best that he or she can achieve.
Management and Leadership
You need to know the difference between management and leadership. They are both important in an organization because one cannot be useful without the other.
Management is by rote. It’s policy that doesn’t inspire. Leaders inspire. They never tell their people what to do. They show them, leading by example, inspiring creativity and motivation in their staff.
Leadership Response (4 Roles of Leadership)
- Modeling (conscience/spirit). Reflecting a good example to others inspires personnel to mimic the same behavior.
- Path finding (vision/mind). Consider suggestions, recommendations or solutions from your people, choosing the most feasible amid those ideas.
- Aligning (discipline/body). Prepare and supervise an organization to stay on course, by following the best path.
- Empowering (passion / heart). By focusing on the result, knowing the skills of your staff, delegate the tasks accordingly and let your people do their job.
[edit] Chapter 7: The Voice of Influence - Be a Trim-Tab
Modeling is the center of any leadership method. Modeling can be found not only in individuals, but can be reflected in the group, the entire team, or staff. People will identify your group based on how your closely your group performs the mission statement of the company.
A Trim-Tab
A trim-tab is defined as the “rudder on the rudder” of a ship. In situations where constant rudder input is needed, the pilot can move the tab on the rudder to compensate for pilot pressure. Therefore, in a long ascent which requires constant right rudder pressure, the pilot no longer has to maintain the rudder input manually.
A trim-tab leader is a person who seeks to achieve major change with minimum effort. By extending your influence, no matter how big or small it may be, being sensitive to the individual capabilities and skill-sets of the staff, observing perfect timing, and giving consideration to your people, you will be able to achieve this. Don’t underestimate the capabilities of others.
The 7 Levels of Initiative or Self-Empowerment
- Wait until you are told. The area of your influence will be smaller. You don’t have the right to speak out. People under this influence tend to loose their self confidence, showing negative behavior such as criticism, belligerence, bad judgment, rivalry, and contention.
- Ask. Ask about something that is included in your job description but outside your circle of influence. This may be inspiring and adds to your area of influence.
- Make a recommendations. In making a recommendation, you should first analyze the problem then think of a possible solution to solve the problem. Try to have a step-by-step procedure to execute the solution, including an awareness of all realities, making a recommendation in a way that only requires approval by a single signature.
- I intend to. This goes beyond making a recommendation. Once it has been approved, prepare to carry out the action or plan.
- Do it and report immediately. Do an evaluation and present it to people who want to know.
- Do it and report periodically. Self evaluation (within job description and the circle of influence).
- Do it. Execute whatever needs to be executed.
[edit] Chapter 8: The Voice of Trustworthiness - Modeling Character and Competence
The character of the leader can either build or destroy a company. A good leader must be approachable, supporting the needs of his employees, showing his integrity, earning the trust of his staff and peers.
Trustworthiness is one of the most important factors to a relationship-- either personal or professional. It bonds the family or an organization, keeping the whole intact.
Personal Trustworthiness
Trustworthiness comes from character and competence.
Three Aspects of Character
- Integrity. When dealing with people, projecting honesty, keeping promises, and showing a good moral standard will demonstrate that the company has a sense of integrity.
- Maturity. Deal with complicated problems after careful consideration and evaluation. Do not ‘jump the gun’.
- Abundance Mentality. You see life as full of opportunities. You don’t have insecurities about others, and are not resentful of others’ success.
Three Aspects of Competence
- Technical competence. The ability and knowledge needed to finish a task.
- Conceptual knowledge. The ability to spot big opportunities by seeing the ‘big’ picture.
- Interdependency. Being aware that everything in life is interconnected.
Modeling is living The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People:
- Be proactive. Assessing the situation and developing a positive response for it.
- Begin with the end in mind. Set a clear purpose or objective.
- Put first things first. Prioritize and organize.
- Think win-win. Seek mutual respect in every interaction.
- Seek first to understand, and then to be understood. The ability to listen first requires restraint, respect, and reverence. The ability to make yourself understood requires courage and consideration. Stop speaking, start listening.
- Synergize. Understand the other party’s position
- Sharpen the saw. Undergo constant renewal in the four basic areas of life (physical, social/emotional, mental and spiritual).
[edit] Chapter 9: The Voice of Speed and Trust
Seeking to expand your circle of influence and encouraging others to find their voice means that you have to build strong relationships. It will be easy for you to communicate to others once you have earned their trust.
[edit] Chapter 10: Blending Voices - Searching for the Third Alternative
The Win-Win mindset is the principle behind the Third Alternative. It concerns nurturing an attitude that is committed to finding solutions that will truly benefit both sides of a dispute. Only one party has to believe in this mind set. Practicing empathy and truly listening to the other side of the conflict will inspire trust.
