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An Executive Summary of

THE 7 HABITS OF HIGHLY

EFFECTIVE PEOPLE  Stephen  Covey    by

Who  is  Stephen  Covey?  

Stephen   R.   Covey   was   born   on   October   24,   1932,   on   an   egg   farm   just   outside   of   Salt   Lake   City,   Utah.   Covey  
earned  a  doctorate  in  religious  education  from  Brigham  Young  University,  where  he  completed  a  thesis  on  
success   literature   in   American   history.   In   1989,   he   wrote   and   published   The   7   Habits   of   Highly   Effective  
People,   which   spent   the   next   five   years   on   numerous   best   sellers   lists   and   has   today   sold   more   than   25  
million  copies  and  translated  to  more  than  40  languages.      

Preston  and  Stig’s  General  Thoughts  on  the  Book    

I  was  initially  excited  about  finally  reading  this  book.    For  me  it  has  always  been  one  of  those  best  selling  
that  I  never  got  around  to  reading.    

Generally  I  liked  the  book.  I  especially  think  the  7th  habit  of  renewing  yourself  in  the  physical,  spiritual,  and  
mental  dimensions  are  core  to  maintaining  and  developing  yourself  and  other  habits.  Personally  developing  
the  right  habits  are  how  I  have  achieved  many  goals  in  both  business  and  my  personal  life.  Reading  Covey’s  
book  might  guide  and  inspire  you  as  well.  But  the  overall  concept  of  developing  your  personal  habits  is  truly  
how  I  think  you  will  eventually  manage  to  create  long-­‐term  success  in  your  own  life.    

Habit  1  –  Be  Proactive:  Principle  of  Personal  Vision  

Proactivity  constitutes  Covey’s  first  habit  for  an  important  reason:  the  following  six  habits  depend  on  the  
development   of   “proactive   muscles”   and   puts   the   responsibility   on   the   individual   to   act.   To   be   certain,  
proactivity   is   not   merely   positive   thinking   or   maintaining   an   optimistic   attitude   until   conditions   improve.  
Rather,  it  is  facing  the  reality  of  certain  circumstances  and  choosing  a  positive  response  to  them.    

Interestingly,  proactive  people  can  often  be  identified  by  the  language  they  use:  “Let’s  look  at  alternatives;”  
“I   can   choose   a   different   approach;”   “I   choose;”   “I   will.”   This   is   in   stark   contrast   to   reactive   people   who   are  
more  likely  to  say,  “I  can’t  do  that;”  “I  don’t  have  the  time;”  or,  “That’s  just  the  way  I  am.”    The  danger  of  
reactive   language,   according   to   Covey,   is   that   it   can   become   a   self-­‐fulfilling   prophecy   leading   people   to  
believe  that  they  are  not  in  charge  of  their  lives.    

Another  noticeable  difference  between  proactive  and  reactive  people  is  whether  they  focus  their  energies  
on   the   Circle   of   Concern   or   on   the   Circle   of   Influence.   Everyone   has   a   wide   range   of   concerns,   some   we  
exercise  no  real  control  over,  and  others  that  we  can  do  something  about.  The  concerns  we  can  address  fall  

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within   the   Circle   of   Influence,   and   it   is   here   that   proactive   people   invest   their   energies,   while   reactive  
people  remain  stuck  in  and  thus  overwhelmed  by  the  Circle  of  Concern.  

Habit  2  –  Begin  with  the  End  in  Mind:  Principle  of  Personal  Leadership  

Understanding   the   importance   of  “Begin   with   the   End   in   Mind”   approach   to   life.   A   leader   clarifies   values  
and,   beginning   with   the   end   in   mind,   prompts   us   to   live   according   to   the   principles   we   value   most.   As   your  
own   personal   leader,   you   are   responsible   for   your   first   creation   and   any   necessary   rescripting   (or   paradigm  
shifting)   that   may   be   required   throughout   life   in   order   to   realign   your   attitudes   and   behaviors   with   your  
values.  Life  cannot  merely  be  managed;  it  needs  a  leader.    

