In Stephen R. Covey’s legendary best-seller, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People the term leadership isn’t mentioned. But, given that successful leaders are usually highly effective people it’s worth considering how Covey’s Seven Habits could apply to our perspective on leadership.
Independence
Covey didn’t identify independence as one of the habits of effective people. But interdependence, the ability to connect and work with others, is something he thought must be in place before anyone could go forward effectively in an organizational setting.
Be Proactive
Effective people do not wait to react to developments to be told what to do. Rather, they take initiative and exude ingenuity because they understand the importance of taking responsibility.
Begin With the End in Mind
Effective people develop a strong vision of the end result, before acting. Visually creating what they want to build helps people be effective in their roles.
First Things First
Effective people get things done. Period. They don’t waste time because they’ve mapped out the order of how they want things to get done. Setting priorities and schedules are mainstays of effective people.
Think Win-Win
Effective people build trust and work collaboratively. They don’t pit people against each other. Highly effective people understand that working to build trust and cooperation is like money in the bank.
Seek First to Understand .. Then to be Understood
Highly effective people ask questions and do research before they make up their minds. They diagnose before they prescribe.
Synergy
Effective people know how to combine efforts to make the whole add up to more than the sum. Truly, Stephen R. Covey understood how effective people used a combination of competencies and habits to be excel in their roles.
Elaine Allan, BA, MBA
Technology & Business Blogger
Vancouver, Canada