The Skill-Set of Searching for the Third Alternative
Communication is the most important skill in life and has four categories—reading, writing, speaking, and listening. Among those four, listening represents 40-50 % of communication time. There are only a small percentage of people, however, who have been formallytrained in listening skills.
5 levels of listening:
- Ignoring
- Pretending to listen
- Selective listening
- Attentive listening
- Emphatic listening
Two Steps to Searching for a Third Alternative
- You must be willing to search for the best solutions among all proposed solutions.
- You must agree to one simple ground rule -- no one can make his or her point until they have repeated the other person's point to his or her satisfaction.
[edit] Chapter 11: One Voice - Path-Finding Shared Vision, Values and Strategy
The 8th habit is a combination of attitude, skill, and knowledge. To be a great leader you need to gain the trust of other people, making it much easier for you to communicate with them. You also need to help people to develop their specific abilities and encourage them to be the best that they can be. People need models to serve as their guide, showing that they can work and lead in different ways.
Path-finding is the hardest responsibility of all because you have to deal with many issues, personalities, agendas, levels of trust, and egos. You must know and wrestle with the four realities, gain a full understanding of a problem, and implement the path-finding role. You need to clarify these four realities before you can focus on where the organization is heading.
The Four Realities
- Market Realities. How do people in the organization recognize the marketplace?
- Core competencies. What are your unique strengths?
- Stakeholder wants and needs. Research the needs of the target consumers, suppliers, owners, and employees.
- Values. Beliefs of a person or social group in which they have an emotional investment.
Path-finding (Focus) Tools - The Mission Statement and Strategic Plan
Through group interaction, create a written mission statement and a strategic plan. Include in your mission statement your sense of purpose, your vision, and your values. This is your goal - your roadmap.
A strategic plan describes how you will provide value to your customers and stakeholders. This provides useful information for the decision making process. By focusing on your strategic plan and developing a guide, your staff can stay on track.
Empowered mission statements are usually produced when there are enough fully informed people, who interact freely, working with others for common purposes, and are in an environment with high trust.
[edit] Chapter 12: The Voice and the Discipline of Execution - Aligning Goals and Systems for Results
The organization is the second major source of trust. An organization, however, requires both organizational character and organizational competence. These are the very principles that people have created into their value systems. These principles are the foundation for designing structures, systems, processes, and personal values connected with organizational values and mission statements.
Discipline is needed to align your structures, systems, processes and culture. Doing this allows you to realize your goals.
Aligning requires constant attention. As reality changes, constant adjustment is required. Realities change, so the systems must change to reflect updates, but should be based on unchanging universal principles.
An alignment tool called the Balance Score Card feedback system can be used. This system can inform you if your strategy and your mission are still connected to each other.
[edit] Chapter 13: The Empowering Voice - Releasing Passion and Talent
Empowerment allows people to take control, manage and organize their own lives and careers. It is the result of personal and organizational trustworthiness.
When people are empowered, the leader ceases to be the boss. The leader is not afraid of losing control of the people, allowing, instead, his people to manipulate those things that affect them.
Leaders create a much higher degree of flexibility, adaptability, and creativity by focusing on the maturity, character, and capability of each team member.
[edit] The Age of Wisdom
[edit] Chapter 14: The 8th Habit and the Sweet Spot
The 8th Habit gives you the key to understand and elicit both your own potential and the potential of others in your circle of influence.
Remember each role one plays and its importance:
- Modeling develops trust unexpectedly.
- Path-finding creates order without demanding it.
- Aligning produces firm and organized moral authority.
- Empowering brings out the potential of the person without external motivation.
Modeling and path-finding give you focus. Aligning and empowerment, in contrast, are the application.
Six Core Drivers to Execution
- Clarity
- Commitment
- Translation
- Enabling
- Synergy
- Accountability
The Four Disciplines of Execution
- Focus on the wildly important.
- Create a compelling scoreboard.
- Translate lofty goals into specific action.
- Hold each other accountable all of the time.
[edit] Conclusion
The 8th Habit is about seeing and harnessing the power of a third dimension to the 7 Habits that meets the central challenge of the new Knowledge Worker Age. It is about finding your voice and helping others to find theirs. Voice has a unique personal significance—significance that is revealed as we face our greatest challenges and make us equal to them.
When you engage in an enterprise that utilizes your talent and fuels your passion, that rises out of a great need in the world, and that you feel drawn by conscience to meet—therein lies your voice, your calling, your soul’s code.
The purpose of The 8th Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness, gives you a roadmap that will lead from pain and frustration to true fulfillment, relevance, significance, and contribution in today’s new landscape—not only in your work and organization, but also in life.
Look for your voice and encourage others to find theirs. Start by creating your own personal significance. Then, encourage others to do so. In a team, create an environment with high trust, where people seek win-win solutions and share their visions.
