Steven Covey wrote a book entitled The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, and that book influenced my life on a personal and professional level. Steven Covey simply stated, through years of experience and observation, that he found seven habits that successful people employ. They are:
1. Be Proactive.
2. Begin with the End In Mind.
3. Put First Things First.
4. Think Win/Win
5. Seek First to Understand, Then to be Understood.
6. Synergize
7. Sharpen the saw
I want to caution you that this is not advice on how to get stuff, to win at arguments, or to negotiate the art of a deal. They are seven man-centered principals that can absolutely change how effective you are when relating to folks around you.
The first three are personal habit forming philosophies. I have seen the term "self mastery" used, but I prefer to think along the lines of keeping "my body under subjection". So, the idea is not just avoiding evil (fight or flight) but employing these three positive habits. Be proactive, (not reactive; stop waiting for something to happen first). Begin with the end in mind (this includes exit strategies too). Put first things first (prioritize).
The fourth, fifth, and sixth are team building philosophies. Win-Win seeks mutual benefit from relationships. The Win-Win principle should be easy for Christians because it is "principle based" and we as followers of Christ all prescribe to the same set of life directing principles! Right? Ha...this principle is hard! Mainly due to our flat out disobedience. The Fifth principle centers around empathy. To be empathetic, pride must be wrestled to the mat and pinned. I had lunch today with my two closest friends here in Winter Haven. I perceived something I communicated might have been a little hurtful. I joke, but I need to be careful. So, I fixed it.
The sixth is synergize! I love this word. If they made a drink called synergize, I'd drink it. If they made a shirt that said synergize on it, I'd wear it...all the time.
The secret to achieving synergy (did I tell you how much I love that word?) is to be aware of differences. Respect that everyone is wired differently, build on strengths and make up for the weaknesses. The methodology, according to Covey, is the creative process, which is exhilarating, because you never know exactly where you could end up!
When I think of the word synergize, I think of the Church - "the sum is greater than its parts"! That is true about me personally and it is true about a team; especially if they are personally and cooperatively following the previous five principles.
The seventh is rest and renew. I suck at this. Sorry, but you need to know how much I do not like this about myself. On Sunday afternoon I start thinking about Monday. If a movie is not absolutely spectacular, holding my undivided interest, my mind wanders to all of the future projects I need to accomplish. I need to work at this, but I see-saw back and forth on my progress. I, Matt Wiggins, have failed miserably before and fatigue always played a role.
So that is today's post. Seven man-centered principles that can make you a better tool in the hand of the Potter. Thanks, Steven!
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
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2 comments:
Joseph Dillow references this book in his Reign of the Servant Kings. I would really like to read it. Really helpful thoughts. This will be a great reference tool for future use. Thanks for the post.
Hey Matt... great blog site! If I were a blogger, I would do it like your site... maybe some day. My favorite principle from the Covey list is the one about priorities. As I have strived to keep my priorities straight, the Lord has blessed. My priorities are: Jesus, Family, Ministry, and then everything else. This is a challenge this month... especially when the Rays and the Bucs go in the "everything else" category and there are baseball games to be watched every night and football every Sunday! Thank the Lord for DVR... so I can watch Tampa Bay sports according to my schedule.
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