Covey   is   so   committed   to   the   idea   of   beginning   with   the   end   in   mind   that   he   recommends   developing   a  
personal   mission   statement   or   philosophy,   which   focuses   on   what   you   want   to   be   (character)   and   to   do  
(contributions  and  achievements)  and  the  values  upon  which  both  aspects  are  based.  A  personal  mission  
statement  can  be  a  personal  constitution  which  outlines  your  life-­‐directing  decisions  and  what  is  purposeful  
and  meaningful  to  you.  

Habit  3  –  Put  First  Things  First:  Principle  of  Personal  Management  

With   discipline,   Covey   raises   the   issue   of   time   management   and   presents   what   he   calls   the   fourth  
generation  of  time  management  in  the  form  of  the  Time  Management  Matrix,  which  divides  time  in  four  
ways:   urgent,   not   urgent,   important,   not   important.   Urgent   matters   are   usually   visible   and   pressing,   but  
they   are   not   always   important,   while   important   matters   are   related   to   results,   such   as   achieving   your  
mission.   Covey’s   Matrix   is   divided   into   four   quadrants   with   Quadrant   I   constituting   urgent   and   important  
matters,   Quadrant   II   important   and   not   urgent   concerns,   Quadrant   III   urgent   and   not   important,   and  
Quadrant   IV   not   important   and   not   urgent.   Effective   people   spend   little   time   in   Quadrants   III   and   IV  
because   they   are   not   important;   they   limit   their   time   in   Quadrant   I,   which   can   consume   people,   and   spend  
most   of   their   time   in   Quadrant   II,   the   core   of   successful   personal   management   as   it   deals   with   concerns  
that   are   important,   but   not   urgent   (capacity-­‐building   activities   like   long-­‐range   planning,   building  
relationships,   writing   a   personal   mission   statement).   By   spending   most   of   your   time   in   Quadrant   II,   your  
problems   decrease   because   you   are   thinking   ahead   and   taking   preventive   measures   that   keep   situations  
from  developing  into  crises.    

In   order   to   find   the   time  to   stay   in   Quadrant   II,   you   have   to   learn   to   say   “no”   to   numerous   activities,   no  
matter   how   urgent   they   may   seem.   While   staying   in   Quadrant   II   requires   discipline,   it   can   seem   like   a  
natural   and   exciting   place   to   invest   your   time   if   your   priorities   are   coming   from   a   principle-­‐centered  
paradigm  and  a  personal  mission.  It  represents  the  essence  of  putting  first  things  first.    

Covey  acknowledges  that  moving  into  Quadrant  II  is  not  a  simple  task,  especially  for  people  caught  in  the  
“thick  of  thin  things”  in  Quadrants  III  and  IV.  He  suggests  organizing  on  a  weekly  basis  rather  than  a  daily  
basis   in   order   to   achieve   greater   balance   and   carrying   out   four   key   organizing   activities.   The   first   is  
identifying   the   roles   you   play,   whether   mother,   father,   wife,   husband,   manager   or   leader.   The   second  

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activity   is   selecting   goals   you   would   like   to   accomplish   over   the   course   of   a   given   week.   The   third   step   is   to  
schedule   your   time   with   your   goals   in   mind,   and   the   final   step   is   daily   adapting,   or   responding   to  
unanticipated  events  in  a  meaningful  way.  For  Covey,  these  steps  will  help  you  along  the  path  to  organizing  
your  week  as  a  principle-­‐centered,  Quadrant  II  manager.    

Habit  4  –  Think  Win/Win:  Principles  of  Interpersonal  Leadership  

Covey   contrasts   the   Win/Win   model   with   other   dysfunctional   paradigms,   such   as   the   Win/Lose   in   which  
winning   means   others   must   lose;   or   the   Lose/Win   in   which   people   are   quick   to   please   or   appease   and   seek  
strength   through   acceptance   rather   than   through   their   own   convictions.   There   is   also   the   Lose/Lose   in  
which   two   win/lose   people   interact   and   produce   an   adversarial   conflict;   and   the   pure   Win   mentality   in  
which  a  person  seeks  only  to  get  what  he  or  she  wants.    

