BOOK REVIEW OF 7 HABITS OF HIGHLY EFFECTIVE PEOPLE BY KARAN BAGGA (192015) WMG -19 This is one of the best-known

leadership books of recent years, and the key phrase in the title is "people-focused". Rather than tackling specific problems or making external changes to processes, systems and so on, Covey's approach helps you focus on developing yourself personally and your relationships with others. Covey describes three distinct stages of personal growth that we move through as we develop these habits: Dependence: This is where we start, dependent on other people. And without personal development, we would stay stuck at this stage.

Independence: Through personal development, we become more independent and take responsibility for our actions. Still, however, we are not fully effective. Interdependence: At this stage, we develop the understanding that, although we are self-reliant, we still need other people to accomplish our goals. At the interdependence stage we embrace the idea of working together for better results.

Our character is a composite of our habits. Changing habits is hard, but can be done by tremendous commitment. A (good) habit can be defined as the intersection of knowledge, skill and desire. Change is a cycle of being and seeing (visualization). Our objective is to move progressively on a maturity continuum from dependence to independence to interdependence. Although independence is the current paradigm of our society, we can accomplish much more by cooperation and specialization. However, we must achieve independence before we can choose interdependence.

Habits 1, 2 and 3 (Be Proactive, Begin With The End In Mind, Put First Things First) deal with self mastery. They are the "private victories" required for character growth. Private victories precede public victories. Habits 4, 5 and 6 are the more personality-oriented "public victories" of Teamwork, Cooperation and Communication. Habit 7 is the habit of Renewal, creating an upward spiral of growth. This process of growth will be evolutionary, but the net effect will be revolutionary. The Seven Habits Explained The Seven Habits help us move through these three stages of personal development. The first three take you from dependence to independence. The next three usher you along to interdependence, and the seventh is needed to reinforce the others. 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" How To Build The Seven Habits The Seven Habits need to be developed over time. Remember that these are habits that means you have to pursue them consciously for a while before they become part of who you are and how you interact with other people.

Habits 1 & 2: Be Proactive and Begin with the End in Mind Supporting these habits, see our articles on: Goal setting; and Mission Statements

By developing a personal mission statement and proactively setting and managing your goals, you will have a clear view of where you are heading. And to take this to its logical extent, see our "Life Plan Workbook" self-study course, which helps you think through what you want to do with your life in detail. Habit 3: Put First Things First Managing your time is key to developing this habit and becoming more effective. Among the tools at Mind Tools that help with this are: Action Priority Matrix Managing Interruptions Successful Delegation However we also have a full-blown time management section, and our Make Time for Success course teaches the 39 essential skills you need to take full control of your time and maximize your effectiveness. Habit 5: Seek First to Understand, Then to be Understood A key skill to develop is Active Listening. This will help you deepen understanding of others and so grow into the interdependence stage of personal development. Habit 4 & 6: Think Win-Win & Synergize Win-Win Negotiation and using synergy are some of the skills of a good leader. There is more about leadership in the Mind Tools leadership section, and you can learn the 48 skills needed to be a truly effective leader in our "How to Lead" selfstudy course. Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw As you work on developing the Seven Habits, its good to keep evaluating where you are going and how you are progressing through the stages of personal development. It takes time to develop new habits, and developing new skills will help embed your habits, so you become more ever more effective.

Key Points Steven Covey's Seven Habits help you develop personally and so become more effective in how you work and relate with other people. Developing these habits can help you tackle your work and life challenges with new confidence. At the core of these habits are a deeper understanding of yourself and an appreciation of the fact that you need others in order to achieve your goals. Developing them will take time and effort. But it is worthwhile and will have a lasting effect on your personal effectiveness.