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The 8th Habit Stephen R. Covey Copyright © 2004 by Stephen R. Covey Published by the Free Press Simon & Schuster, Inc., N.Y. Used by permission. 432 pages
An Original Summary by ReadListenWatch © 2010 | This is a summary and not the work of the original author. The perspectives and interpretations are exclusively those of the staff of ReadListenWatch. All rights reserved.
Book Summary | Leadership
“The 8th Habit” Stephen R. Covey
Information Finding Your Potential
The two basic principles in the 8th Habit are, first, finding your potential and, then, helping others to find theirs, too. Everyone has innate potential, and in order to maximize that level in your life, you must realize that you have a choice to achieve it or not. Making a difference is a choice. People choose to do things that don’t make a difference, but you can choose otherwise, doing things that mark you as remarkable--things that make a difference in the world. The ability to choose comes from four vital capabilities or intelligences:
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IQ or “Mind” Intelligence – Many people stop here when evaluating intelligence, but it is only one part of one’s potential intelligence. Physical or “Body” Intelligence – This category of intelligence takes place subconsciously and, as a result, is commonly overlooked. Physical intelligence responds continuously to the physical environment in order, for example, to maintain health and to ward off infection, thus warning us of danger we can aim to avoid.
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Emotional or “Heart” Intelligence – This intelligence prompts awareness, sensitivity and the ability to communicate well. Someone with this intelligence spots social cues, knowing what to say and how to say it. This category of intelligence has proven to be a bigger factor than others in one’s successfulness.
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Spiritual or “Soul” Intelligence – This is the most vital form of intelligence because it guides the actions of the other types of intelligence. It gives us the will power to accomplish our purposes.
A Whole Person
Four parts comprise the whole person: mind, body, heart and spirit. When these elements reach full potential, they become vision, discipline, passion and conscience.
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Mind and Vision – When you develop your mental intelligence, the result is vision. People who do not exercise their mental capacity and creativity suffer from lack of vision. Vision sees the potential in every situation, person, and idea.
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Body and Discipline – Discipline is needed to nurture vision into reality. Discipline is produced by vision and commitment. A person must have both. Heart and Passion – People who learn how to obtain a wise heart will develop passion and sustain the discipline that is needed to grasp the vision. Spirit and Conscience – Developing this part of your intelligence will result in moral excellence and produce excellence in your life. Exceptionally successful people practice self-development and commonly share the attributes of vision, discipline, and passion.
www.ReadListenWatch.com An Original Summary by ReadListenWatch © 2010 | This is a summary and not the work of the original author. The perspectives and interpretations are exclusively those of the staff of ReadListenWatch. All rights reserved.
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“The 8th Habit” Stephen R. Covey
Transformation True Leadership True leadership is marked by the ability to lead others to understand their true potential. In the past, leaders have tried to suppress their followers to maintain authority. However, the people who truly make a difference and choose to live an exceptional life are the ones who set an example and influence other people. Those leaders who fail do so because of a lack of moral values. They allow their talents and abilities to transport them to a place where their character can’t sustain them because they neglected to develop firm morals. Even if you are the most talented person in the world, if you get to the top without a solid character you will repeatedly make bad decisions and eventually fall from your position quickly. As a leader, you must show yourself as a promise-keeper, exemplifying honesty and integrity. The chief way to learn all eight habits is to serve other people. Organizations exist is to serve human needs. The greatest leaders are the ones who are not afraid to practice the little things in order to make other people successful. The true leader will walk the path that takes him or her to the trailhead, blazing the way for others to unlock their own full potential.
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www.ReadListenWatch.com An Original Summary by ReadListenWatch © 2010 | This is a summary and not the work of the original author. The perspectives and interpretations are exclusively those of the staff of ReadListenWatch. All rights reserved.
“The 8th Habit” Stephen R. Covey
Application The 8th Habit The second part of the Eighth Habit concerns empowerment, the ability to enable others to act. In this case, empowerment means enabling people to realize their true potential. Once a person is able to embrace the four parts of his or her being, then the next step is to empower others to do the same. Here are some examples that demonstrate how to get people to listen to you.
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Modeling-In order for important matters to be resolved or achieved, you must prove yourself trustworthy, setting an example through your actions that aren’t disguised with expectations. Pathfinding-You have to provide direction for people to follow, and not just a direction but the right direction. Aligning-Maintain good morals by protecting trust and practicing empowerment. Empowering- Have faith in people’s ability to choose wisely for themselves. You must also correct old ways of thinking that hinder your ability to empower others. Most management has been operating with an Industrial Age mentality, treating their employees like things. But in today’s world, to get good results, management must maintain the mentality that its motivation will be to make its employees successful. Here are some ways to do that.
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Commitment - Don’t try to “sell” your followers on something but rather involve them so that they can enjoy buy-in. Translation - Make goals in real-world terms and align the goals with incentives to produce clarity. Synergy - To have synergy, leaders must understand that there is always another alternative. If there is a conflict between two people, leaders and managers who practice creative thinking and empathetic listening will find a third option that is agreeable to both parties. This will produce synergy.
www.ReadListenWatch.com An Original Summary by ReadListenWatch © 2010 | This is a summary and not the work of the original author. The perspectives and interpretations are exclusively those of the staff of ReadListenWatch. All rights reserved.
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“The 8th Habit” Stephen R. Covey
Next Actions 1. What are the characteristics that I can model today that will motivate people to accomplish the desired objective? This is how I will model them today: ______________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 2. Am I leading people the right direction? Is it the right direction for them personally? Is it the right direction for the entire organization? This is how I will help people pathfind today: ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 3. Am I in alignment with the direction of the organization? Am I contributing to or hindering the alignment of other people? These are the areas that I need to come into alignment on and how I will align myself: ______________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 4. How am I doing on trusting others to generate a successful outcome without trying to control them? Am I empowering people or controlling people? These are the ways that I will empower people around me today: _____________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 5. Am I encouraging commitment to the organization by involving each person in a manner that is meaningful to them? Have I made the “buy-in” easily accessible and attractive to people? This is how I will commit to serving people today: __________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 6. Have I communicated clear, compelling, realistic and attainable goals and objectives? This is how I will translate vision to people today: __________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 7. Have I identified alternatives to our current challenge? Am I settling for anything less than unity and consensus? This is how I will foster synergy today: __________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________
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www.ReadListenWatch.com An Original Summary by ReadListenWatch © 2010 | This is a summary and not the work of the original author. The perspectives and interpretations are exclusively those of the staff of ReadListenWatch. All rights reserved.
Connect Stephen R. Covey Stephen R. Covey wrote the best-selling book, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Peo-
ple. Other books he has written include First Things First, Principle-Centered Leadership, and The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Families. In 2004, Covey released The 8th Habit. In 2008, Covey released The Leader In Me—How Schools and Parents Around the World Are Inspiring Greatness, One Child at a Time. He is currently a professor at the Jon M. Huntsman School of Business at Utah State University.
To connect with Stephen, click the links below.
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