Covey   acknowledges   that   there   are   circumstances   in   which   each   of   these   different   paradigms   may   be  
useful;   it   all   depends   on   reality.   The   key   is   interpreting   reality   accurately   and   not   insisting   on   a   single  
mentality  for  all  situations  in  life.  A  good  example  of  the  usefulness  of  all  models  is  the  scenario  when  your  
child’s   life   is   threatened.   Here   the   win   mentality   is   essential   as   all   other   people   and   circumstances   become  
immediately  less  important.  But  most  situations  take  place  within  an  interdependent  reality  and  here  the  
win/win  attitude  becomes  the  most  viable  mentality  among  the  five.            

Covey’s   belief   in   the   effectiveness   of   the   win/win   attitude   is   evidenced   in   his   faith   in   the   Win/Win   or   No  
Deal   standard.   As   he   succinctly   defines   this   notion,   “No   deal   basically   means   that   if   we   can’t   find   a   solution  
that   would   benefit   us   both,   we   agree   to   disagree   agreeably   –   no   deal.”     With   a   no   deal   option   in   mind,   you  
can  be  open  and  fair  in  dealing  with  people  and  pursue  with  both  vigor  and  honesty  a  win/win  situation,  for  
the  no  deal  option  means  that  no  one  will  have  to  make  a  decision  that  is  not  right  for  them.    

Habit   5   –   Seek   First   to   Understand,   Then   to   Be   Understood:   Principles   of   Empathetic  

Communication  
Covey  believes  it  is  common  for  most  people  to  listen  not  with  the  intent  of  understanding,  but  with  the  
intent  of  replying.  Listening  is  frequently  autobiographical  as  we  seek  to  understand  others  words  through  
our  own  paradigms.  Empathic  listening,  however,  is  listening  with  the  intent  to  understand,  to  get  inside  
another  person’s  paradigm,  and  to  fully  understand  that  person  both  intellectually  and  emotionally.  This  
requires  not  only  comprehending  someone’s  spoken  language,  but  his  or  her  sounds  and  body  language  as  
well.  When  achieved,  empathic  listening  constitutes  a  huge  deposit  in  someone’s  Emotional  Bank  Account,  
and  it  validates  and  affirms  that  person,  contributing  to  the  psychological  survival.  Moreover,  it  is  
impossible  to  experience  successful  interdependency  without  understanding  where  people  are  coming  
from.  Covey  warns  that  empathic  listening  is  risky  as  it  involves  opening  yourself  up  to  be  influenced  thus  
making  you  vulnerable.  But  with  a  “changeless  inner  core”  developed  from  Habits  1,  2,  and  3,  you  can  
manage  vulnerability.                

In  order  to  learn  how  to  listen  empathically,  we  first  need  to  diagnose  how  most  of  us  typically  listen.  Covey  
identifies  four  common  ways  of  autobiographical  listening:  1)  we  evaluate  (either  agreeing  or  disagreeing);  

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2) we  probe  (asking  questions  from  our  own  frame  of  reference);  3)  we  advise  (giving  counsel  based  on  our
own  experience);  and  4)  we  interpret  (trying  to  figure  people  out).  None  of  the  four  ways  leads  to  empathic  
listening.    

So  how  do  we  move  from  autobiographical  listening  to  empathic  listening?  Covey  identifies  four  
developmental  stages  for  making  this  important  transition.  The  first  (and  least  effective)  is  to  mimic  
content  (repeating  someone’s  words  in  your  head),  which  is  often  insulting  to  people  but  at  least  prompts  
us  to  listen  to  what  is  actually  being  said  and  hinders  us  from  evaluating,  probing,  advising  or  interpreting.  
The  second  (and  still  limited)  stage  is  to  rephrase  the  content,  or  to  restate  in  your  head  and  in  your  own  
words  what  someone  has  said  to  you.  The  third  stage  is  reflecting  feeling,  which  involves  identifying  the  
feeling  someone  is  expressing  to  you.  Here  you  are  paying  attention  not  so  much  to  what  someone  is  
saying  but  rather  to  the  feelings  that  person  is  conveying.  The  fourth  stage  combines  the  second  and  third:  
rephrase  the  content  and  reflect  the  feeling.  At  this  stage  you  are  giving  someone  psychological  air  
(affirmation)  and  you  are  helping  this  person  work  through  his  or  her  own  thoughts  and  feelings.  If  
maintained,  empathic  listening  can  lead  to  truly  open  and  trusting  communication,  where  someone  
communicates  exactly  what  he  or  she  is  thinking  and  feeling.            

