If you heard about a book with life improvement principles that were familiar and simple, would you still read it? What if those ideas had been proven to work? And what if the book had sold more than 25 million copies in 40 languages?
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey was named by Forbes business magazine as one of the top 10 most influential management books ever written. A survey by Chief Executive magazine recognized it as one of the 2 most influential books of the 20th century. It is a wonderfully clear and simple book about how we can live more effectively
But what made the book so successful?
Proven Principles That Are Familiar and Simple
Self-help fads come and go, and there always seems to be a secret new way to be successful. But many new ideas have not stood the test of time or been proven to work and sometimes following the latest craze can cause more harm than good.
Most wisdom is not new or secret, and often it even seems familiar.
Many of the habits of highly effective people have been around for a while. They are universal and timeless and have been proven to help people live more effectively for decades, even centuries.
“Our problems and pain are universal and increasing, and the solutions to the problems are and always will be based upon universal, timeless, self-evident principles common to every enduring, prospering society throughout history.” (Stephen R. Covey)
Some modern authors seem to try too hard. In their striving to appear sophisticated or differentiated, they offer complicated approaches that may spin off good sound bites but are too complex to be easily integrated into our normal lives.
Most wisdom is not complicated or confusing but quite simple.
Don’t get distracted by the hype of new-sounding, self-help fads and learn to sort through the clutter. Be selective as you pick which areas to focus on in your life. Look for simple principles that have proven effective for other people over a long period of time. Pick those that will work best for you and then build them into your daily habits.
Many modern books also make promises they simply can’t keep. They promise easy prosperity, quick success, manufactured charisma, or instant power and control. But that’s not how life actually works most of the time.
Wisdom is reliably effective because proven truth can be trusted.
There is no quick fix for life’s problems, and success normally comes only after a lot of work. You can’t control outcomes, and many circumstances are beyond your control as well. Instead, look for principles that align with God’s wisdom and use them to work on being the best you possible. That’s all you can do, and your outcomes and circumstances will turn out as they will.
“The Lord works from the inside out. The world works from the outside in. The world would mold men by changing their environment. Christ changes men, who then change their environment. The world would shape human behavior, but Christ can change human nature.” (Ezra Benson as quoted in the book “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People“)
Examining the Habits of Highly Effective People
Why do you want to be effective in how you live?
Is it be more successful, do better at your job, and make more money? To work on things that matter, achieve your goals, and make a difference in the world? Have better relationships, find more contentment, and feel good about yourself when you go to bed at night? Be a good steward of the time, gifts, and resources God has given you? Those are all good reasons.
Below are listed Stephen Covey’s 7 habits of highly effective people. I added an explanation of each one and aligned them with 3 key principles of effectiveness around Planning, Preparation, and People. By seeking to understand the wisdom in these principles and incorporating them into our lives, we can all become more effective one day at a time.
Planning – Work on the right things.
- Put First Things First – Work on the things that are most important. Too often, we are overcome by the “tyranny of the urgent” or we get lost in the clutter of choices. One of the simplest ways to be effective is to spend more time every day on the most important projects and not those that are urgent-but-not critical or unconnected to our key goals in life.
- Begin With the End in Mind – Build a plan for where you want to go. Dr. W. Edwards Demming, famous business consultant and father of “Total Quality Management,” would often ask leaders, “For what purpose?” He did this to get them to think first about the objectives they needed or wanted to accomplish and then plan accordingly. As should we.
Preparation – Be equipped to work.
- Be Proactive – Anticipate and prepare rather than merely reacting. We do that by noticing where things are heading and choosing to make positive changes along the way. Many people go through life unaware of what is really going on and are then surprised when problems come about when many of those issues could have been prevented in the first place.
- Seek First to Understand – Listen and learn to help stay on track. Good leaders, coworkers, parents, and even friends strive to be good listeners and understand what is going on with those around them. This helps ensure they have a good grasp of the situation rather than jumping into action impulsively without learning that helpful information first.
- Sharpen the Saw – Commit to continuous personal development. If you want to cut wood as quickly and easily as possible, pause to sharpen the saw first. That is a metaphor to help us see that we become more effective by learning and improving ourselves. As John Maxwell, well-known leadership author and speaker, often said, “Leaders are learners.”
People – Work well with others.
- Synergize – Work together with others to achieve more together. Terms like “teamwork” and “collaboration” are used so often because of their importance in terms of effectiveness. A group of people working together will get more done than each person working individually. When we collaborate, the whole is truly greater than the sum of its parts.
- Think Win-Win – Aim for solutions that are mutually beneficial. One of the biggest mistakes we often make is to assume that for us to win—get what we want—someone else has to lose. That fallacy is known as “zero-sum thinking.” But often, by seeking to meet the needs of others as well as our own, the end result becomes even better. Everyone wins!
Stephen Covey’s 7 life improvement principles may seem familiar and simple, but they are also proven and can be trusted. Most wise ideas and techniques are not necessarily new or complicated. But they work, and they lead to positive results.
In other words, they are effective.
STEPS Ministries utilizes a similar approach as Stephen Covey to offer proven wisdom in a practical manner:
- Gather and synthesize the timeless wisdom of proven experts.
- Communicate key principles in a clear and simple manner.
- Help people learn how to apply them on a daily basis.
Because proven principles and simple habits can help us live more effectively. One step at a time.
“Life is a journey. Seek the right direction using God as your guide. Make wise choices and take the next right step.” (from the book “STEPS: A Daily Journey to a Better Life”)
Next Right Step: Pick the top 1 or 2 of those 7 habits that you should work on the most to become more effective.