Habit  6  –  Synergize:  Principles  of  Creative  Cooperation  

The  key  to  achieving  synergy  is  valuing  differences  and  realizing  that  everyone  sees  the  world  “not  as  it  is,  
but  as  they  are.”    Effective  people  are  humble  and  reverent  and  thus  able  to  see  their  perceptual  
limitations,  and  they  value  differences  precisely  because  they  comprehend  that  those  differences  can  
benefit  them.  As  Covey  notes,  “When  we’re  left  to  our  own  experiences,  we  constantly  suffer  from  a  
shortage  of  data.”    When  you  value  differences,  Third  Alternatives  almost  always  exist.  Indeed,  in  some  
cases,  synergy  can  even  work  powerfully  against  negative  forces  that  hinder  growth  and  change.    

Concluding  this  section,  Covey  champions  synergy  as  correct  principle  and  the  “crowning  achievement  of  all  
the   previous   habits.”     He   also   reminds   readers   that   our   own   internal   synergy   is   within   our   Circle   of  
Influence.  We  can  make  choices  that  aid  both  our  independent  and  interdependent  selves:  we  can  respect  
our  own  different  tendencies;  we  can  seek  to  avoid  negative  energy;  we  can  look  for  the  good  in  others;  we  
can   be   courageous   enough   in   interdependent   situations   to   be   open;   and   we   can   welcome   different  
opinions  and  takes  on  life.    

Habit  7  –  Sharpen  the  Saw:  Principles  of  Balanced  Self-­‐Renewal  

“Habit   7   is   personal   PC,”   writes   Covey.   Though   it’s   listed   as   the   last   habit,   it’s   actually   the   all-­‐encompassing  
one,  as  it  makes  all  the  other  habits  possible  because  it  renews  and  maintains  you.    

The  physical  dimension  of  renewal  is  taking  care  of  our  physical  bodies—eating  well,  resting,  relaxing,  and  
exercising.   Too   often   we   assume   we   don’t   have   the   time   to   do   these   things;   our   pressing   schedules  
overwhelm  us.    

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By   spiritual   dimension,   Covey   means   our   commitment   to   our   value   system.   For   some,   this   activity   might  
involve   reading   great   literature,   philosophy,   sacred   texts,   listening   to   great   music,   or   enjoying   nature.  
Whatever   the   activity,   we   need   to   refresh   the   leadership   center   of   our   lives   and   recommit   to   what   is  
actually   important   to   us.   Here   Covey   sees   the   personal   mission   statement   as   especially   helpful   in   achieving  
spiritual  renewal  because  it  gives  us  a  deep  understanding  of  our  center  and  makes  re-­‐committal  to  that  
center  a  more  focused  exercise.      

Renewing  our  mental  dimension  means  engaging  our  mind  and  seeking  mental  stimulation.  This  can  come  
from   continuing   education,   which   expands   our   mind,   or   from   training   the   mind   “to   stand   apart   and  
examine   its   own   program,”   or   from   extensive   reading   and   exposure   to   great   minds.   Covey   particularly   likes  
the   idea   of   reading   good   literature   as   he   considers   it   a   way   to   get   inside   the   best   minds   from   today   and  
from  the  past.  Writing  is  also  a  powerful  tool  for  mental  renewal  as  it  sharpens  our  ability  to  think  clearly  
and  to  be  understood.    

Covey  makes  an  intriguing  suggestion  regarding  sharpening  the  saw  of  the  first  three  dimensions  by  
promoting  a  practice  he  calls  the  Daily  Private  Victory.  This  entails  spending  an  hour  a  day,  for  the  rest  of  
your  life,  renewing  yourself  in  the  physical,  spiritual,  and  mental  dimensions.    

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